Abstract
In the dynamic, non-linear world of medical education, balancing patient care and trainee learning is a complex task. This commentary responds to the original article by Noble et al. (2023), which challenges the perceived tension between patient care and trainee learning in the surgical environment and advocates for their co-occurrence across various medical specialties. The article explores supervisory practices across disciplines and proposes a holistic reconceptualization of clinical supervision in surgery. From various perspectives, the importance of hands-on opportunities in the operation theatre and the challenges trainees encounter in gaining practical experience are emphasized. Strategies aimed at improving clinical supervision and enhancing surgical education are suggested. By addressing these challenges and providing more opportunities for hands-on training across specialties, surgical education programs can better prepare trainees for the demands of their future careers while ensuring high-quality patient care.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Bezemer, J., Cope, A., Kress, G., & Kneebone, R. (2014). Holding the scalpel: Achieving Surgical Care in a Learning Environment. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 43(1), 38–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241613485905.
Burlew, C. C. (2017). Surgical education: Lessons from parenthood. American Journal of Surgery, 214(6), 983–992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2017.09.014.
Chikwe, J., de Souza, A. C., & Pepper, J. R. (2004). No time to train the surgeons. British Medical Journal, 21(7437), 418–419. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7437.418.
Greenberg, A. L., Sullins, V. F., Donahue, T. R., Sundaram, V. M., Saldinger, P. F., Divino, C. M., Anton, N. E., Stefanidis, D., Reilly, L. M., Egan, R. J., Beals, C. K. J., Riall, T. S., Duh, Q. Y., Mukhtar, R. A., Hirose, K., & Lebares, C. C. (2022). Emotional regulation in surgery: Fostering Well-Being, performance, and Leadership. Journal of Surgical Research, 277, A25–A35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2022.02.032.
Hauer, K. E., Ten Cate, O., Boscardin, C., Irby, D. M., Iobst, W., & O’Sullivan, P. S. (2014). Understanding trust as an essential element of trainee supervision and learning in the workplace. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 19(3), 435–456. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-013-9474-4.
Hauer, K. E., Oza, S. K., Kogan, J. R., Stankiewicz, C. A., Stenfors-Hayes, T., Cate, O. T., Batt, J., & O’Sullivan, P. S. (2015). How clinical supervisors develop trust in their trainees: A qualitative study. Medical Education, Aug;49(8), 783–795. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.12745.
Klasen, J. M., & Lingard, L. A. (2019). Allowing failure for educational purposes in postgraduate clinical training: A narrative review. Medical Teacher, 41(11), 1263–1269. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2019.1630728.
Klasen, J. M., Driessen, E., Teunissen, P. W., & Lingard, L. A. (2020). Whatever you cut, I can fix it’: Clinical supervisors’ interview accounts of allowing trainee failure while guarding patient safety. British Medical Journal Quality & Safety, 29(9), 727–734. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2019-009808.
Noble, C., Hilder, J., Billett, S., Teodorczuk, A., & Ajjawi, R. (2023). Supervisory knowing in practice across medical specialities. Advances in Health Sciences Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-023-10251-w.
Polanco, A., Breglio, A. M., Itagaki, S., Weiss, A., Stelzer, P., & Chikwe, J. (2013). What are the barriers to training residents in aortic root surgery? Journal of Heart Valve Disease, 22(6), 776–781.
Tatum, S. A. 3rd (2020). The art of teaching, training, and putting the scalpel in residents’ Hands. Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America, 28(4), 469–475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsc.2020.06.005.
Tweet / Twitter [Internet]. Twitter. [cited 2023 Jul 2]. Available from: https://twitter.com/jochikwemd/status/1669856858868416513.
Funding
This research received no external fundings.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
J.K. and A.P.; writing—original draft preparation, review and editing, J.K. and A.P.; All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Poljo, A., Klasen, J.M. Commentary on “supervisory knowing in practice across medical specialties”. Adv in Health Sci Educ (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-023-10281-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-023-10281-4