Ad astra per aspera (Through Hardships to the Stars): Lessons Learned from the First National Virtual APDS Meeting, 2020

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Kyla P. Terhune, Vanderbilt University; Jennifer N. Choi, Indiana University; John M. Green, Carolinas Medical Center; Amy N. Hildreth, Wake Forest University; Jeremy M. Lipman, Cleveland Clinic; Cary B. Aarons, University of Pennsylvania; Donna A. Heyduk, Main Line Health Lankenau Medical Center; Subhasis Misra, HCA Healthcare; Rahul J. Anand, Virginia Commonwealth University; Thomas F. Fise, Association of Program Directors in Surgery; Catherine B. Thorne, Association of Program Directors in Surgery; Gretchen C. Edwards, Vanderbilt University; Amit R. T. Joshi, Einstein Healthcare Network; Clarence E. Clark, Morehouse School of Medicine; Valentine N. Nfonsam, University of Arizona; A. Alfred Chahine, Emory University; Douglas S. Smink, Harvard Medical School; Benjamin T. Jarman, Gunderson Medical Foundation; David T. Harrington, Brown University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-11-01
• Publisher: Elsevier Science Inc.
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2020 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2020.06.015
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Surgical Education
• Volume: 77
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: 1465
• End Page: 1472
• Grant/Funding Information: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
• Keywords: virtual meeting; Education & Educational Research; surgical education; Surgery; web conferencing; program director; Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; virtual education; Education, Scientific Disciplines; national meeting; Social Sciences
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery; Education, Health; Health Sciences, Health Care Management

Abstract

Objective After COVID-19 rendered in-person meetings for national societies impossible in the spring of 2020, the leadership of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) innovated via a virtual format in order to hold its national meeting. Design APDS leadership pre-emptively considered factors that would be important to attendees including cost, value, time, professional commitments, education, sharing of relevant and current information, and networking. Setting The meeting was conducted using a variety of virtual formats including a web portal for entry, pre-ecorded poster and oral presentations on the APDS website, interactive panels via a web conferencing platform, and livestreaming. Participants There were 298 registrants for the national meeting of the APDS, and 59 participants in the New Program Directors Workshop. The registrants and participants comprised medical students, residents, associate program directors, program directors, and others involved in surgical education nationally. Results There was no significant difference detected for high levels of participant satisfaction between 2019 and 2020 for the following items: overall program rating, topics and content meeting stated objectives, relevant content to educational needs, educational format conducive to learning, and agreement that the program will improve competence, performance, communication skills, patient outcomes, or processes of care/healthcare system performance. Conclusions A virtual format for a national society meeting can provide education, engagement, and community, and the lessons learned by the APDS in the process can be used by other societies for utilization and further improvement.