Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Surgical Training (INVEST): the first Canadian curriculum for innovation and entrepreneurship for surgical trainees.

Abstract

Background: The Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Surgical Training (INVEST) curriculum was developed to introduce surgical residents to basic concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship. The INVEST curriculum involves a series of 4 academic sessions teaching pillars of surgical innovation and entrepreneurship: identifying needs, value assessment, exploring feasibility, and telling a story. We prospectively examined participant perceptions before and after the INVEST curriculum.

Methods: This longitudinal survey study included consecutive surgical trainees in their first year of training across 9 surgical specialties who partook in the INVEST curriculum at McMaster University. The primary outcome was change in perceived ability to succeed in achieving meaningful contributions to surgical innovation. Change in willingness to complete future training in surgical innovation was a secondary outcome. We used McNemar tests and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank tests to analyze differences in pre- and postcourse data.

Results: Forty-seven residents attended the INVEST sessions and 36 completed both the pre- and post-INVEST surveys (76.6%). The mean age of respondents was 27.0 years and 53.2% were female. Resident confidence in health care innovation and entrepreneurship knowledge improved 2.2-fold (14.9% to 33.3%, p < 0.01) following completion of the INVEST curriculum. The curriculum sparked interest in further education among 17% of participants, while reducing interest in 14%.

Conclusion: Participants' self-perceived ability to partake in entrepreneurial exploits increased following completion of the INVEST curriculum. Similar to training curricula in research, entrepreneurship education sparked interest in some, while decreasing interest in others. Early exposure to entrepreneurship in surgical training may help residents identify opportunities for investment of time.