Virtual general surgery teaching for higher surgical trainees in the UK

Since 2020, postgraduate medical education has increasingly incorporated virtual teaching. In the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Deanery, teaching over 15 months was delivered via Zoom, with a secure recording provided retrospectively, covering the general surgery curriculum for higher specialty trainees. The primary aim of this study was to describe learner feedback. The secondary aim was to compare virtual with in-person teaching, with a view to guiding future teaching strategies. Prospective feedback via Likert-rating satisfaction was combined with a summative web survey at close of programme (delivered during 2020-2021). Twenty-four (63%) of thirty-eight trainees responded. Live Zoom attendance and retrospective YouTube views were analysed. A literature search compared the results with existing studies that describe virtual surgical teaching. Two-thirds (69%) of participants were satisfied with the programme, no trainees were dissatisfied and 42% preferred virtual to in-person teaching. Satisfaction at close of programme was high (4.33/5) and not significantly different from satisfaction at the start of the programme (4.84/5). The majority (88%) found it relevant to career development. Commute and personal responsibilities were identified as barriers to virtual teaching, and there was no correlation between live and retrospective views. Three-quarters (79%) of trainees found virtual teaching at least as satisfactory as in-person teaching. Satisfaction was maintained throughout the virtual programme, rated as better or at least as good as in-person teaching. However, reduced provision of in-person education during the study period confounds this feedback. There appears to be benefit in virtual surgical teaching but a blended approach is likely to be increasingly employed.