Program directors' opinions about surgical competency in otolaryngology residents

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether certain surgical procedures could be used as benchmark skills to monitor resident progress in developing surgical competency. Study Design: Survey. Methods: A two-stage survey was sent to otolaryngology residency program directors in the United States. Respondents were given a list of otolaryngology surgical procedures monitored by the American Board of Otolaryngology (ABO) and were asked to indicate whether they felt residents should be able to do each as a primary surgeon. The appropriate level of training for competency in each procedure and estimated number of procedures to competency was indicated by respondents. Results: Respondents selected 16 common procedures they felt residents at different levels of training should be able to perform independently. There were discrepancies between estimated number of procedures needed for competence and the numbers reported by ABO graduates. Conclusions: Surgical skill is one aspect of clinical competency, and this indicates agreement among program directors with regard to a set of benchmark skills we can use for concentrated evaluation efforts.