Maine Medical Center
Surgeons prepping for an operation

Skill Rounds & Resources

The Surgery Simulation Curriculum, directed by Chris Turner, MD allows residents to learn new techniques and enhance their skills in a safe learner-focused patient-centered environment. The Hannaford Center for Safety, Innovation and Simulation is the only center of its kind in the state with three distinct learning environments: the simulation lab, the standardized patient lab and the skills lab. A curriculum for junior residents, based on the ACS/APDS Surgery Resident Skills Curriculum, teaches core skills such as asepsis, knot tying, basic laparoscopic skills and anastomoses. A curriculum for senior residents teaches advanced procedure and team based skills such as situational awareness and decision making.

Mission

  • To change the way fundamental surgical skills are taught and evaluated.
  • To establish a facility for teaching and evaluating surgical skills can be taught and evaluated.
  • To provide a laboratory for continuing education in surgical skills.
  • To create a laboratory for research in surgical skills acquisition.
  • To promote research and development of surgical skills innovation.
  • To comply with the RRC guidelines for establishing a method of teaching and evaluating technical surgical skills.

Faculty

Teaching Faculty are chosen based on clinical expertise and willingness to participate. Each faculty member will be responsible for preparing a written objective list, references and evaluation form for each teaching session for distribution prior to the session. Learn more about the Hannaford Center for Safety, Innovation and Simulation.

Following the M&M conference on Thursday morning a topic for grand rounds is presented either by the resident staff, the attending staff or a visiting physician. The topics cover a range of issues including surgical topics, professionalism, ethics and competency requirements for the ACGME. In conjunction with this conference once a month we also have a journal club which covers a full range of topics but also emphasizes the resident's ability to discuss the literature and evaluate its value as an addition to their educational background. The design of the journal club utilizes the recently designed format described by the American College of Surgeons.

MMC's teaching resources include vascular, trauma, colorectal, surgical oncology, cardiothoracic, pediatric surgery and general surgery conferences. These conferences include case presentations, faculty lectures and administrative discussions, and a periodic senior resident case presentation with a review by junior residents. Our residents also attend upper GI, lower GI or liver tumor conference. Residents are given protected time to attend conferences. Conferences are held on Mondays from 7:00AM – 8:00AM and on Thursdays from 7:00AM -10:00AM.