The new trainee curriculum arrives

Much anticipated by many, exciting to the tech-savvy among us, and unbeknownst to others, yet equally relevant to all: The new curriculum is here. Whether you are a trainee, an educator, or a thoracic surgeon interested in the future of our specialty, the unveiling of the new curriculum is of key significance.

In 1992, at the Joint Conference on Graduate Education in Thoracic Surgery, significant emphasis was placed upon curricular change for thoracic surgical education. In response, the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA) initiated the comprehensive thoracic surgery curriculum project in order to develop a consensus as to the content that ought to be learned during thoracic surgical training. Published in 1994, and available online, the TSDA Curriculum was intended to serve as a study guide to individual trainees and a useful resource for Program Directors. While of enormous utility over the last 2 decades, the curriculum is getting a makeover.

Being released this July is a brand-new curriculum, with updated topics and an excitingly novel platform, as a collaborative project from several organizations committed to thoracic surgical education. The Joint Council on Thoracic Surgery Education (JCTSE) has been working closely with the TSDA, with significant input from the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS), the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), and the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Ara Vaporciyan, Program Director at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and 2013 Secretary/Treasurer of the TSDA, has been a key player in the development of the new curriculum.

When asked about the impetus for developing a new curriculum, Dr. Vaporciyan acknowledges that the old curriculum was an enormous advantage when first introduced, but that, now, it is somewhat outdated, and, further, new technology allows us to deliver the content better and more efficiently. Further, Dr. Vaporciyan highlights the valuable aspect of the new curriculum that links its content to expectations of the ABTS for board certification and the requirements of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Milestones project.

Similar to the old curriculum, the basic architecture of the new curriculum contains 88-90 separate topics. However, within the new curriculum, the topics have been selected to cover each element of the published learning objectives provided by the ABTS.

Specific topics were identified by appointed section editors (Cardiac: Drs. James Fann and Craig Baker, Thoracic: DRs. Stephen Yang and Ara Vaporciyan, Congenital: Drs. Ram Subramanyan and Winfield Wells). Approximately 20 topic editors from all over the country have helped populate the new curriculum with content, and have additionally provided some input toward the division of topics.

For many, the most exciting feature of the new curriculum relates to the way that the educational materials will be delivered. Using WebBrain software (TheBrain, Los Angeles) for content management, all topics are organized like a mind map. For example, on the main tree, one can click on Thoracic Surgery, then neoplasm of the lung, which then explodes into three related topics: medical knowledge, patient care, and technical skills, which each branch out further. As explained by Dr. Vaporciyan, "the learning objectives of the ABTS provide the structure of the tree – its trunk and main branches – while the content components, provided by the topic editors, serve as the leaves on the ends of the branches."

So what exactly makes up those leaves at the end of the branches? The multi-media material is 100% pre-existing, coming from six different textbooks, up-to-date literature, online presentations created by the TSDA, and societal guidelines. In addition to the WebBrain content management system, the new curriculum utilizes a Moodle-based (Moodle Pty. Ltd., Perth, Australia) platform for organizing specific lessons plans and weekly curricular goals. Moodle (modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment) is an e-learning software platform, also known as a virtual learning environment.

With features such as assignment submission, quiz completion, discussion forums, file download capabilities, and opportunities for instructors to track individual trainee use, the potential opportunities for future growth are enormous. Within the new TSDA curriculum, trainees will receive a weekly email (as they have with the previous version of the curriculum). This email will direct them to a Moodle course for that week, such as "cardiac disease 1," which will provide to direct links within the WebBrain to all of the topics expected to be covered that week, ultimately providing access to the relevant multi-media materials. Once one has accessed the WebBrain, he or she can surf anywhere within the content tree.

The curriculum will be released in two phases. Phase I entails releasing the content which has been populated onto the WebBrain, utilizing Moodle as the access point. Phase II, which is expected to occur over the coming year, will include a more robust Moodle site. These courses will be fleshed out to each include a multiple-choice quiz with feedback, a wiki page, opportunities for commentary, and a means of gathering feedback from end-users regarding the curriculum. Access to these courses will be free of charge to thoracic surgical residents in the United States and Canada, as well as to program coordinators and faculty. Graduating residents will have access for 1 additional year in order to use the curriculum as a tool to prepare for Boards.

Dr. Edward Verrier, JCTSE Surgical Director of Education, explains that "the curriculum revision is a number of years in conception, preparation, organization, and now implementation. It is the combined effort of a number of dedicated educators and societies with some financial support from industry."

Referencing Salman Kahn in The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined, Dr. Verrier continues: "We believe that this educational tool, using both a learning management and content management electronic based platform, has the potential to ‘flip the classroom.’ With work hour restrictions for residents, a constantly increasing body of knowledge, and the challenges of teaching in the operating room, we believe the new Thoracic Surgery Curriculum has the potential to transform our current approach to surgical education."

So what does this mean for trainees? As stated by Dr. Vaporciyan, "the biggest benefit to the trainees is that, with this content and related quizzes, individuals will have the ability to assess their own needs, have immediate access to relevant content that is free of charge, and, importantly, it is the ABTS intent to ultimately derive the examination material from this new electronic curriculum." Yes, it’s true. The board has agreed that the new curriculum will serve as a template of the content for both the written and oral examinations, making this curriculum the ideal study source for trainees. Dr. John Calhoon, chair of the ABTS, reports that "it is our goal to make sure that we draw questions in the future from the content that is called for in our outline and encompassed by the efforts of this new curriculum’s editors." (And did I mention that it’s free and immediately accessible on the Internet?)

And what about for the educators out there – what does this mean for you? Vaporciyan highlights three key advantages for the teachers: 1) the curriculum is completely malleable, so you can take whatever topic you want your learners to focus upon, and you can add to it or separate topics in any way, such as rotation preparation or linear knowledge acquisition; 2) through learner management aspects of Moodle, you can track all of your learners’ progress; 3) the curriculum is linked to Milestones, which should dramatically assist with meeting this requirement of the ACGME.

As mentioned by Dr. Vaporciyan, the Milestones Project is an important recent endeavor of the ACGME, mandating that all specialty groups develop outcome-based goals for resident performance within the six domains of clinical competence. The milestones will be used by the ACGME to demonstrate accountability of effectiveness of education within ACGME-accredited programs, and, looking ahead, resident performance on milestones will become a source of normative data for the RRC to use in assessing residency programs and facilitating improvements. Linking the new curriculum to milestones will render it a great tool to program directors in ACGME-accredited programs. As explained by Dr. Calhoon, "the RRC is working with the Milestones effort to align the individual curricular modules so that residency training programs will find further synergy and utility in adapting or frankly using the curriculum ‘right off the shelf.’"

When asked about the new curriculum, President of the TSDA Dr. David Fullerton shares with us that "along with the other organizations within our specialty, the TSDA is committed to the education of our residents. The TSDA feels that the consolidation of our specialty’s curricular efforts in this way is a significant advance in thoracic surgical education." Further, Dr. Fullerton acknowledges that the new curriculum "will afford our residents immediate electronic access to important educational materials and will be flexible enough for adaption in individual programs." With gratitude on behalf of the TSDA, Dr. Fullerton congratulates all of the individuals who have contributed to making the Thoracic Surgery Curriculum a reality.

Clearly, this new curriculum has much to offer, for both the teacher and the student. It will be of significant interest to track use and observe associated relationships with subsequent board examination success.

In anticipation of an Aug. 1 launch, notifications regarding accessing the site were provided to residents and program directors via email throughout the month of July. More information on the new curriculum, as well as an introductory video, is found at www.tsda.org/education/thoracic-surgery-curricula.

And we will continue to follow and discuss the new curriculum in these pages of the Residents’ Corner.

Much anticipated by many, exciting to the tech-savvy among us, and unbeknownst to others, yet equally relevant to all: The new curriculum is here. Whether you are a trainee, an educator, or a thoracic surgeon interested in the future of our specialty, the unveiling of the new curriculum is of key significance.

In 1992, at the Joint Conference on Graduate Education in Thoracic Surgery, significant emphasis was placed upon curricular change for thoracic surgical education. In response, the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA) initiated the comprehensive thoracic surgery curriculum project in order to develop a consensus as to the content that ought to be learned during thoracic surgical training. Published in 1994, and available online, the TSDA Curriculum was intended to serve as a study guide to individual trainees and a useful resource for Program Directors. While of enormous utility over the last 2 decades, the curriculum is getting a makeover.

Being released this July is a brand-new curriculum, with updated topics and an excitingly novel platform, as a collaborative project from several organizations committed to thoracic surgical education. The Joint Council on Thoracic Surgery Education (JCTSE) has been working closely with the TSDA, with significant input from the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS), the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), and the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Ara Vaporciyan, Program Director at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and 2013 Secretary/Treasurer of the TSDA, has been a key player in the development of the new curriculum.

When asked about the impetus for developing a new curriculum, Dr. Vaporciyan acknowledges that the old curriculum was an enormous advantage when first introduced, but that, now, it is somewhat outdated, and, further, new technology allows us to deliver the content better and more efficiently. Further, Dr. Vaporciyan highlights the valuable aspect of the new curriculum that links its content to expectations of the ABTS for board certification and the requirements of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Milestones project.

Similar to the old curriculum, the basic architecture of the new curriculum contains 88-90 separate topics. However, within the new curriculum, the topics have been selected to cover each element of the published learning objectives provided by the ABTS.

Specific topics were identified by appointed section editors (Cardiac: Drs. James Fann and Craig Baker, Thoracic: DRs. Stephen Yang and Ara Vaporciyan, Congenital: Drs. Ram Subramanyan and Winfield Wells). Approximately 20 topic editors from all over the country have helped populate the new curriculum with content, and have additionally provided some input toward the division of topics.

For many, the most exciting feature of the new curriculum relates to the way that the educational materials will be delivered. Using WebBrain software (TheBrain, Los Angeles) for content management, all topics are organized like a mind map. For example, on the main tree, one can click on Thoracic Surgery, then neoplasm of the lung, which then explodes into three related topics: medical knowledge, patient care, and technical skills, which each branch out further. As explained by Dr. Vaporciyan, "the learning objectives of the ABTS provide the structure of the tree – its trunk and main branches – while the content components, provided by the topic editors, serve as the leaves on the ends of the branches."

So what exactly makes up those leaves at the end of the branches? The multi-media material is 100% pre-existing, coming from six different textbooks, up-to-date literature, online presentations created by the TSDA, and societal guidelines. In addition to the WebBrain content management system, the new curriculum utilizes a Moodle-based (Moodle Pty. Ltd., Perth, Australia) platform for organizing specific lessons plans and weekly curricular goals. Moodle (modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment) is an e-learning software platform, also known as a virtual learning environment.

With features such as assignment submission, quiz completion, discussion forums, file download capabilities, and opportunities for instructors to track individual trainee use, the potential opportunities for future growth are enormous. Within the new TSDA curriculum, trainees will receive a weekly email (as they have with the previous version of the curriculum). This email will direct them to a Moodle course for that week, such as "cardiac disease 1," which will provide to direct links within the WebBrain to all of the topics expected to be covered that week, ultimately providing access to the relevant multi-media materials. Once one has accessed the WebBrain, he or she can surf anywhere within the content tree.

The curriculum will be released in two phases. Phase I entails releasing the content which has been populated onto the WebBrain, utilizing Moodle as the access point. Phase II, which is expected to occur over the coming year, will include a more robust Moodle site. These courses will be fleshed out to each include a multiple-choice quiz with feedback, a wiki page, opportunities for commentary, and a means of gathering feedback from end-users regarding the curriculum. Access to these courses will be free of charge to thoracic surgical residents in the United States and Canada, as well as to program coordinators and faculty. Graduating residents will have access for 1 additional year in order to use the curriculum as a tool to prepare for Boards.

Dr. Edward Verrier, JCTSE Surgical Director of Education, explains that "the curriculum revision is a number of years in conception, preparation, organization, and now implementation. It is the combined effort of a number of dedicated educators and societies with some financial support from industry."

Referencing Salman Kahn in The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined, Dr. Verrier continues: "We believe that this educational tool, using both a learning management and content management electronic based platform, has the potential to ‘flip the classroom.’ With work hour restrictions for residents, a constantly increasing body of knowledge, and the challenges of teaching in the operating room, we believe the new Thoracic Surgery Curriculum has the potential to transform our current approach to surgical education."

So what does this mean for trainees? As stated by Dr. Vaporciyan, "the biggest benefit to the trainees is that, with this content and related quizzes, individuals will have the ability to assess their own needs, have immediate access to relevant content that is free of charge, and, importantly, it is the ABTS intent to ultimately derive the examination material from this new electronic curriculum." Yes, it’s true. The board has agreed that the new curriculum will serve as a template of the content for both the written and oral examinations, making this curriculum the ideal study source for trainees. Dr. John Calhoon, chair of the ABTS, reports that "it is our goal to make sure that we draw questions in the future from the content that is called for in our outline and encompassed by the efforts of this new curriculum’s editors." (And did I mention that it’s free and immediately accessible on the Internet?)

And what about for the educators out there – what does this mean for you? Vaporciyan highlights three key advantages for the teachers: 1) the curriculum is completely malleable, so you can take whatever topic you want your learners to focus upon, and you can add to it or separate topics in any way, such as rotation preparation or linear knowledge acquisition; 2) through learner management aspects of Moodle, you can track all of your learners’ progress; 3) the curriculum is linked to Milestones, which should dramatically assist with meeting this requirement of the ACGME.

As mentioned by Dr. Vaporciyan, the Milestones Project is an important recent endeavor of the ACGME, mandating that all specialty groups develop outcome-based goals for resident performance within the six domains of clinical competence. The milestones will be used by the ACGME to demonstrate accountability of effectiveness of education within ACGME-accredited programs, and, looking ahead, resident performance on milestones will become a source of normative data for the RRC to use in assessing residency programs and facilitating improvements. Linking the new curriculum to milestones will render it a great tool to program directors in ACGME-accredited programs. As explained by Dr. Calhoon, "the RRC is working with the Milestones effort to align the individual curricular modules so that residency training programs will find further synergy and utility in adapting or frankly using the curriculum ‘right off the shelf.’"

When asked about the new curriculum, President of the TSDA Dr. David Fullerton shares with us that "along with the other organizations within our specialty, the TSDA is committed to the education of our residents. The TSDA feels that the consolidation of our specialty’s curricular efforts in this way is a significant advance in thoracic surgical education." Further, Dr. Fullerton acknowledges that the new curriculum "will afford our residents immediate electronic access to important educational materials and will be flexible enough for adaption in individual programs." With gratitude on behalf of the TSDA, Dr. Fullerton congratulates all of the individuals who have contributed to making the Thoracic Surgery Curriculum a reality.

Clearly, this new curriculum has much to offer, for both the teacher and the student. It will be of significant interest to track use and observe associated relationships with subsequent board examination success.

In anticipation of an Aug. 1 launch, notifications regarding accessing the site were provided to residents and program directors via email throughout the month of July. More information on the new curriculum, as well as an introductory video, is found at www.tsda.org/education/thoracic-surgery-curricula.

And we will continue to follow and discuss the new curriculum in these pages of the Residents’ Corner.

Much anticipated by many, exciting to the tech-savvy among us, and unbeknownst to others, yet equally relevant to all: The new curriculum is here. Whether you are a trainee, an educator, or a thoracic surgeon interested in the future of our specialty, the unveiling of the new curriculum is of key significance.

In 1992, at the Joint Conference on Graduate Education in Thoracic Surgery, significant emphasis was placed upon curricular change for thoracic surgical education. In response, the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA) initiated the comprehensive thoracic surgery curriculum project in order to develop a consensus as to the content that ought to be learned during thoracic surgical training. Published in 1994, and available online, the TSDA Curriculum was intended to serve as a study guide to individual trainees and a useful resource for Program Directors. While of enormous utility over the last 2 decades, the curriculum is getting a makeover.

Being released this July is a brand-new curriculum, with updated topics and an excitingly novel platform, as a collaborative project from several organizations committed to thoracic surgical education. The Joint Council on Thoracic Surgery Education (JCTSE) has been working closely with the TSDA, with significant input from the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS), the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), and the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Ara Vaporciyan, Program Director at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and 2013 Secretary/Treasurer of the TSDA, has been a key player in the development of the new curriculum.

When asked about the impetus for developing a new curriculum, Dr. Vaporciyan acknowledges that the old curriculum was an enormous advantage when first introduced, but that, now, it is somewhat outdated, and, further, new technology allows us to deliver the content better and more efficiently. Further, Dr. Vaporciyan highlights the valuable aspect of the new curriculum that links its content to expectations of the ABTS for board certification and the requirements of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Milestones project.

Similar to the old curriculum, the basic architecture of the new curriculum contains 88-90 separate topics. However, within the new curriculum, the topics have been selected to cover each element of the published learning objectives provided by the ABTS.

Specific topics were identified by appointed section editors (Cardiac: Drs. James Fann and Craig Baker, Thoracic: DRs. Stephen Yang and Ara Vaporciyan, Congenital: Drs. Ram Subramanyan and Winfield Wells). Approximately 20 topic editors from all over the country have helped populate the new curriculum with content, and have additionally provided some input toward the division of topics.

For many, the most exciting feature of the new curriculum relates to the way that the educational materials will be delivered. Using WebBrain software (TheBrain, Los Angeles) for content management, all topics are organized like a mind map. For example, on the main tree, one can click on Thoracic Surgery, then neoplasm of the lung, which then explodes into three related topics: medical knowledge, patient care, and technical skills, which each branch out further. As explained by Dr. Vaporciyan, "the learning objectives of the ABTS provide the structure of the tree – its trunk and main branches – while the content components, provided by the topic editors, serve as the leaves on the ends of the branches."

So what exactly makes up those leaves at the end of the branches? The multi-media material is 100% pre-existing, coming from six different textbooks, up-to-date literature, online presentations created by the TSDA, and societal guidelines. In addition to the WebBrain content management system, the new curriculum utilizes a Moodle-based (Moodle Pty. Ltd., Perth, Australia) platform for organizing specific lessons plans and weekly curricular goals. Moodle (modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment) is an e-learning software platform, also known as a virtual learning environment.

With features such as assignment submission, quiz completion, discussion forums, file download capabilities, and opportunities for instructors to track individual trainee use, the potential opportunities for future growth are enormous. Within the new TSDA curriculum, trainees will receive a weekly email (as they have with the previous version of the curriculum). This email will direct them to a Moodle course for that week, such as "cardiac disease 1," which will provide to direct links within the WebBrain to all of the topics expected to be covered that week, ultimately providing access to the relevant multi-media materials. Once one has accessed the WebBrain, he or she can surf anywhere within the content tree.

The curriculum will be released in two phases. Phase I entails releasing the content which has been populated onto the WebBrain, utilizing Moodle as the access point. Phase II, which is expected to occur over the coming year, will include a more robust Moodle site. These courses will be fleshed out to each include a multiple-choice quiz with feedback, a wiki page, opportunities for commentary, and a means of gathering feedback from end-users regarding the curriculum. Access to these courses will be free of charge to thoracic surgical residents in the United States and Canada, as well as to program coordinators and faculty. Graduating residents will have access for 1 additional year in order to use the curriculum as a tool to prepare for Boards.

Dr. Edward Verrier, JCTSE Surgical Director of Education, explains that "the curriculum revision is a number of years in conception, preparation, organization, and now implementation. It is the combined effort of a number of dedicated educators and societies with some financial support from industry."

Referencing Salman Kahn in The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined, Dr. Verrier continues: "We believe that this educational tool, using both a learning management and content management electronic based platform, has the potential to ‘flip the classroom.’ With work hour restrictions for residents, a constantly increasing body of knowledge, and the challenges of teaching in the operating room, we believe the new Thoracic Surgery Curriculum has the potential to transform our current approach to surgical education."

So what does this mean for trainees? As stated by Dr. Vaporciyan, "the biggest benefit to the trainees is that, with this content and related quizzes, individuals will have the ability to assess their own needs, have immediate access to relevant content that is free of charge, and, importantly, it is the ABTS intent to ultimately derive the examination material from this new electronic curriculum." Yes, it’s true. The board has agreed that the new curriculum will serve as a template of the content for both the written and oral examinations, making this curriculum the ideal study source for trainees. Dr. John Calhoon, chair of the ABTS, reports that "it is our goal to make sure that we draw questions in the future from the content that is called for in our outline and encompassed by the efforts of this new curriculum’s editors." (And did I mention that it’s free and immediately accessible on the Internet?)

And what about for the educators out there – what does this mean for you? Vaporciyan highlights three key advantages for the teachers: 1) the curriculum is completely malleable, so you can take whatever topic you want your learners to focus upon, and you can add to it or separate topics in any way, such as rotation preparation or linear knowledge acquisition; 2) through learner management aspects of Moodle, you can track all of your learners’ progress; 3) the curriculum is linked to Milestones, which should dramatically assist with meeting this requirement of the ACGME.

As mentioned by Dr. Vaporciyan, the Milestones Project is an important recent endeavor of the ACGME, mandating that all specialty groups develop outcome-based goals for resident performance within the six domains of clinical competence. The milestones will be used by the ACGME to demonstrate accountability of effectiveness of education within ACGME-accredited programs, and, looking ahead, resident performance on milestones will become a source of normative data for the RRC to use in assessing residency programs and facilitating improvements. Linking the new curriculum to milestones will render it a great tool to program directors in ACGME-accredited programs. As explained by Dr. Calhoon, "the RRC is working with the Milestones effort to align the individual curricular modules so that residency training programs will find further synergy and utility in adapting or frankly using the curriculum ‘right off the shelf.’"

When asked about the new curriculum, President of the TSDA Dr. David Fullerton shares with us that "along with the other organizations within our specialty, the TSDA is committed to the education of our residents. The TSDA feels that the consolidation of our specialty’s curricular efforts in this way is a significant advance in thoracic surgical education." Further, Dr. Fullerton acknowledges that the new curriculum "will afford our residents immediate electronic access to important educational materials and will be flexible enough for adaption in individual programs." With gratitude on behalf of the TSDA, Dr. Fullerton congratulates all of the individuals who have contributed to making the Thoracic Surgery Curriculum a reality.

Clearly, this new curriculum has much to offer, for both the teacher and the student. It will be of significant interest to track use and observe associated relationships with subsequent board examination success.

In anticipation of an Aug. 1 launch, notifications regarding accessing the site were provided to residents and program directors via email throughout the month of July. More information on the new curriculum, as well as an introductory video, is found at www.tsda.org/education/thoracic-surgery-curricula.

And we will continue to follow and discuss the new curriculum in these pages of the Residents’ Corner.