Introduction to Vascular Instruments and Techniques Skills Lab Curriculum

Abstract Introduction This vascular curriculum provides an introduction to vascular instruments and the techniques of anastomosis and embolectomy. It is designed for general surgery or vascular surgery residents. The curriculum was developed based on Kern's Six Steps of Curriculum Development in Medical Education. Methods The curriculum includes goals and objectives, a teaching plan, list of required resources, PowerPoint presentations, assessment tools, and curriculum evaluation tools. This session was designed to include an artificial model and a porcine model all in one day. The module could be performed with the artificial model only if a porcine lab is not available. It also may be beneficial to perform the artificial model first and allow interim practice prior to moving on to the porcine model. Results This lab has been successfully deployed as part of a larger skills curriculum for general surgery residents. Evaluation has demonstrated knowledge gains (pretest vs. posttest), resident gains in confidence in vascular knowledge and skills, and the ability of residents to successfully execute an anastomosis and embolectomy on a porcine model at the end of the lab (as measured by assessment tool checklist). Discussion Evaluations of the curriculum uniformly demonstrated that residents felt it was a valuable educational experience.