Implementing a transition to practice curriculum for surgery residents provides a gateway to early-career success

Objective

We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a transition to practice (TTP) curriculum in providing early career success by surveying recent University of South Florida (USF) surgery residency graduates who completed the TTP program.

Design

A survey composed of structured and free response questions was sent to 24 USF graduates of surgery residency. Questions asked about their experience in the TTP program and their confidence and knowledge in subjects covered during the curriculum including financial planning, contract negotiation, coding and billing, and work-life balance. Answers were collected anonymously through Qualtrics.

Setting

This study was conducted at USF in Tampa, Florida. The survey participants completed their training at Tampa General Hospital, a tertiary academic hospital.

Participants

Recent USF General Surgery residency graduates who completed their training between 2019 and 2023 were included in the study. The survey was sent to 24 graduates, and 21 responses were received.

Results

Twenty-one responses were received, and 18 endorsed participation in a TTP program and were used in analysis. Seventeen out of 18 respondents (94.44%) thought a TTP program is important for residents, and all 18 (100%) thought it was beneficial in retrospect. Fourteen respondents (77.78%) endorsed an increase in knowledge of financial planning. Sixteen respondents (88.89%) had already experienced burnout after residency, and many suggested further training on wellness and resiliency.

Conclusions

The TTP program was well received by the recent graduates with many utilizing strategies in the program for early career success. We will modify our current curriculum to incorporate suggestions from the recent graduates, and we hope to provide the framework for other residency programs to adopt their own TTP curricula.