The Feasibility of Incorporating a Flipped Classroom Model in an Anesthesia Residency Curriculum—Pilot Study

Background: Medical education is evolving to incorporate learner-centered strategies which encourage student engagement. Educators need to ensure that meaningful education occurs within limited interaction time between teachers and trainees. The Flipped Classroom (FC) model combines the use of both online and face-to-face interaction. Studies describing the process and resource utilization in anesthesia residency programs are limited. Methods: After Institutional Review Board (IRB) exemption, a qualitative study to assess the feasibility of introducing an FC model in the anesthesia residency didactic curriculum was conducted. The Post Graduate Year 2 (PGY2) anesthesia resident didactic sessions were modified to include one session a month using the FC format with the other three sessions presented using traditional PowerPoint lecture format at a tertiary academic medical center. Post-session surveys were administered to both learners and teachers. Survey data were analyzed using Qualtrics® software. Survey data included perceptions of both learners and teachers regarding quality of learning and engagement in the new format. Results: Nineteen residents and 10 faculty participated in 10 sessions over the span of 10 months. A total of 153 resident responses and 8 faculty responses were submitted voluntarily. In our study, a majority of residents indicated they preferred the FC format. They also indicated they enjoyed working in groups. All the participating faculty felt that student interaction and student learning were higher in these sessions. Conclusions: Residency programs need to adopt evidence-based solutions to problems arising in medical education. We present our experiences in finding a solution to make didactic sessions more engaging. Our initial assessment shows that it is feasible to introduce the FC model into an existing curriculum in an anesthesia residency program and both residents and faculty felt that the format enhanced learning and interaction in class.