Development and emergency implementation of an online surgical education curriculum for a General Surgery program during a global pandemic: The University of Southern California experience

BACKGROUND: Physical distancing required by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has limited traditional in-person resident education. We present our novel online curriculum for incorporation into traditional surgical educational programs. METHODS: The online curriculum utilized weekly sub-specialty themed faculty and resident created lectures, ABSITE practice questions, and weekly sub-specialty synchronized readings. Attendance, resident and faculty surveys, and completed ABSITE practice questions evaluated for curriculum success. Curriculum was adapted as COVID-19 clinical restructuring ended. RESULTS: 77% and 80% of clinical residents attended faculty lectures and resident led topic discussions as compared to 66% and 48% attending traditional in-person grand rounds and SCORE curriculum (both p > 0.05). 71.9% of residents and 16.6% of faculty reported improved resident participation while none reported decreased levels of participation (p < 0.001). 87.1% of residents and 66.7% of faculty preferred the online curriculum (p = 0.374). Completed ABSITE practice questions per resident increased from 21 to 31 questions/week (p = 0.541). CONCLUSION: Our online educational curriculum demonstrates success and can serve as a model for online restructuring of resident education.