Education retreats: a structured format to improve the professional development of surgery residents and faculty

Purpose A successful surgical residency program prepares graduates not only in technical skills and patient care, but also in teamwork and communication. The daily demands on faculty and residents create challenges in making time for discussion and reflection, to enhance and improve residency training and work culture. Organized departmental retreats provide a forum to address different facets of training. Methods To provide time to cultivate discussion and longitudinally improve the surgery residency experience, the authors’ program created an annual half-day education retreat for surgical residents and faculty. Clinical activities were limited during this time to allow for attendance. Each retreat focused on a particular topic and consisted of a guest speaker lecture, breakout discussion sessions, and final debriefing as a department. Surgical education retreat objectives and content focus on core pillars of professional development including but not limited to technical skills, building knowledge base, feedback, and teamwork. Results Since 2003, annual surgical education retreats have been organized at the authors’ institution. In particular, the retreat focusing on wellness in 2016 resulted in the establishment of a formal wellness program consisting of a variety of departmental efforts to mitigate resident burnout and promote wellness. Conclusion Structured retreats support discussions within the department to promote education and collaboration. The positive impact of these events can provide long-term improvements in surgery residency programs, and can be applied to any training specialty.