Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancelling of in-person testing across the country We sought to understand the feasibility of conducting virtual oral examinations as well as opinions of vascular surgery program directors regarding the use of virtual platforms to conduct both mock and the “real” virtual certifying examinations(CE) Methods: Forty-four senior vascular trainees from 17 institutions took part in a virtual mock oral examination conducted by 38 practicing vascular surgeons via zoom Each examination lasted 30 minutes with four clinical scenarios An anonymous survey pertaining to conduct of the examination and opinions on feasibility of using virtual examinations for the vascular surgery CE was sent to all examiners and examinees A similar survey was sent to all vascular surgery program directors (PD) Results: Overall pass rate was 82% with no correlation with training paradigm 32/44 (73%) of trainees, 29/38 (76%) of examiners and 49/103 (48%) PD completed the surveys All groups thought the experience was (would be) beneficial (Table) While the majority of trainees and examiners believed they were able to communicate and express (or evaluate) knowledge and confidence as easily virtually as in person, PD were less likely to agree confidence could be assessed virtually The majority of respondents thought the certifying examination of the Vascular Surgery Board could be offered virtually, although no groups thought virtual exams were superior to in person examinations While cost benefit was perceived in virtual examinations, security of examination was a concern Conclusions: Performing virtual mock oral examinations for vascular trainees is feasible Both vascular surgery trainees as well as program directors feel that virtual certifying examinations should be considered by the Vascular Surgery Board [Formula presented]
Feasibility Of Virtual Examinations For Vascular Surgery Trainees