Table 4 Text condensates for subgroups within the theme ‘transferable skills’
From: Ticket to perform: an explorative study of trainees’ engagement in and transfer of surgical training
Subgroup | Text condensate |
|---|---|
Ambidexterity and coordination | I have become more aware of using both hands, which is essential when performing procedures where you have to use your non-dominant hand to manoeuvre the tissue, keep tension, dissect and cut. It is a bimanual task with a bit of dancing between the two hands. The training program has helped me a lot; I have become more adept at using my non-dominant hand, which otherwise could be a bit sluggish. Before, it was like, ‘now I move my right hand, and now I move my left hand’, but now it is more fluid. My hands work more synchronously, and it comes more naturally now Constructed from 7 different informants’ expressions |
Instrument handling | It has become easier to use the instruments and handle them properly. I no longer have to focus on the instruments and how I use my hands. I can handle the instruments correctly and directly grasp the structures my supervisor tells me to. It is the basics of instrument handling—grasping the tissue and knowing when and how to use the different instruments. The training program allowed me plenty of time with the instruments in my hands—I have to learn the rest through hours of sweating in the OR. If you know the instruments and how to handle them, both the supervisor and scrub nurses will notice it Constructed from 8 different informants’ expressions |
Visuospatial ability | Grabbing a pen on the table is easy because we have a clear sense of where it is. But you do not have that sense at the beginning with laparoscopy. The sense of space and depth is entirely the same whether you practice laparoscopy in a shoebox or the OR. My visuospatial ability—looking at a screen and translating a 2D image into working on a 3D structure—has improved, which transfers directly into my clinical performance. The sense that if I move my instruments in this plane, it matches where I want to go on the screen. In the OR, if you try to grasp a structure and miss it, you risk losing your chance. You have to be very targeted and precise in your movements. I can apply my improved eye-hand coordination to endoscopy in general Constructed from 6 different informants’ expressions |
Approach to learning | The training program has been an eye-opener on how to break learning situations down into smaller chunks. I have become more aware of how to approach tasks in different ways and that there is not necessarily only one correct way. I have started to use the training facilities in our department from time to time. The training program has given me instructions and provided me with extra motivation to train and become better step-by-step. I have learned that I can improve my skills if I want to and invest my time in training. The training has made me more confident in myself. I am less reluctant to state that I am ready for the next step in the OR Constructed from 6 different informants’ expressions |