The First In-Training Examination for Residents in Orthopaedic Surgery

Suk, Se Il; Yoo, Myung Chul; Chung, Moon Sang; Chang, Ik Yull

Abstract

On July 5, 1980, the first in-training examination for Korean orthopaedic residents was performed to give each of them an evaluation of his general level of orthopaedic knowledge, and to provide their program directer with a comparative basis for evaluation of their programs in various subject areas. Forty one of the 42 residency programs in this country presented in the examination. The results of the examination and the survey of public opinion performed after the examination are as follows. 1. Two hundreds and ninety one of the 312 Korean orthopaedic residents at all level of training participated in the examination, so that the participation rate was 93.3 percent. According to the survey, the respondents wanted to continue the in-training examination in 77 percent. 2. The examination was not sufficient in its reliability because the questions were small in number, and it was deficient in its objectivity since there were 40 percent of the subjective questions. The test was not enough in its practicability because the questions of applying the knowledge clinically such as problem solving one were relatively insufficient in its number. 3. The mean scores of the. residents are increasing regularly with increasing years, which can be interpreted as the questions are somewhat adequate for the test and the orthopaedic training in Korea is efficient one. But the standard deviations of each mean is large, which means the residents level of the orthopaedic knowledge and his training are greatiy varied. The scores of the senior residents are not yet reach a plateau and the scores of the junior residents are inferior to that of the 1966 American counterpart. 4. According to the survey, the majority wants to open the questions with their referencies after the examination, but wants to neither open his score nor reflect his score in that of the Korean orthopaedic board examination.