Maximizing the Effectiveness of Training Programs for Healthcare Professionals

What are some of the challenges you faced while training your staff and how has your organization introduced a unique solution in the medical industry?

Training medical staff has undergone a tremendous transformation since its advent in the early twentieth century. Back then, the number of surgeries you’ve done determined your readiness for real-life cardiac surgery procedures.

But today, here at Maastricht UMC+, our cardiac surgeons follow a classic training program, which we like to call the ‘master-student relationship,’ where we have our residents in the operating room with us all day, constantly observing us perform complex procedures and learn various new techniques. This facilitates an interactive and collaborative learning experience where trainees and supervisors work closely together. And this is how we train our residents.

Some of the new aspects of our medical training program called the Entrusted Professional Activities (EPAs), are where residents can learn how to perform surgery, provide patient care, and cope with acute medical situations. This emphasizes the role of trust between trainees and supervisors. So, after the residents prove that they’re truly capable of carrying out these duties, we put our trust in them to confidently carry out medical procedures on their own.

Given that medical care follows a people-centric approach, what are some of the projects that you take up with your trainees to elevate that message between them?

Our people-centric approach starts by showing our trainees how to perform medical procedures effectively, and this is done by performing it alongside them.

So, when we talk to a trainee and connect with them, we ask them all sorts of relevant questions like, "What can you see?" "What can you hear?" and “What elements do you have to pay close attention to?” are asked to test their level of surgical competence. Following this, the trainees are required to perform procedures under different supervisors. The success of the training depends on the supervisor’s feedback and objective metrics of the trainees’ performance during the practical hands-on training. With that as a basis, the supervisors give their opinion on the trainees’ performance. Once they are satisfied, the trainees will be deemed ready for participating in real-life surgical procedures.

Could you provide an overview of the whole cardiac surgery training program that is employed in your organization?

Maastricht UMC+ offers residency training programs that are traditionally for five and a half years. The majority of the residents had previously worked in our department before their formal training started. 

As a result of their prior experience, they can shorten their training time in half as they are already acquainted and familiar with a majority of the aspects of the surgical training processes.

Our unique integrated program curriculum begins in the intensive care units (ICUs) and the operating rooms (ORs). During their five-year training period, residents undergo different levels of training in the ICU, along with training in congenital heart surgery in cardiology and pulmonology in the ORs. At the end of the five-year training period, trainees pick one specialized area of cardiac surgery. So that is how it works. The residents must attend various courses, and visit congresses, all of which are included in their training program.

What exactly inspired you to be a trainer and shift toward a more training-oriented cardiologic surgery?

I believe that training is in my blood. I believe in training residents by giving them my confidence and trust in their capacity to excel at their medical training, given that I assist them if they face any problem or find themselves in a difficult scenario. So, certainly, I consider it a gift, to be able to instill trust and confidence in younger patients and teach them the relevant skills. And that’s primarily what drove me to become a trainer.

Is there any advice you would like to give your counterparts while providing training in the medical industry?

The most important aspect while working in a sector like mine, is to be extremely confident in your abilities, and to be able to communicate that confidence with the residents. That is one of the most important aspects because it is necessary to be confident in your abilities. I believe that a part of being a good trainer is having leadership skills. That is also why I pursued a business administration degree in healthcare management so that I can learn about the healthcare sector, how to lead residents through complex challenges they face while training, and understand how various individuals see the overall healthcare industry.