Session Design Submission Review

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Yes

Summary:

This workshop aims to introduce surgical educators (residency program and clerkship directors, teaching faculty, educational psychologists, and surgical residents) to the applications of growth mindset in surgical training and equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to implement evidence-based growth mindset interventions for surgical trainees at their home institutions. 

Full Description: 

Mindset theory proposes that learners’ performance is influenced by not only knowledge and skill, but also unconscious beliefs about the malleability of personal attributes like talent or intelligence. Individuals with “fixed” mindsets consider such traits to be pre-determined, focus on performing well, and are more likely to give up when confronted with challenges; those with “growth” mindsets believe those traits can be improved, focus on developing skills, and are more persistent in their efforts (1).  Most people’s mindsets fall on a spectrum between the two and can change over time and in different circumstances.  Although mindset is well characterized in the broader education literature, it has only started to gain attention in the medical and surgical education community in the past few years (2).  Prior work has shown that growth mindsets may confer a host of benefits to surgical trainees including protection against burnout, improved resilience, and more positive responses to feedback (3).   

As such, there is a great opportunity for educators to promote and foster growth mindsets in their learners.  Studies of growth mindset interventions outside of medicine showed that even modest improvements can have meaningful, sustained impacts on performance (4).  While there are well-documented best practices on the structure of growth mindset interventions for various learner populations (5,6), this process is still challenging, as meta-analyses indicate that nearly half of interventions for college-age learners were ineffective (7).  Of note, while mindset is an individual trait, it is influenced by interpersonal and institutional factors (8).  Examination of mindset was an important component of the SECOND Trial, and there is increasing recognition that surgical educators must create environments that support growth mindset in their trainees (9, 10). 

This workshop begins by introducing mindset theory including key vocabulary, concepts, implications, and misconceptions.  Next, participants will participate in an abbreviated version of a growth mindset intervention developed and implemented for surgical interns at two major academic training programs in the Northeast and Southwest during the 2024-2025 academic year under the support of a 2024 ASE Foundation CESERT grant.  By closely reviewing the activities and understanding the rationale behind them, participants may appraise the intervention for potential application at their home institutions.  The final part of this workshop will further explore our experiences conducting the intervention, helping surgical educators anticipate challenges their learners may face in adopting growth mindsets during surgical training and develop strategies to overcome them.  Additionally, while not a primary objective, this workshop will afford an opportunity to discuss methods of studying mindset in the context of surgical training.  We hope that gathering a community of interested educators may support multi-institutional scale-up of teaching on mindset and research on the impact of mindset-focused interventions on surgical trainees.   

References

1. Dweck CS. Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development. First. New York: Psychology Press; 1999. 212 p.
2. Coppersmith NA, Esposito AC, Yoo PS. The Potential Application of Mindset Theory to Surgical Education. J Surg Educ. 2022;79(4):845–9.  
3. Whaley Z. Examining the Mindsets of General Surgery Residents and Faculty. Harvard Medical School; 2023.  
4. Teunissen PW, Bok HGJ. Believing is seeing: How people’s beliefs influence goals, emotions and behaviour. Med Educ. 2013;47(11):1064–72.  
5. Yeager DS, Hulleman CS, Hinojosa C, Lee HY, O’Brien J, Romero C, et al. Using design thinking to improve psychological interventions: The case of the growth mindset during the transition to high school. J Educ Psychol. 2016;108(3):374–91.  
6. Heslin PA, Latham GP, VandeWalle D. The effect of implicit person theory on performance appraisals. J Appl Psychol. 2005;90(5):842–56. 
7. Sisk VF, Burgoyne AP, Sun J, Butler JL, Macnamara BN. To What Extent and Under Which Circumstances Are Growth Mind-Sets Important to Academic Achievement? Two Meta-Analyses. Psychol Sci. 2018;29(4):549–71.  
8. Osman NY, Sloane DE, Hirsh DA. When I say … growth mindset. Med Educ. 2020;54(8):694–5.  
9. Golisch K, Amortegui D, Mackiewicz N, Wu C, Cheung E, Bilimoria K, et al. Qualitative Identification of Mindset in General Surgery Trainees and Faculty in the United States. Global Surg Ed. 2024;3(1). 
10. Memari M, Gavinski K, Norman M. Beware False Growth Mindset: Building Growth Mindset in Medical Education Is Essential but Complicated. Acad Med. 2024;99(3):261-265.

90-minute workshop

Yes

Yes

Compare the different types of mindsets, the behaviors associated with them, and the implications of those mindsets in surgical training.

Review an established growth mindset intervention and appraise it for potential implementation at their own institutions.

Anticipate challenges their learners may face in adopting growth mindsets during surgical training.

Develop strategies to promote a growth mindset among their surgical trainees.