Background: The Basic Surgical Skills (BSS) course provides an introduction to basic surgical techniques. The course was held in Norway for the first time in 2009. This study was carried out to evaluate the learning outcomes of the course.
Material and method: The participants from four consecutive courses were invited to take part in the study and were tested in three practical exercises immediately before and after the course. Their performance was measured using an Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) for two of the exercises and by time needed to complete the third exercise. The participants also undertook two self-evaluations of competence on each exercise, one prior to and one after completing the course.
Results: A total of 57 out of the 65 course participants were included in the study. The participants' scores were significantly higher for all three practical exercises after course completion, compared with the pre-course score (p < 0.001). The self-evaluations indicated that the participants felt more competent after the course.
Interpretation: The study indicates that the BSS course provides better basic surgical skills. In view of the lack of equivalent courses at core surgical training, consideration should be given to introducing this as a compulsory part of the surgical training in Norway.