K. D. Cofer1, L. Wood1, R. Hollis1, J. Richman1, M. Morris1, J. Porterfield1, B. Lindeman1, D. Chu1 1University Of Alabama at Birmingham,Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Introduction: Emotional intelligence (EI) is believed to be a characteristic that can change over time, however, it is unclear how it changes through the course of surgical training. In this study, we evaluated the change in EI levels of general surgery residents as they progressed over three years. We hypothesized that resident EI levels would be stable over time.
Methods: General surgery residents at a single institution were surveyed in June of 2015 (n = 36) using the Trait EI Questionnaire (TEIQ) and June of 2016 (n = 40) and 2017 (n = 52) using the Trait EI Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQ-SF). The TEIQ contained all items comprising the TEIQ-SF in identical format. We limited resident responses to the TEIQ-SF items to allow for identical analyses to be performed throughout all survey administrations. Residents were categorized according to their PGY level in 2015. Changes in EI were analyzed using ANOVA and t-test by PGY group for overall EI and sub-scores.
Results: A total of 16 residents completed the survey all three years. From 2015 to 2017, 13 (81%) had a decrease in overall EI, 2 residents had increased EI (13%), and a single resident had no change (6%). Overall, the mean EI score change was -0.21 (p<0.01). For sub-scores, the mean change in well-being was +0.11 (p=0.33), self-control -0.33 (p=0.03), emotionality -0.08 (p=0.63), and sociability -0.46 (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in mean baseline EI scores by PGY group, and among sub-scores, only sociability differed significantly by PGY group ranging in mean scores from 3.8 for PGY2 to 4.7 for incoming residents (p=0.01). All PGY groups had an average decline in EI, but the most significant decline occurred for the research residents (mean change -0.29, p=0.03). Of the sub-scores, the only significant change in a PGY group was a mean change of -1.1 in sociability for incoming residents (p=0.02).
Conclusion: Surgical residents’ EI levels decreased over a three-year period, driven largely by decreases in sociability and self-control. Future studies should evaluate the effects of decreased EI in surgical residents to help mitigate these potentially harmful changes.