A Review of the Effectiveness of Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Programs Utilizing Kirkpatrick's Evaluation Model

Abstract

It has been 10 years since the first class of Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) fellowship trained Breast Surgical Oncologist entered practice. To date, there has been no publications examining the effectiveness of these training programs that are today throughout North America and Europe. This evaluative review examines the effectiveness of these fellowship training programs through the lens of the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model. An extensive review of the literature was performed, and articles were categorized to capture how fellows are reacting to the program, what they are learning, and how the program is effecting their career path and impacting their patients. We can conclude that there is both direct and indirect evidence to support the effectiveness of this training program, but there is a paucity of direct evidence as one progresses from a level 1 Kirkpatrick analysis to a level 4. This review sets the framework for program evaluation in surgical fellowships and should encourage stakeholders to constantly evaluate the impact their program is having on trainees and oncology patients.

Keywords: Breast surgery; Fellowship; Program evaluation; Surgical oncology.