Goals & Objectives for Training

Medical Knowledge:

Goal: The fellow will achieve a detailed knowledge of the techniques and practice of gender affirming surgery.

Objectives:

1. Working knowledge of anatomy: head and neck, chest, abdomen, extremities, genitalia.
2. Working knowledge of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care (SOC), as it pertains to gender affirming surgery.
3. Understand the clinical process of evaluating and assessing a potential GAS patient preoperatively.
4. Understand the technical aspects of gender affirming surgery.
5. Understand the technical aspects of treating complications of gender affirming surgery.
6. Working understanding of expected outcomes of gender affirming surgery.
7. Working understanding of peer reviewed literature pertaining to gender affirming surgery.

Patient Care:

Goal: The fellow will provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for the treatment of transgender and gender non-conforming patients.

Objectives:

1. Perform clinical preoperative evaluation of GAS patients
2. Perform intraoperative aspects of GAS.
3. Care for postoperative GAS patients.
4. Ability to run GAS clinic

Practice Based Learning and Improvement

Goal: The fellow will investigate and evaluate his or her own patient care practices, appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and improve patient care practices.

Objectives:

1. Use information technology to prepare for cases, bringing to the clinic and OR the knowledge of current modalities of care and the scientific evidence for that care.
2. Routinely analyze the effectiveness of own practices in caring for GAS patients.
3. Improve own practices in the care of patients by integrating appropriately gathered data and feedback
4. Educate medical students, plastic surgery and urology residents and other healthcare professionals in the practices of gender affirming surgery.
5. Function independently with graduated advancement and appropriate faculty supervision.
6. Use library resources to perform research and perform literature searches.
7. Understand the principles of clinical research and the application off biostatistics.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills

Goal: The fellow will demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective information exchange and teaming with patients, their families, and professional associates.

Objectives:

1. Demonstrate compassion for patients and families.
2. Provide adequate counseling and informed consent to patients.
3. Listen to patients and their families.
4. Assimilate data and information provided by other members of the health care team.
5. Chart and records accurate information.
6. Educate patients and families in post-operative and rehabilitative strategies for patients.
7. Demonstrate compassion for patients and families.
8. Provide adequate counseling and informed consent to patients

System Based Practice

Goal: The fellow will demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care and the ability to effectively call on system resources to provide care that is of optimal value.

Objectives:

1. Advocate for patients within the health care system.
2. Refer patients to the appropriate practitioners and agencies.
3. Work with primary care physicians, and other consultants such as urologists, gynecologists, and fertility specialists, toward the safe provision of care.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of cost-effectiveness as it relates to surgical procedures
5. Coordinate all aspects of gender affirming surgical care for patients.

Professionalism

Goal: The fellow will demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity to a diverse populations.

Objectives:

1. Develop a sensitivity of the unique stresses placed on patients and families under care for surgical diagnoses.
2. Exhibit an unselfish regard for the welfare of surgical patients.
3. Demonstrate firm adherence to a code of moral and ethical values.
4. Be respectful to patients and their families especially in times of stress to the family unit.
5. Respect and appropriately integrates other members of the health care team.
6. Provide appropriately prompt consultations when requested.
7. Demonstrate sensitivity to the individual patient’s gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, profession, life goals, and cultural background as they apply to health care.
8. Be reliable, punctual, and accountable for own actions in the OR and clinic.
9. Understand the concepts of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and respect for life.
10. Maintain patient confidentiality.

By the time they graduate, fellows will be knowledgeable in:

1. All aspects of gender affirming surgical care.
2. Be capable of performing pre-surgical planning for GAS patients.
3. Be capable of performing gender affirming facial, chest and genital surgery.
4. Be capable of managing common complications of GAS.
5. Effectively run a GAS clinic with attending supervision.
6. Working knowledge of WPATH SOC.
7. Participate in and understand the organization of multi-disciplinary clinics in gender affirming surgery.
8. Contribute to the peer reviewed literature pertaining to gender affirming surgery.