Evaluation of trauma service orientation.

Purpose: Orientation of residents to clinical services may be criticized as cumbersome, dull, and simply too much information. With the mandated resident-hour restrictions, the question arose: Do residents perceive the orientation to our trauma service as worthwhile? Methods: Residents attend a standardized orientation lecture on the first day of the rotation. Three weeks later, an eight-item, five-point Likert-scale survey is distributed to assess the residents' perceptions of the value of the orientation. Responsestoeachitemwereexamined.Results: Fifty-four (92%) of the residents completed the questionnaire between September 2005 and August 2006. Mostindicated that orientation was helpful (85%), the Trauma Resuscitation DVD was informative (82%), the review of procedures was helpful (82%), and the instructor's knowledge was adequate (94%). Most (92%) disagreed with the statement that orientation should not be offered. Conclusion: Careful attention to orientation content and format is important to the perception that the orientation is worthwhile.