Trainee Attitude Towards Virtual Reality Simulation (VRS) to Acquire Microsurgical Skills in Ophthalmology Callum Gin The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Australia Callum.Gin@eyeandear.org.au Jorge Reyna Santosh Khanal The Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologist (RANZCO), Australia jreyna@ranzco.edu skhanal@ranzco.edu Rahul Chakrabarti The University of Melbourne, Australia Rahul.Chakrabarti@eyeandear.org.au Abstract: Simulation-based training in medical education is a method for learning and practising clinical skills in a virtual environment. Virtual Reality Simulation (VRS) substitutes scenarios presented in clinical settings that allow trainees to deliberate practice different skills and techniques without the risk of causing harm to patients. Surgical simulators have evolved rapidly over the past decade. In Ophthalmology education, VRS transforms microsurgical skills training, allowing trainees to focus on specific aspects of skills and providing guidance and feedback. Attitude towards learning is a well-documented factor that plays a role in the trainee’s ability to learn and engage with their education. The attitude of Ophthalmology trainees toward VRS, and its implications for the attainment of microsurgical skills, is a novel topic that has not been explored within the academic literature previously. It is particularly relevant in Australia and New Zealand due to establishing a bi-national training program that follows a unified curriculum. This paper presents a research proposal to gain an in-depth understanding of trainee attitudes towards VRS in acquiring ophthalmic microsurgical skills. Keywords: Virtual reality simulation, ophthalmology education, technology-enhanced learning, Eyesi simulator, attitude towards learning. Introduction Trainees with a positive attitude towards VRS are more likely to engage with VRS throughout their training or perceive it as a hurdle activity. Furthermore, they could return to VRS as a format for ongoing professional technical and surgical mind-skills development in the context of deliberate practice. It is difficult to define ‘success’ in a career as a surgeon. For example, better surgeons may attract more complex cases in the real world and have a lower success rate because they deal with more challenging cases. However, surgical training could address the question, given that trainees primarily get a similar experience by the end of training. One approach could be to look closely at surgical numbers (does the trainee achieve minimum numbers or push themselves), the proportion of complex cases performed, and end of term assessment reports. These parameters are much more challenging to measure due to potential ethical barriers. However, it is possible to measure repeatedly knowledge, attitudes, and practice throughout training as surrogate markers to assess how a trainee develops into a professional surgeon. Attitude is an essential psychological construct that affects self-regulation and motivation to engage in a learning task. A positive attitude towards a learning task will help trainees set goals, structure their learning environment, and manage their time effectively. It will also help them design a task strategy, seek expert help, and reflect on their learning (Awad, Abdullah, Ibrahim & Abdulla, 2019). These are self-regulation subscales that work in conjunction with motivation. For instance, a positive attitude is associated with high self-efficacy and task value (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2011). When learners attach a high value to a learning task, they will invest time and effort EdMedia + Innovate Learning 2022 - New York City, NY, United States, June 20-23, 2022 Preview version of this paper. Content and pagination may change prior to final publication.