Perfect Practice Makes Perfect - Our AI Simulator is Kicking Ass
Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast
Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast
4.8 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 5 March 2026
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The high-stakes world of surgical oral boards just got a high-tech upgrade. In this episode, the Behind the Knife team dives deep into the 2026 evolution of their AI Oral Board Simulator. With over 10,000 exams completed and a 99% recommendation rate from recent examinees, we’re showing you how AI is leveling the playing field for residents everywhere.
Join Drs. Georgoff, Swenson, and Ali as they break down the new features designed to mimic the modern, non-linear, and "rapid branching" style of the American Board of Surgery. Whether you’re a junior resident honing your consult skills or a chief preparing for the "hot seat," this is the ultimate guide to dominating your boards without breaking the bank.
Simulator: behindtheknifeoralboardsimulator.org
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I mean, listen, we're talking about practice. Not a game, not a game, not a game. We're talking about practice. Yes, we are in fact talking about practice here. Oral boards practice to be specific. There's an old adage about practice surgeons know very well. Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. |
| 0:23.1 | So do we think this applies to the oral boards? Absolutely. This is, in fact, the most |
| 0:27.4 | stressful exam you're going to take in your life. And we aren't messing around when it comes to |
| 0:32.5 | oral board prep. We've been in the lab, cooking, building, you know, perfecting what we're working on. |
| 0:38.0 | And when it comes to the Boers, you first have to master the material. And we've been all over that |
| 0:44.3 | for years. Behind the Knife now has 123 audio scenarios. All of them updated recently. They all |
| 0:50.0 | have detailed commentary. We have 10 interactive video scenarios and we've created 97 operative |
| 0:55.1 | descriptions. But guess what? You also have to master how to take an oral board exam. And this is an |
| 1:02.9 | active process. You've heard the recommendations from your colleagues. You need to be clear. You need to |
| 1:08.1 | be concise. You need to keep pace. Be confident. Pivot gracefully. Demonstrate that you're a safe surgeon, right? No big deal. Easy peasy. No, it's not wrong. It is a big deal. And it's really difficult to prepare. So this episode is all about the oral board simulator. So it's 2026. AI is everywhere. Every day, every week, there's an exciting new AI application to explore. And some change the way we live. Others change the way we work. And now AI is changing the way we all prepare for the oral boards. And we've made some significant improvements to the simulator that we want to talk to you about today, including fundamental changes to the format of the exam delivery, which matches changes for the American Board of Surgery, including rapid branching and less linear scenarios. |
| 1:55.9 | And today I'm joined by our AI team. Dr. Matthew Swenson is a general surgeon and U.S. Air Force veteran. He works at Valley |
| 2:02.7 | Health System in Vegas, where he is the Associate Program Director for the residency program there. |
| 2:07.4 | Dr. Iman Ali is a general surgeon resident at Duke, and he is our BTK AI fellow. |
| 2:15.3 | Thanks, Dr. Gerjov. And first, we have to say a massive thank you to everybody who took the |
| 2:20.6 | time to use our simulator in preparation for the last oral board exam. In total, believe it or not, |
| 2:26.9 | over 10,000 exams were completed. And the graduates who used it and took the November general |
| 2:31.9 | surgery oral boards gave us feedback and provided us with |
| 2:35.1 | incredible information after the exam was done. We found that 99% recommended it to other residents, |
| 2:41.5 | and 85% gave it a 4 or 5 rating as a resource. But the most important part was the qualitative |
| 2:47.0 | feedback we got, which we've used to refine and enhance the simulator. It's also inspired |
| 2:51.9 | a whole new mode and a release of free practice written exams. But before getting ahead of myself, |
| 2:57.6 | we should backtrack a bit. First, Dr. Georgeoff, I think it would be helpful to talk about who this |
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