Program Director Opinion on the Ideal Length of Residency Training in Emergency Medicine

ObjectiveThis study sought to define expert opinion on the ideal length of training (LoT) for Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)‐accredited emergency medicine (EM) residency programs.MethodsA cross‐sectional Web‐based survey was sent to program directors (PDs) at all ACGME‐accredited EM residency programs during a study period of August to October 2014. The primary outcome of ideal LoT was determined in two ways: 1) subjects provided the ideal total LoT in months and 2) then separately selected the type and number of rotations for an ideal EM residency curriculum by month, the sum of which provided an alternative measurement of their ideal LoT. We did not include vacation time. Descriptive statistics and an analysis of variance are reported.ResultsResponse rate was 68.0% (108/159) with 72% of respondents (78/108) directing programs in the PGY 1–3 (36‐month) format and 28% directing PGY 1–4 (48‐month) programs. More than half of subjects (51.9%) have direct personal experience with both formats. When asked about ideal total LoT, PDs averaged 41.5 months (n = 107; SD = 5.5 months, range = 36–60 months). When asked to provide durations of individual clinical experiences for their ideal EM program, the sum total (n = 104) averaged 45.0 months. Results from a factorial analysis of variance revealed statistically significant effects of PDs’ past training experiences: participants who trained in a 36‐month program had statistically significantly lower LoT (mean = 39.2 months) than participants who trained in a 48‐month program (mean = 44.5 months). There was also a statistically significant effect of current program format on ideal LoT: participants who directed a 36‐month program had statistically significantly lower LoT (mean = 39.8 months) than participants who directed a 48‐month program (mean = 45.8 months).ConclusionsPD opinion on ideal LoT averages between 36 and 48 months, but is longer when the sum of desired clinical rotations is considered. While half of the respondents reported direct experience with both PGY 1–3 and PGY 1–4 training programs, opinions on ideal LoT through both methods corresponded strongly with the length of the program the PDs trained in and the format of the program they currently direct. PD opinions may be too biased by their own experiences to provide objective input on the ideal LoT for EM residency programs.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133574/1/acem12968-sup-0001-DataSupplementS1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133574/2/acem12968.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133574/3/acem12968_am.pd

Scholarly Tracks in Emergency Medicine

Over the past decade, some residency programs in emergency medicine (EM) have implemented scholarly tracks into their curricula. The goal of the scholarly track is to identify a niche in which each trainee focuses his or her scholarly work during residency. The object of this paper is to discuss the current use, structure, and success of resident scholarly tracks. A working group of residency program leaders who had implemented scholarly tracks into their residency programs collated their approaches, implementation, and early outcomes through a survey disseminated through the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) list-serve. At the 2009 CORD Academic Assembly, a session was held and attended by approximately 80 CORD members where the results were disseminated and discussed. The group examined the literature, discussed the successes and challenges faced during implementation and maintenance of the tracks, and developed a list of recommendations for successful incorporation of the scholarly track structure into a residency program. Our information comes from the experience at eight training programs (five 3-year and three 4-year programs), ranging from 8 to 14 residents per year. Two programs have been working with academic tracks for 8 years. Recommendations included creating clear goals and objectives for each track, matching track topics with faculty expertise, protecting time for both faculty and residents, and providing adequate mentorship for the residents. In summary, scholarly tracks encourage the trainee to develop an academic or clinical niche within EM during residency training. The benefits include increased overall resident satisfaction, increased success at obtaining faculty and fellowship positions after residency, and increased production of scholarly work. We believe that this model will also encourage increased numbers of trainees to choose careers in academic medicine.ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:S87–S94 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency MedicinePeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79229/1/j.1553-2712.2010.00890.x.pd

Error Management Training and Adaptive Expertise in Learning Computed Tomography Interpretation: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance: Adaptive expertise helps physicians apply their skills to novel clinical cases and reduce preventable errors. Error management training (EMT) has been shown to improve adaptive expertise with procedural skills; however, its application to cognitive skills in medical education is unclear. Objective: To evaluate whether EMT improves adaptive expertise when learning the cognitive skill of head computed tomography (CT) interpretation. Design, Setting, and Participants: This 3-arm randomized clinical trial was conducted from July 8, 2022, to March 30, 2023, in 7 geographically diverse emergency medicine residency programs. Participants were postgraduate year 1 through 4 emergency medicine residents masked to the hypothesis. Interventions: Participants were randomized 1:1:1 to a difficult EMT, easy EMT, or error avoidance training (EAT) control learning strategy for completing an online head CT curriculum. Both EMT cohorts received no didactic instruction before scrolling through head CT cases, whereas the EAT group did. The difficult EMT cohort answered difficult questions about the teaching cases, leading to errors, whereas the easy EMT cohort answered easy questions, leading to fewer errors. All 3 cohorts used the same cases. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was a difference in adaptive expertise among the 3 cohorts, as measured using a head CT posttest. Secondary outcomes were (1) differences in routine expertise, (2) whether the quantity of errors during training mediated differences in adaptive expertise, and (3) the interaction between prior residency training and the learning strategies. Results: Among 212 randomized participants (mean [SD] age, 28.8 [2.0] years; 107 men [50.5%]), 70 were allocated to the difficult EMT, 71 to the easy EMT, and 71 to the EAT control cohorts; 150 participants (70.8%) completed the posttest. The difficult EMT cohort outperformed both the easy EMT and EAT cohorts on adaptive expertise cases (60.6% [95% CI, 56.1%-65.1%] vs 45.2% [95% CI, 39.9%-50.6%], vs 40.9% [95% CI, 36.0%-45.7%], respectively; P  Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, the findings show that EMT is an effective method to develop physicians’ adaptive expertise with cognitive skills. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05284838</p

Comparison of the Standardized Video Interview and Interview Assessments of Professionalism and Interpersonal Communication Skills in Emergency Medicine

ObjectivesThe Association of American Medical Colleges Standardized Video Interview (SVI) was recently added as a component of emergency medicine (EM) residency applications to provide additional information about interpersonal communication skills (ICS) and knowledge of professionalism (PROF) behaviors. Our objective was to ascertain the correlation between the SVI and residency interviewer assessments of PROF and ICS. Secondary objectives included examination of 1) inter‐ and intrainstitutional assessments of ICS and PROF, 2) correlation of SVI scores with rank order list (ROL) positions, and 3) the potential influence of gender on interview day assessments.MethodsWe conducted an observational study using prospectively collected data from seven EM residency programs during 2017 and 2018 using a standardized instrument. Correlations between interview day PROF/ICS scores and the SVI were tested. A one‐way analysis of variance was used to analyze the association of SVI and ROL position. Gender differences were assessed with independent‐groups t‐tests.ResultsA total of 1,264 interview‐day encounters from 773 unique applicants resulted in 4,854 interviews conducted by 151 interviewers. Both PROF and ICS demonstrated a small positive correlation with the SVI score (r = 0.16 and r = 0.17, respectively). ROL position was associated with SVI score (p < 0.001), with mean SVI scores for top‐, middle‐, and bottom‐third applicants being 20.9, 20.5, and 19.8, respectively. No group differences with gender were identified on assessments of PROF or ICS.ConclusionsInterview assessments of PROF and ICS have a small, positive correlation with SVI scores. These residency selection tools may be measuring related, but not redundant, applicant characteristics. We did not identify gender differences in interview assessments.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150548/1/aet210346_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150548/2/aet210346.pd

The Vice Chair of Education in Emergency Medicine: A Workforce Study to Establish the Role, Clarify Responsibilities, and Plan for Success

ObjectivesDespite increasing prevalence in emergency medicine (EM), the vice chair of education (VCE) role remains ambiguous with regard to associated responsibilities and expectations. This study aimed to identify training experiences of current VCEs, clarify responsibilities, review career paths, and gather data to inform a unified job description.MethodsA 40‐item, anonymous survey was electronically sent to EM VCEs. VCEs were identified through EM chairs, residency program directors, and residency coordinators through solicitation e‐mails distributed through respective listservs. Quantitative data are reported as percentages with 95% confidence intervals and continuous variables as medians with interquartiles (IQRs). Open‐ and axial‐coding methods were used to organize qualitative data into thematic categories.ResultsForty‐seven of 59 VCEs completed the survey (79.6% response rate); 74.4% were male and 89.3% were white. Average time in the role was 3.56 years (median = 3.0 years, IQR = 4.0 years), with 74.5% serving as inaugural VCE. Many respondents held at least one additional administrative title. Most had no defined job description (68.9%) and reported no defined metrics of success (88.6%). Almost 78% received a reduction in clinical duties, with an average reduction of 27.7% protected time effort (median = 27.2%, IQR = 22.5%). Responsibilities thematically link to faculty affairs and promotion of the departmental educational mission and scholarship.ConclusionGiven the variability in expectations observed, the authors suggest the adoption of a unified VCE job description with detailed responsibilities and performance metrics to ensure success in the role. Efforts to improve the diversity of VCEs are encouraged to better match the diversity of learners.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154254/1/aet210407_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154254/2/aet210407.pd

Adaptation of EPEC-EM™ Curriculum in a Residency with Asynchronous Learning

Objective: The Education in Palliative and End-of-life Care for Emergency Medicine Project (EPEC™-EM) is a comprehensive curriculum in palliative and end-of-life care for emergency providers. We assessed the adaptation of this course to an EM residency program using synchronous and asynchronous learning.Methods: Curriculum adaptation followed Kern’s standardized six-step curriculum design process. Post-graduate year (PGY) 1-4 residents were taught all EPEC™-EM cognitive domains, divided as seven synchronous and seven asynchronous modules. All synchronous modules featured large group didactic lectures and review of EPEC™-EM course materials. Asynchronous modules use only EPEC™-EM electronic course media for resident self-study. Targeted evaluation for EPEC™-EM knowledge objectives was conducted by a prospective case-control crossover study, with synchronous learning serving as the quasi-control, using validated exam tools. We compared de-identified test scores for effectiveness of learning method, using aggregate group performance means for each learning strategy.Results: Of 45 eligible residents 55% participated in a pre-test for local needs analysis, and 78% completed a post-test to measure teaching method effect. Post-test scores improved across all EPEC™-EM domains, with a mean improvement for synchronous modules of +28% (SD=9) and a mean improvement for asynchronous modules of +30% (SD=18). The aggregate mean difference between learning methods was 1.9% (95% CI -15.3, +19.0). Mean test scores of the residents who completed the post-test were: synchronous modules 77% (SD=12); asynchronous modules 83% (SD=13); all modules 80% (SD=12).Conclusion: EPEC™-EM adapted materials can improve resident knowledge of palliative medicine domains, as assessed through validated testing of course objectives. Synchronous and asynchronous learning methods appear to result in similar knowledge transfer, feasibly allowing some course content to be effectively delivered outside of large group lectures. [West J Emerg Med. 2010; 11(5):491-498.

Adaptive expertise: The optimal outcome of emergency medicine training

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/172108/1/aet210731_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/172108/2/aet210731.pd