A National Cross-Sectional Survey of Social Networking Practices of U.S. Anesthesiology Residency Program Directors

Abstract Objective This article examines models of patient care and supervision for hospital-based ophthalmology consultation in teaching institutions. Design This is a cross-sectional survey. Methods An anonymous survey was distributed to residency program directors at 119 Accreditation Council for Graduated Medical Education accredited U.S. ophthalmology programs in the spring of 2018. Survey questions covered consult volume, rotational schedules of staffing providers, methods of supervision (direct vs. indirect), and utilization of consult-dedicated didactics and resident competency assessments. Results Of the 119 program directors, 48 (41%) completed the survey. Programs most frequently reported receiving 4 to 6 consults per day from the emergency department (27, 55.1%) and 4 to 6 consults per day from inpatient services (26, 53.1%). Forty-seven percent of programs reported that postgraduate year one (PGY-1) or PGY-2 residents on a dedicated consult rotation initially evaluate patients. Supervising faculty backgrounds included neuro-ophthalmology, cornea, comprehensive, or a designated chief of service. Staffing responsibility is typically shared by multiple faculty on a daily or weekly rotation. Direct supervision was provided for fewer of emergency room consults (1–30%) than for inpatient consults (71–99%). The majority of programs reported no dedicated didactics for consultation activities (27, 55.1%) or formal assessment for proficiency (33, 67.4%) prior to the initiation of call-related activities without direct supervision. Billing submission for consults was inconsistent and many consults may go financially uncompensated (18, 36.7%). Conclusion The majority of hospital-based ophthalmic consultation at academic centers is provided by a rotating pool of physicians supervising a lower level resident. Few programs validate increased levels of graduated independence using specific assessments.

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Surgical Aptitude Testing among Ophthalmology Residency Applicants: Current Utilization and Residency Program Directors' Perspectives

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology ◽

10.1055/s-0039-1693419 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (02) ◽

pp. e10-e17

Author(s):

Amy Lu ◽

Samuel Beckstead ◽

Michael Wilkinson ◽

Ingrid U. Scott

Keyword(s):

Program Directors ◽

Application Process ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Aptitude Testing ◽

Testing Strategies ◽

Current Utilization ◽

Residency Application ◽

Residency Program Directors

Purpose To investigate the proportion of United States ophthalmology residency programs that utilize surgical aptitude testing during the applicant interview, and the perspectives of program directors (PDs) regarding surgical aptitude testing of applicants. Design This is a cross-sectional survey. Methods An anonymous survey constructed on REDCap was emailed to the PD of each ophthalmology residency accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Main outcome measures are proportion of programs which include surgical aptitude testing during the applicant interview, and proportion of PDs who (1) believe the current residency application process adequately assesses applicants' surgical aptitude; (2) believe surgical aptitude testing results predict surgical success; and (3) favor inclusion of surgical aptitude testing for applicant evaluation. Results Of 115 PDs, 63 completed the survey (54.8%). One (1.6%) reported current use of surgical aptitude testing during the interview and 6 (9.5%) used such testing previously. Fifty-five (87.3%) respondents do not believe the residency application process adequately assesses surgical aptitude. Most respondents (40/63, 63.5%) do not support using results from currently available surgical aptitude testing strategies performed during the interview to rank applicants; 47 (74.6%) do not believe results of such testing predict ultimate surgical potential. However, 35 (55.6%) would use surgical aptitude data for applicant screening if valid testing could be performed before the interview. Conclusion While most PDs do not believe the current ophthalmology residency application process adequately assesses surgical aptitude, screening for surgical aptitude during the application process is seldom employed, largely due to a perceived lack of valid testing strategies available.

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Demographics of Surgical Specialty Residency Program Directors in the United States: A Cross-sectional Analysis

Annals of Surgery Open ◽

10.1097/as9.0000000000000044 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. e044

Author(s):

Annika Patel ◽

Adam Burton ◽

Shivani Pandya ◽

Michael Venincasa ◽

Steven J. Gedde ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Residency Program ◽

Program Directors ◽

The United States ◽

Surgical Specialty ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cross Sectional Analysis ◽

Sectional Analysis ◽

Residency Program Directors

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Attitudes and Practices of Surgery Residency Program Directors Toward the Use of Social Networking Profiles to Select Residency Candidates: A Nationwide Survey Analysis

Journal of Surgical Education ◽

10.1016/j.jsurg.2011.11.008 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 69 (3) ◽

pp. 292-300 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Pauline H. Go ◽

Zachary Klaassen ◽

Ronald S. Chamberlain

Keyword(s):

Social Networking ◽

Residency Program ◽

Nationwide Survey ◽

Program Directors ◽

Survey Analysis ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Surgery Residency Program ◽

Residency Program Directors

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A comparison of orthopaedic surgery and internal medicine perceptions of USMLE Step 1 pass/fail scoring

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-02699-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Frederick Mun ◽

Alyssa R. Scott ◽

David Cui ◽

Erik B. Lehman ◽

Seong Ho Jeong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Internal Medicine ◽

Extracurricular Activities ◽

Residency Program ◽

Medical Schools ◽

Program Directors ◽

Program Director ◽

Personal Knowledge ◽

Clinical Knowledge ◽

Alpha Omega ◽

Residency Program Directors

Abstract Background United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 will transition from numeric grading to pass/fail, sometime after January 2022. The aim of this study was to compare how program directors in orthopaedics and internal medicine perceive a pass/fail Step 1 will impact the residency application process. Methods A 27-item survey was distributed through REDCap to 161 U.S. orthopaedic residency program directors and 548 U.S. internal medicine residency program directors. Program director emails were obtained from the American Medical Association’s Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database. Results We received 58 (36.0%) orthopaedic and 125 (22.8%) internal medicine program director responses. The majority of both groups disagree with the change to pass/fail, and felt that the decision was not transparent. Both groups believe that the Step 2 Clinical Knowledge exam and clerkship grades will take on more importance. Compared to internal medicine PDs, orthopaedic PDs were significantly more likely to emphasize research, letters of recommendation from known faculty, Alpha Omega Alpha membership, leadership/extracurricular activities, audition elective rotations, and personal knowledge of the applicant. Both groups believe that allopathic students from less prestigious medical schools, osteopathic students, and international medical graduates will be disadvantaged. Orthopaedic and internal medicine program directors agree that medical schools should adopt a graded pre-clinical curriculum, and that there should be a cap on the number of residency applications a student can submit. Conclusion Orthopaedic and internal medicine program directors disagree with the change of Step 1 to pass/fail. They also believe that this transition will make the match process more difficult, and disadvantage students from less highly-regarded medical schools. Both groups will rely more heavily on the Step 2 clinical knowledge exam score, but orthopaedics will place more importance on research, letters of recommendation, Alpha Omega Alpha membership, leadership/extracurricular activities, personal knowledge of the applicant, and audition electives.

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Teaching Ethics and Professionalism: A National Survey of Ophthalmology Residency Program Directors

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1722741 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (01) ◽

pp. e88-e94

Author(s):

Alyssa M. Kretz ◽

Jennifer E. deSante-Bertkau ◽

Michael V. Boland ◽

Xinxing Guo ◽

Megan E. Collins

Keyword(s):

Residency Program ◽

Online Survey ◽

Optimal Strategies ◽

Program Directors ◽

Global Evaluation ◽

Teaching Ethics ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Unprofessional Behavior ◽

Residency Program Directors ◽

Trainee Competence

Abstract Background While ethics and professionalism are important components of graduate medical education, there is limited data about how ethics and professionalism curricula are taught or assessed in ophthalmology residency programs. Objective This study aimed to determine how U.S. ophthalmology residency programs teach and assess ethics and professionalism and explore trainee preparedness in these areas. Methods Directors from accredited U.S. ophthalmology residency programs completed an online survey about components of programs' ethics and professionalism teaching curricula, strategies for assessing competence, and trainee preparedness in these areas. Results Directors from 55 of 116 programs (46%) responded. The most common ethics and professionalism topics taught were informed consent (38/49, 78%) and risk management and litigation (38/49, 78%), respectively; most programs assessed trainee competence via 360-degree global evaluation (36/48, 75%). While most (46/48, 95%) respondents reported that their trainees were well or very well prepared at the time of graduation, 15 of 48 (31%) had prohibited a trainee from graduating or required remediation prior to graduation due to unethical or unprofessional conduct. Nearly every program (37/48, 98%) thought that it was very important to dedicate curricular time to teaching ethics and professionalism. Overall, 16 of 48 respondents (33%) felt that the time spent teaching these topics was too little. Conclusion Ophthalmology residency program directors recognized the importance of an ethics and professionalism curriculum. However, there was marked variation in teaching and assessment methods. Additional work is necessary to identify optimal strategies for teaching and assessing competence in these areas. In addition, a substantial number of trainees were prohibited from graduating or required remediation due to ethics and professionalism issues, suggesting an impact of unethical and unprofessional behavior on resident attrition.

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