Essentials and Guidelines for Clinical Medical Physics Residency Training Programs

This paper is describes the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a preparatory training program for international medical trainees. The program was offered for one week full time shortly before they begin their residency training programs. First the paper reports on the survey and focus groups that guided the learning objectives and the course content. Next the paper describes the curriculum development phase and reports on the topical themes, session goals and objectives and learning materials. Three main themes emerged when developing the program: understanding the educational, health and practice systems in Canada; development of communication skills; and supporting personal success in residency training including self assessment, reflection and personal wellness. Sample lesson plans and handouts from each of the theme areas are illustrated. The comprehensive evaluation of the sessions and the overall program is then also described. The paper then summarizes the identified key issues and challenges in the design and implementation of a preparatory training program for international medical trainees before they begin their residency training programs. Allan GM, Manca D, Szafran O, Korownyk C. Workforce issues in general surgery. Am Surg. 2007 Feb; 73(2):100-8. Dauphinee, WD. The circle game: understanding physician migration patterns within Canada. Acad Med. 2006 (Dec); 81(12 Suppl):S49-54. Spike NA. International medical graduates: the Australian perspective. Academic Medicine. 2006 (Sept); 81(9):842-6.

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68. The resident experience in a large urban teaching setting: Results of the 2005-2006 resident exit survey, University of Torontos

Clinical & Investigative Medicine ◽

10.25011/cim.v30i4.2829 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 66

Author(s):

N. Tenn-Lyn ◽

S. Verma ◽

R. Zulla

Keyword(s):

Quality Control ◽

Residency Training ◽

Royal College ◽

Online Survey ◽

Career Guidance ◽

Training Programs ◽

Program Planning ◽

Educational Experience ◽

Care Experience

We developed and implemented an annual online survey to administer to residents exiting residency training in order to (1) assess the quality of the residency experience and (2) identify areas of strength and areas requiring improvement. Long-term goals include program planning, policy-making and maintenance of quality control. Survey content was developed from an environmental scan, pre-existing survey instruments, examination of training criteria established by the CFPC and the CanMEDS criteria established by the RCPSC. The survey included evaluation benchmarks and satisfaction ratings of program director and faculty, preparation for certification and practice, quality of life, quality of education, and work environment. The response rate was 28%. Seventy-five percent of respondents were exiting from Royal College training programs. Results of descriptive statistics determined that the overall educational experience was rated highly, with 98.9% of respondents satisfied or very satisfied with their overall patient care experience. Ninety-six percent of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the overall quality of teaching. Preparation for practice was identified as needing improvement, with 26% and 34% of respondents giving an unsatisfactory rating to career guidance and assistance with finding employment, respectively. Although 80% of respondents reported receiving ongoing feedback and 84% discussed their evaluations with their supervisors, only 38% of evaluations were completed by the end of the rotation. The results indicate that residents are generally satisfied with their experiences during residency training, especially with their overall educational experience. Areas of improvement include preparation for practice and timeliness of evaluations. Further iterations of this survey are needed to refine the instrument, identify data trends and maintain quality control in residency training programs. Frank JR (ed.). The CanMEDS competency framework: better standards, better physicians, better care. Ottawa: The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, 2005. Merritt, Hawkins and Associates. Summary Report: 2003 Survey of final-year medical residents. http://www.merritthawkins.com/pdf/MHA2003residentsurv.pdf. Accessed May 1, 2006. Regnier K, Kopelow M, Lane D, Alden A. Accreditation for learning and change: Quality and improvement as the outcome. The Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions 2005; 25:174-182.

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A Canadian Perspective of simulation-based skill attainment in Internal Medicine Residency (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.12260 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Tamer Abdel Moaein ◽

Chirsty Tompkins ◽

Natalie Bandrauk ◽

Heidi Coombs-Thorne

Keyword(s):

Internal Medicine ◽

Residency Training ◽

Training Programs ◽

Skill Training ◽

Skills Training ◽

Skill Learning ◽

Comfort Level ◽

Procedural Skills ◽

Internal Medicine Training ◽

Simulation Based

BACKGROUND Clinical simulation is defined as “a technique to replace or amplify real experiences with guided experiences, often immersive in nature, that evoke or replicate substantial aspects of the real world in a fully interactive fashion”. In medicine, its advantages include repeatability, a nonthreatening environment, absence of the need to intervene for patient safety issues during critical events, thus minimizing ethical concerns and promotion of self-reflection with facilitation of feedback [1] Apparently, simulation based education is a standard tool for introducing procedural skills in residency training [3]. However, while performance is clearly enhanced in the simulated setting, there is little information available on the translation of these skills to the actual patient care environment (transferability) and the retention rates of skills acquired in simulation-based training [1]. There has been significant interest in using simulation for both learning and assessment [2]. As Canadian internal medicine training programs are moving towards assessing entrustable professional activities (EPA), simulation will become imperative for training, assessment and identifying opportunities for improvement [4, 5]. Hence, it is crucial to assess the current state of skill learning, acquisition and retention in Canadian IM residency training programs. Also, identifying any challenges to consolidating these skills. We hope the results of this survey would provide material that would help in implementing an effective and targeted simulation-based skill training (skill mastery). OBJECTIVE 1. Appraise the status and impact of existing simulation training on procedural skill performance 2. Identify factors that might interfere with skill acquisition, consolidation and transferability METHODS An electronic bilingual web-based survey; Fluid survey platform utilized, was designed (Appendix 1). It consists of a mix of closed-ended, open-ended and check list questions to examine the attitudes, perceptions, experiences and feedback of internal medicine (IM) residents. The survey has been piloted locally with a sample of five residents. After making any necessary corrections, it will be distributed via e-mail to the program directors of all Canadian IM residency training programs, then to all residents registered in each program. Two follow up reminder e-mails will be sent to all participating institutions. Participation will be voluntarily and to keep anonymity, there will be no direct contact with residents and survey data will be summarized in an aggregate form. SPSS Software will be used for data analysis, and results will be shared with all participating institutions. The survey results will be used for display and presentation purposes during medical conferences and forums and might be submitted for publication. All data will be stored within the office of internal medicine program at Memorial University for a period of five years. Approval of Local Research Ethics board (HREB) at Memorial University has been obtained. RESULTS Pilot Results Residents confirmed having simulation-based training for many of the core clinical skills, although some gaps persist There was some concern regarding the number of sim sessions, lack of clinical opportunities, competition by other services and lack of bed side supervision Some residents used internet video to fill their training gaps and/or increase their skill comfort level before performing clinical procedure Resident feedback included desire for more corrective feedback, and more sim sessions per skill (Average 2-4 sessions) CONCLUSIONS This study is anticipated to provide data on current practices for skill development in Canadian IM residency training programs. Information gathered will be used to foster a discourse between training programs including discussion of barriers, sharing of solutions and proposing recommendations for optimal use of simulation in the continuum of procedural skills training.

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The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on training and mental health of residents: a cross-sectional study

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-02655-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Eman Alshdaifat ◽

Amer Sindiani ◽

Wasim Khasawneh ◽

Omar Abu-Azzam ◽

Aref Qarqash ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Residency Training ◽

Training Programs ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Surgical Residents ◽

Tertiary Center ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Residency programs have been impacted by the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In this study we aim to investigate and evaluate the impact of the pandemic on residents as well as residency training programs. Methods This was a cross-sectional study including a survey of 43 questions prepared on Google forms and electronically distributed among a convenience sample of residents training at a tertiary center in North Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in the period between October 30th and November 8th of 2020. The survey included questions that addressed the impact of the pandemic on residents’ health as well as training programs. The study participants included residents in training at KAUH in 2020 and were stratified according to the type of residency program (surgical residents (SRs) and non-surgical residents (NSRs)). Statistical methods included descriptive analysis, Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test, Mann Whitney U test, and Cramer’s V and r statistics as measures of effect sizes. Results Of all 430 residents, 255 (59%) responded to the survey. A total of 17 (7%) of residents reported being infected with COVID-19 and a significant difference was reported between SRs and NSRs (10% vs 4%, V = .124 “small effect” (95% CI; .017–.229), p = 0.048). Approximately, 106 (42%) reported a decrease in the number of staff working at the clinic and 164 (64%) reported limited access to personal protective equipment during the pandemic. On a 4-point Likert scale for the feeling of anxiety, the median was 2 (2–3 IQR) in the NSRs group, vs 2 (1–2 IQR) in the SRs groups, with the NSRs being more likely to feel anxious (r = 0.13 “small effect” (95% CI; 0.007–0.249), p = .044). Similarly, the proportion of residents who reported feeling anxious about an inadequacy of protective equipment in the work area was significantly greater in the NSRs group (90.3% vs 75.2%; V = .201 “small effect” (95% CI; .078–.313), p = .001), as well as the proportion of residents who reported feeling increased stress and anxiety between colleagues being also significantly higher in the NSRs group (88.1% vs 76%; V = .158 “small effect” (95% CI; .032–.279), p = .012). Conclusion The burden of the ongoing pandemic on the mental health status of residents is very alarming and so providing residents with psychological counseling and support is needed. Also, critical implications on the flow of residency training programs have been noticed. This necessitates adapting and adopting smart educational techniques to compensate for such limitations.

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