Development of a Gastroenterology Educational Curriculum for Pediatric Residents Using Fellows as Teachers

Abstract

At many institutions, the teaching provided on subspecialty gastroenterology rotations is not structured. The purpose of the present study was to describe the development, implementation, and assessment of a structured gastroenterology curriculum for pediatric residents. A needs assessment was performed via a survey of former pediatric resident graduates presently working in general pediatrics. Topics for the curriculum were developed based upon the needs assessment. Second-year residents on the inpatient gastroenterology rotation attended 4 case-based, small group sessions per week for 1 month. Sessions were taught primarily by upper-level gastroenterology fellows. The curriculum was assessed via a pre-posttest, postrotation survey, and group feedback sessions. Resident rating of education received during the rotation was high. Posttest scores increased slightly but significantly compared with pretest values. The curriculum has continued to be used >4 years after its development. The creation of a structured subspecialty curriculum with the use of fellows as teachers is both feasible and effective despite limitations in available time for resident teaching.