Internal Medicine Residency Training Programs Research Articles

Neurophobia among medical students and resident trainees in a tertiary comprehensive hospital in China

sBackgroundMedical students and residents have been revealed to have extraordinary difficulties in managing patients with neurological complaints. However, specific information on Chinese trainees is scarce. Herein, we aimed to uncover the presence of, contributing factors for, and potential solutions to neurophobia among medical students and resident trainees in China.MethodsQuestionnaires were administered to the medical students of Peking Union Medical College and residents of the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. We asked about perceived difficulty, knowledge, interest, and confidence in neurology in contrast to six other specialties. The reasons why neurology is regarded as difficult and approaches for improving neurological teaching have been appraised.ResultsA total of 351 surveys were completed by 218 medical students and 133 residents. The response rate exceeded 70% in both groups. The prevalence of neurophobia was 66.1% and 58.6% among medical students and residents, respectively. Respondents declared that greater difficulty was observed in neurology than in other specialties, and the management of patients with neurological problems was the least comfortable (p < 0.0001). Neurophobia has various perceived causes, and neuroanatomy is regarded as the most important contributor. Nearly 80% of medical students felt that improvements in neurology teaching could be achieved through further integration of preclinical and clinical neurological teaching.ConclusionsThe findings of the first survey on neurophobia in China are in accordance with those of previous studies. Neurophobia is highly prevalent in Chinese medical students and residents. Strategies to improve teaching, including enhanced integration of teaching and more online resources, are needed to prevent neurophobia.

THU006 Exploring Primary Care Resident Perspectives On Diabetes Education In Training

Abstract Disclosure: N. Francis: None. S. Cardillo: None. D.R. Nandiwada: None. Background: The training residents gain in Family Medicine (FM) and Internal Medicine (IM) residency programs provide a critical foundation for their knowledge in diabetes (DM) management. It is one of the most common diagnoses physicians-in-training will encounter in their residency training programs and in clinical settings. However, a 2012 study compared diabetes care in resident clinics versus private physicians and found significant decrease in patient satisfaction (56.5% vs. 71.3%) in resident clinics. A 2020 study surveying primary care (PC) residency program directors showed that most FM and IM residency training programs focus on the core diabetes care and management topics with much less focus on emerging topics, such as 2nd generation insulin analogs and digital health technologies. The purpose of our survey was to better assess current resident perceptions and attitudes towards their DM education and their perceived comfort level in comprehensive DM counseling, evaluation, and management. Methods: A 12 item survey was designed using the Qualtrics program. The survey link was sent via email to IM- PC and FM residents at a major academic medical center. Data was collected from September 13th, 2022 to present. The survey included a combination of multiple choice, Likert scale and ranking questions. Results: 14 residents responded to the survey to date with the majority (71%) belonging to the IM-PC group and the remainder (29%) family medicine. Residents felt most comfortable managing diabetes related complications and counseling on foot and eye care and hypoglycemia. Respondents reported being most uncomfortable in prescribing non-insulin medication (50%) and initiating an insulin regimen (43%) and less comfortable counseling patients on continuous glucose monitoring systems (83%) and insulin administration (66%). While majority of residents (72%) found their DM curriculum clinically relevant, 85% of residents reported there was not enough time allotted. Respondents felt a more longitudinal lecture series, with increased access to treatment frameworks and on-site feedback on their DM counseling and care would best supplement their DM curriculum. Conclusion: This survey data explores specific areas that residents have identified as being least comfortable and also expresses what they identified as the most preferable ways to modify and design an educational intervention. This information allows for tailored curricular intervention highlighting diabetes technologies, insulin and non-insulin prescribing practice in a longitudinal lecture style format that provides access to DM treatment frameworks and incorporates direct on-site feedback to the residents. This provides evidence for the development of a novel clinically integrated DM curriculum. Presentation: Thursday, June 15, 2023

Point-of-Care Ultrasound Overview and Curriculum Implementation in Internal Medicine Residency Training Programs in the United States.

Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) augments physical examination and expedites diagnostic care and clinical decision-making. The use of POCUS in internal medicine (IM) appears inconsistent despite its commendable benefits. It is not fully incorporated into the IM residency core competency skills or academic curriculum. This narrative literature review explores the benefits of POCUS and evaluates the need for an IM-focused POCUS curriculum. The obstacles and a proposed curriculum are also described.

The Morning Report Practice and Its Contribution to Education of Internal Medicine Residents: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Survey in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.

Morning Report (MR) is a ubiquitous traditional educational activity in internal medicine residency training. It is under-researched; hence, this study was conducted. It aimed to examine the practice of MR by internal medicine residents, their motivation to engage with it, and their perception of its contribution to education. This was a multi-center cross-sectional study. The data was collected using an online self-administered 12-item questionnaire that covered MR practice, respondents' motivation for participation, MR contribution to education, and its impact on the practice of evidence-based medicine and quality improvement and patient safety. One hundred seventy residents returned the online questionnaire (54.7%). The respondents' gender and year of training were balanced (P > 0.05). The most common MR frequency and duration were five days per week (85.4%) and 45-60 minutes (47.1%), respectively. The most common format was handover combined with an emergency long case presentation (55.8%), and consultants were the most common facilitators (79.7%). The respondents' motivation to engage with MR was predominantly intermediate. The top reasons for attending and not attending MR were mandatory attendance and embarrassing questions, respectively. The perceived MR contribution to residents' different roles development was predominantly intermediate; however, it was predominantly very low/low (42%) for overall education. The perceived MR impact on the practice of EBM and QIPS were both predominantly intermediate. MR was found to be a commonly practiced educational activity in internal medicine residency training programs in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The case discussion was the core format for education. The respondents' motivation to participate in MR and their perception of its contribution to education was predominantly intermediate. To our best knowledge, this is the first study in Saudi Arabia that examined MR. We hope its findings will be taken for further MR studies and actions for improvement.

Current medical education improves OSA-related knowledge but not confidence in residents: An underappreciated public health risk.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder and induces a growing health care burden. However, a large proportion of patients with OSA do not receive appropriate treatment and are underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed in primary care. A contributing factor to the phenomenon is the lack of education, which reflects the current inadequacies in medical education. Therefore, assessing the level of knowledge and attitudes toward OSA and associated factors among resident physicians is highly warranted. A validated questionnaire, the OSA Knowledge and Attitudes (OSAKA) questionnaire was distributed to residents who had already completed undergraduate education and were attending an internal medicine residency training program. The questionnaire consists of 2 parts: including an assessment of (1) OSA-related knowledge involving epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment; (2) the importance of OSA and confidence in diagnosing and treating OSA patients. Other information including demographics, training experience, and questions exploring the future form of the sleep breathing disorder course was collected together. Of the 160 residents who participated in the survey, 153 (95.6%) completed the survey and the mean total knowledge score was 12.6/18 (70% correct). Although all respondents believed that OSA was an important clinical disorder, only a minority of the residents felt confident in identifying patients at risk for OSA (38%), managing OSA patients (27.5%), or continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) (26.2%). We found that OSA training experience significantly increased knowledge scores (p = 0.002) but not confidence scores (p = 0.248). As for the specific form of medical education, "Small classes during residency training" was the most popular form of sleep-breathing disorder educational training in the future of the resident training program. Despite adequate knowledge of OSA, there was still a generalized lack of confidence in the management of OSA patients among residents. Current medical education can not build enough confidence for physicians, which may in turn affect patients' trust and reduce long-term compliance. Untreated OSA places a significant health threat and economic burden on not only the patients but also their families and society, causing an underappreciated public health risk. In the future, merely increasing OSA courses is not sufficient, a more specific focus on the course format and training effect is required.

Effectiveness of training primary care internal medicine residents in etonogestrel implants and impact on their future practice: A cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of an etonogestrel implant training program within a primary care Internal Medicine residency training program. Study designWe surveyed graduates of our primary care Internal Medicine residency program in the Bronx, New York who performed implant procedures though the first 32 months after implementation of a monthly faculty-supervised resident implant clinic. We assessed the number of implants placed and removed per graduate, and surveyed graduates’ satisfaction with the implant training program, perceived competence with implant procedures, and intent and ability to perform implant procedures and barriers to performing implant procedures postgraduation. ResultsBetween July 2017 and February 2020, 14 residents placed a total of 34 devices and removed four. All 14 program graduates completed the survey in August 2020. All but one respondent felt this training was valuable and 11 felt competent placing implants without supervision. Although 10 planned to provide implants following graduation, none have been able to, largely because of credentialing and clinic-practice level barriers. ConclusionsThe primary care Internal Medicine program graduates we surveyed (n = 14) valued our etonogestrel implant training program and perceived competence, particularly with implant placement. However, even those who intended to provide etonogestrel implants postgraduation were unable to do so. ImplicationsInternal Medicine residents trained to place and remove etonogestrel implants are most comfortable with implant placement. However, these physicians may face barriers related to credentialing and ambulatory practice scope when attempting to provide this care in clinical practice.

Implementing a Supervised Mortality Review Program in an Internal Medicine Residency Training Program to Improve Review Compliance in a Community-based Hospital in Brooklyn, NY

Implementing a Supervised Mortality Review Program in an Internal Medicine Residency Training Program to Improve Review Compliance in a Community-based Hospital in Brooklyn, NY

Effect of an Immersive Primary Care Training Program on Educational and Clinical Outcomes in an Internal Medicine Residency Training Program: Meeting the Training Needs of a Modern-Day Physician Workforce.

Residents planning careers in primary care have unique training needs that are not addressed in traditional internal medicine training programs, where there is a focus on inpatient training. There are no evidence-based approaches for primary care training. Design and test the effect of a novel immersive primary care training program on educational and clinical outcomes. Nested intervention study. Twelve primary care residents, 86 of their categorical peers, and an 11-year historical cohort of 69 primary care trainees in a large urban internal medicine residency training program. Two 6-month blocks of primary care immersion alternating with two 6-month blocks of standard residency training during the second and third post-graduate years. Total amount of ambulatory and inpatient training time, subjective and objective educational outcomes, clinical performance on cancer screening, and chronic disease management outcomes. Participants in the intervention increased ambulatory training in both general medicine and specialty medicine and still met all ACGME training requirements. Residents reported improved subjective educational outcomes on a variety of chronic disease management topics and ambulatory care skills. They reported higher satisfaction with the amount of ambulatory training (4.3/5 vs. 3.6/5, p=0.008), attended more ambulatory clinics (242 vs. 154, p<0.001), and carried larger, more complicated panels (173 vs. 90 patients, p<0.001). They also performed better on diabetes management (86% vs. 76% control, p<0.001). Alumni who completed the intervention reported higher primary care career preparation (79% response rate) than those who did not (85% response rate) among an 11-year cohort of primary care alumni (4/5 vs. 3/5, p<0.001). A primary care training program that provides clinical immersion in the ambulatory setting improved educational outcomes for trainees and clinical outcomes for their patients. Providing more training in the ambulatory environment should be a priority in graduate medical education.

First year internal medicine residents\u2019 self-report point-of-care ultrasound\xa0knowledge and skills: what (Little) difference three years make

BackgroundWith increasing availability of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) education in medical schools, it is unclear whether or not learning needs of junior medical residents have evolved over time.MethodsWe invited all postgraduate year (PGY)-1 residents at three Canadian internal medicine residency training programs in 2019 to complete a survey previously completed by 47 Canadian Internal Medicine PGY-1 s in 2016. Using a five-point Likert scale, participants rated perceived applicability of POCUS to the practice of internal medicine and self-reported skills in 15 diagnostic POCUS applications and 9 procedures.ResultsOf the 97 invited residents, 58 (60 %) completed the survey in 2019. Participants reported high applicability but low skills across all POCUS applications and procedures. The 2019 cohort reported higher skills in assessing pulmonary B lines than the 2016 cohort (2.3 ± SD 1.0 vs. 1.5 ± SD 0.7, adjusted p-value = 0.01). No other differences were noted.ConclusionsPOCUS educational needs continue to be high in Canadian internal medicine learners. The results of this needs assessment study support ongoing inclusion of basic POCUS elements in the current internal medicine residency curriculum.

Gendered Expectations: the Impact of Gender, Evaluation Language, and Clinical Setting on Resident Trainee Assessment of Faculty Performance.

Gender inequity is pervasive in academic medicine. Factors contributing to these gender disparities must be examined. A significant body of literature indicates men and women are assessed differently in teaching evaluations. However, limited data exist on how faculty gender affects resident evaluation of faculty performance based on the skill being assessed or the clinical practice settings in which the trainee-faculty interaction occurs. Evaluate for gender-based differences in the assessment of general internal medicine (GIM) faculty physicians by trainees in inpatient and outpatient settings. Retrospective cohort study SUBJECTS: Inpatient and outpatient GIM faculty physicians in an Internal Medicine residency training program from July 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018. Faculty scores on trainee teaching evaluations including overall teaching ability and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies (medical knowledge [MK], patient care [PC], professionalism [PROF], interpersonal and communication skills [ICS], practice-based learning and improvement [PBLI], and systems-based practice [SBP]) based on the institutional faculty assessment form. In total, 3581 evaluations by 445 trainees (55.1% men, 44.9% women) assessing 161 GIM faculty physicians (50.3% men, 49.7% women) were included. Male faculty were rated higher in overall teaching ability (male=4.69 vs. female=4.63, p=0.003) and in four of the six ACGME competencies (MK, PROF, PBLI, and SBP) based on our institutional evaluation form. In the inpatient setting, male faculty were rated more favorably for overall teaching (male = 4.70, female = 4.53, p=<0.001) and across all ACGME competencies. The only observed gender difference in the outpatient setting favored female faculty in PC (male = 4.65, female = 4.71, p=0.01). Male and female GIM faculty performance was assessed differently by trainees. Gender-based differences were impacted by the setting of evaluation, with the greatest difference by gender noted in the inpatient setting.

Remodeling Interprofessional Collaboration Through a Nurse-for-a-Day Shadowing Program for Medical Residents.

BackgroundEvidence reflects that effective collaboration leads to improved care quality, patient satisfaction, nurse and physician retention, as well as decreased length of stay, readmissions, and costs. While interprofessional collaboration is widely accepted as the gold standard for health care, room for improvement exists within the nurse–physician relationship.PurposeTo evaluate the impact of a shadowing experience on nursing and resident perceptions of communication and collaboration through a shared clinical experience in providing direct patient care.MethodsFrom 2016 to 2020, the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program and Medical-Surgical Nursing Department collaborated to pair all internal medicine residents with a nurse preceptor for a 12-hour shift, where participants worked side-by-side in providing patient care. A total of 148 residents and 75 nurse preceptors participated in the study and were provided with a checklist of nursing activities as a guideline. Both residents and nurses completed a questionnaire regarding the shadowing experience utilizing a 5-point Likert scale, with questions focusing on collaboration and communication, program value, and impact on practice.ResultsThe study found increases in resident communication with nurses from pre-intervention to post-intervention, as well as enjoyment of collaboration with nurses and understanding of the nurse’s role. Residents believed that the program should be included for all residents at the beginning of their training; similarly, nurses advocated for the program, believing that the program would improve physician–nurse communication and collaboration.ConclusionInterprofessional training through a Nurse-for-a-Day Program may strengthen nurse–resident relations by cultivating understanding essential for effective collaboration through mutual role understanding.

Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Education in Internal Medicine Residency Training Program: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.

BackgroundQuality improvement and patient safety (QIPS) are a global health priority. Accordingly, QIPS education in medical education became mandatory. Despite that, information about QIPS education in postgraduate training in Saudi Arabia is limited. This study aimed to explore the educational aspects of QIPS in the internal medicine residency training program at King Abdulaziz Hospital in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis was a qualitative study employing the constructivist grounded theory approach. The sample size was determined using the theoretical saturation point, and we utilized a purposeful sampling technique. A semi-structured interview was used for data collection and was conducted between September 6 and October 20, 2020.ResultsTwenty-two internal medicine trainee residents were required to serve the study purpose. The emerged themes were organized under awareness, education, barriers and opportunities and improvement priorities. Awareness of participants about the QIPS concept, importance, and value of education was found. The participants did not recognize specific dedicated QIPS education components under the structured training program. However, they recognized participation in patient safety-oriented activities but not in quality improvement activities. Consultants’ observations and written exams were perceived as the assessment tools. Barriers including time limitation and opportunities including participation in quality improvement projects were identified. Participants suggested making QIPS education mandatory under the training program as an improvement priority.ConclusionThis study highlighted the awareness of internal medicine residents of the QIPS concept, importance, and value of QIPS education. However, we found crucial gaps related to education including lack of a dedicated QIPS component under the training program. There is a need for multicenter studies to measure the magnitude of our findings for improvement of QIPS education in residency training in Saudi Arabia. This is the first study about QIPS education in residency training in Saudi Arabia up to our best knowledge.

Characterizing the Prevalence and Types of Curricular Tracks in Internal Medicine Residency Training Programs.

Characterizing the Prevalence and Types of Curricular Tracks in Internal Medicine Residency Training Programs.

Tips for pandemic response planning for Internal Medicine training programs.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has strained hospital systems and training programs across the world. As capacity issues mount and trainees are called upon to provide frontline medical care, programs and institutions have had to rapidly evolve to redefine the trainee experience. To that end, there is a paucity of literature regarding how healthcare training programs should operate during a global pandemic. Here, we aim to describe twelve evidence-based recommendations for coordinating a cohesive, systematic approach to pandemic response planning for Internal Medicine residency training programs. These tips encompass inpatient and outpatient practices, provider safety, resuscitation, virtual education programming and resident wellbeing. Though many of these considerations or recommendations were not described during the COVID-19 pandemic, these tips have been described previously in the literature, are applicable to the current pandemic and could be easily extrapolated to future crises.

Necessary but not sufficient: identifying conditions for effective feedback during internal medicine residents' clinical education.

Competency-based medical education and programmatic assessment intend to increase the opportunities for meaningful feedback, yet these conversations remain elusive. By comparing resident and faculty perceptions of feedback opportunities within one internal medicine residency training program, we sought to understand whether and how principles underlying meaningful feedback could be supported or constrained across a variety of feedback opportunities. Using case-study qualitative methodology, interviews and focus groups were conducted to explore 19 internal medicine residents' and 7 faculty members' perceptions of feedback across a variety of feedback opportunities: coaching, mini-CEXs, in-training evaluation reports and routine clinical supervision. Our data analysis moved iteratively between developing conceptual understandings and fine-grained analyses, while attending to both deductive and inductive analysis. Our results suggest that all feedback opportunities, including those created through formalized assessments, can foster meaningful feedback if faculty establish a trusting relationship with the resident, base their feedback on direct observation and support resident learning. However, formalized assessments were often perceived as inhibiting the conditions for meaningful feedback. A coaching program provided a context in which meaningful feedback could arise, in part because faculty were supported in shifting their focus from patient to resident. Meaningful feedback in clinical education may be fostered across a variety of feedback opportunities, however, it is often constrained by assessment. We must consider whether increasing the frequency of formative assessments may inhibit efforts to improve our feedback cultures while, in contrast, freeing up faculty to focus on supporting resident learning could improve these cultures.

IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTEGRATED ULTRASOUND CURRICULUM WITH CLINICAL SIMULATION FOR INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENTS

SESSION TITLE: Tuesday Electronic Posters 3 SESSION TYPE: Original Inv Poster Discussion PRESENTED ON: 10/22/2019 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM PURPOSE: Effective formalized point of care ultrasound (POCUS) curricula have not been well established in Internal Medicine (IM) residency training programs in the United States. The goal of this project is to assess the efficacy of a longitudinal POCUS curriculum that integrates high fidelity simulation. This pilot study focuses on teaching thoracic ultrasonography (US). METHODS: This is an IRB-approved prospective longitudinal study involving all categorical residents in the Mount Sinai St Luke’s and West program. The residents undergo mandatory clinical simulation every 6 weeks as part of their residency curriculum. However, participation in study assessments were voluntary. The US curriculum starts with a pre-course quiz to assess baseline knowledge of normal and pathological thoracic US findings. Residents were also asked to identify a series of items related to thoracic US that they are confident in interpreting, which is combined into a confidence score (CS). The residents participated in a one-hour workshop consisting of didactic lectures, hands-on demonstrations, image interpretations, followed by an hour-long high-fidelity simulation case and debriefing that integrates thoracic US. A post-course survey was administered. At 6-week intervals, residents were re-evaluated with a quiz to assess knowledge retention and were also re-exposed to thoracic US during their next scheduled case-based simulation. Outcomes of interest include knowledge-based quiz scores in percentages and the CS. ANOVA and t-test were used to compare continuous variables. Multivariate linear regression was used to model trends and outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 102 residents were enrolled in this study of which 24 had previously completed 2-week US electives and 4 had prior formalized training defined as a course, fellowship or certification. The mean pre-course quiz score was 57.3% followed by 79.3% post-test and 62.8% at 6 weeks (p<0.001). Multivariate regression showed 24.6% increase in quiz scores at post-test, and 8.24% increase over 6 weeks compared to the initial assessment (p<0.001). The mean CS was 4 (maximum is 8), followed by 7 post-test and 5.3 at 6-weeks(p<0.001). Multivariate regression showed a mean increase of 3.53 in the CS post-test and 1.44 at 6-weeks (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A 2-hour ultrasound training with simulation integration resulted in immediate improvement in knowledge as well as confidence in thoracic US interpretation. At 6-weeks, knowledge decay is present. However, the overall comprehension and confidence remain higher than baseline. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: As POCUS becomes more popular in IM training programs and in clinical care, it is imperative to offer standardized education to trainees. Despite the knowledge decay, integration of US into our simulation curriculum improved overall knowledge and confidence. With repetitive integration into simulation cases, this knowledge decay may decrease. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Nikhila Chelikam, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Susannah Kurtz, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Priscilla Loanzon, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Joseph Mathew, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Nick Pakzad, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Di Pan, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Barbara Sierra, source=Web Response

A road map for point-of-care ultrasound training in internal medicine residency

BackgroundEver-expanding uses have been developed for ultrasound, including its focused use at the bedside, often referred to as point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). POCUS has been well developed and integrated into training in numerous fields, but remains relatively undefined in internal medicine training. This training has been shown to be desirable to both educators and trainees, but has proven difficult to implement. We sought to create a road map for internal medicine residency programs looking to create a POCUS program.ResultsFour internal medicine residency programs that have successfully integrated POCUS training describe their programs, as well as the principles and concepts underlying program development and execution. Review of educational teaching and assessment methods is outlined, as well as suggestions for integration into an already busy residency curriculum. Commonly reported barriers to POCUS implementation such as faculty development, equipment purchasing, resident supervision and quality assurance are addressed. Specific POCUS applications to target are touched upon, and a comparison of applications taught within these four programs suggest that there may be enough similarities to suggest a common curriculum. Finally, future needs are discussed.ConclusionsPOCUS can be successfully taught to internal medicine residents as a part of internal medicine training. Many common elements and principles are evident on review of these four described successful programs. Future support, in the form of endorsed medical society guidelines, will be needed before POCUS is universally incorporated across internal medicine residency training programs.

Evaluation of a Human Virtual-Reality Endoscopy Trainer for Teaching Early Endoscopy Skills to Veterinarians.

Competency in flexible endoscopy is a major goal of small animal internal medicine residency training programs. Hands-on laboratories to teach entry-level skills have traditionally used anesthetized laboratory dogs (live dog laboratory [LDL]). Virtual-reality endoscopy trainers (VRET) are used for this purpose in human medicine with the clear benefits of avoiding live animal use, decreasing trainee stress, and allowing repeated, independent training sessions. However, there are currently no commercially available veterinary endoscopy simulators. The purpose of the study was to determine whether a human VRET can be a reasonable alternative to a LDL for teaching early veterinary endoscopy skills. Twelve veterinarians with limited or no endoscopy experience underwent training with a VRET (n = 6) or a LDL (n = 6), performed two recorded esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGD) on anesthetized dogs for evaluation purposes (outcomes laboratory), and then underwent training with the alternative method. Participants completed questionnaires before any training and following each training session. No significant differences were found between training methods based on: measured parameters from the outcomes laboratory, including duration of time to perform EGD; evaluators' assessment of skills; and, assessment of skills through blinded review of the esophageal portion of EGD recordings. The VRET was less stressful for participants than the LDL (p = .02). All participants found that the VRET was a useful and acceptable alternative to the LDL for training of early endoscopy skills. Based on this limited study, VRET can serve as a reasonable alternative to LDL for teaching endoscopy skills to veterinarians.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Hospitalists: A Position Statement of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Many hospitalists incorporate point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) into their daily practice to answer specific diagnostic questions or to guide performance of invasive bedside procedures. However, standards for hospitalists in POCUS training and assessment are not yet established. Most internal medicine residency training programs, the major pipeline for incoming hospitalists, have only recently begun to incorporate POCUS in their curricula. The purpose of this document is to inform a broad audience on what POCUS is and how hospitalists are using it. This document is intended to provide guidance for the hospitalists who use POCUS and administrators who oversee its use. We discuss POCUS 1) applications, 2) training, 3) assessments, and 4) program management. Practicing hospitalists must continue to collaborate with their local credentialing bodies to outline requirements for POCUS use. Hospitalists should be integrally involved in decision-making processes surrounding POCUS program management.

Implementing Competency-Based Medical Education in Internal Medicine Residency Training Program: the Process and Impact on Residents' Satisfaction.

BackgroundGraduate medical education is shifting from the traditional apprenticeship model to a competency-driven model. Here we describe the design and implementation of competency-based medical education (CBME) in an internal medicine residency program, and report satisfaction survey results.MethodsWe redesigned the residency curriculum as CBME to be resident-centred, systematic, focused on general internal medicine, to provide experience in various care setting, and work-based assessment. In the second year of this CBME transition, we surveyed residents' overall satisfaction using 5-point Likert scale. Feedback on their training program was also analysed.ResultsThe overall satisfaction score was 3.24 and thirteen residents (61.9%) answered that the preceptor's practical training in an educational atmosphere and improvement through training were the merits of the training program. However, residents complained about the working condition such as work overload.ConclusionWith the CBME implementation, most residents expressed satisfaction with the hospital's educational environment but they suffered from overwork. Further efforts to improve the educational program and environment are warranted.