Residency Programs Research Articles

The importance of emergency medicine in Bangladesh and the need for a residency programme.

The importance of emergency medicine in Bangladesh and the need for a residency programme.

The evolution of academic advisor and resident dyadic coaching relationships: a two-year longitudinal qualitative study.

Implementing competency based medical education (CBME) has generated enormous amounts of assessment data. To help residents synthesize and use these data, some programs have appointed academic advisors (AA) to 'coach over time'. This study explored how resident and faculty AA dyads perceived their relationship developing and evolving, and the extent to which it aligned with 'coaching over time'. Over a two-year period at four separate time-points, we conducted longitudinal qualitative interviews with nine dyads of Internal Medicine residents (32 interviews) and their paired AA (27). We used constructivist grounded theory to develop a conceptual understanding of how AA-resident relationships evolved. Three major themes were identified. 'Building the Relationship' included elements perceived to facilitate or impede growth of the relationship. Most relationships flourished, facilitated by passage of time, 'fit' between the two, and often by working together clinically. Still, many residents perceived the need to 'save face' with their AAs. 'Enacting the AA Role' had features that appeared to align more with mentorship than coaching. 'Finding Meaning in the Relationship' underscored the perceived value fostered by the longitudinal pairing. The relationships often, but not always, achieved far-reaching benefits, though not necessarily limited to those intended by the program. Our study helps us understand what 'coaching over time' might look like for large residency programs wherein residents rotate through many sites and services. The dyads created an opportunity for a coaching relationship to form and develop in beneficial ways, though it was different to and went beyond the narrower focus on meeting CBME requirements.

Digital learning strategies in residency education

Background New digital learning environments have transformed medical education and training, allowing students and teachers to engage in synchronous, real-time interactions and asynchronous learning activities online. Despite extensive research on the role of digital technologies in education, understanding the interplay between digital technology, work, and learning, especially in complex fields like healthcare, remains a challenge. Objective The objective of this study is to examine resident physicians’ perceptions and experiences of using a digital learning environment as part of their specialist medical training. The paper focuses on digital learning through video conferencing (virtual lectures and seminars) and related learning technologies. It aims to understand how resident physicians perceive pedagogical opportunities and challenges in digital learning environments during their medical training and what strategies they use to address these. Materials and Methods The methodological approach is qualitative, aiming to capture and understand participants’ experiences and views of digital learning. The empirical data gathered from open-ended responses to four course evaluation surveys and semi-structured interviews with nine physicians from a cohort of participants enrolled in two or more digital courses were analyzed through thematic analysis. The analysis revealed three main themes related to digital transformation of learning: sociotechnical, educational and administrative. Results The results suggest that (i) sociotechnical aspects and understanding of the context in which the learning takes place contribute to enhancing digital learning for resident physicians; (ii) insights into participants’ perceptions of digital learning emphasize that interactive communication and group discussions are significant for their learning, and (iii) administrative aspects related to course design, lecture management, and instructional support are more important in digital learning environments compared to traditional teaching and learning. Conclusion Findings from this study confirm and extend prior studies on digital learning in healthcare, contributing to a better understanding of how digital learning environments, especially virtual lectures and seminars, can be developed and integrated into residency programs and health professions education to increase their usefulness.

Perceptions of a faculty-trainee group mentorship program, the mentorship families program, in a residency training program: results from a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundIn residency programs, the availability of faculty mentors for traditional dyadic mentorship relationships may be limited. Few frameworks exist for mentorship programs with a combined faculty and peer mentorship approach. The authors developed the Mentorship Families Program (MFP), a faculty-resident group mentorship program within a psychiatry residency program to meet the need for mentorship for a large cohort of residents. A cross-sectional survey was used to evaluate the impact of the MFP after its first implementation year.MethodsEleven mentorship families were created with 11 faculty members and 45 residents; each mentorship family consisted of one faculty member and 4–5 residents. A cross-sectional survey characterized the one-year perceived impact (2021–2022) of the MFP on resident and faculty mentoring experiences, with questions about the content, frequency, and quality of the MFP meetings and the strengths and areas of improvement for the MFP. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize quantitative feedback; directed content analysis was performed on open-ended feedback.ResultsTwenty-seven residents (60%) and 8 faculty members (73%) responded to the survey. 70% of mentorship families met at least once. The MFP helped foster resident-faculty connections and provided an environment to gain career advice. However, residents and faculty reported challenges with scheduling meetings and a lack of meeting structure as barriers to effective engagement with the MFP. Most residents recommended that other training programs implement a program like the MFP as it offered multidimensional opportunities for connections between residents and faculty.ConclusionsA faculty-resident group mentorship program like the MFP can be implemented in residency training programs when traditional one-to-one faculty mentorship is often limited.

Career choice of Saudi medical students: opting for ophthalmology residency programs - perceptions and sociodemographic influencing factors – a cross-sectional study in Northern Saudi Arabia

Background and aimThe present survey aimed to explore northern Saudi medical students’ perceptions and sociodemographic influencing factors in choosing ophthalmology as a career specialty to determine if they are in alignment with the health sector transformation program of the Vision 2030 initiative.MethodsThis study was conducted among 384 medical students from two universities in northern Saudi Arabia (KSA). We used a standard and validated questionnaire to collect the required data. The perception aspect consisted of 20 questions divided into five subdomains: personal and lifestyle factors, residency program aspects, patients’ care, work culture, and financial factors. We used binomial logistic regression to find sociodemographic predictors for choosing ophthalmology as the first choice.ResultsThe present study demonstrated that northern Saudi medical students preferred ophthalmology as the second most preferred specialty (11.2%). Among the motivational factors, the most frequently reported was the influence of faculty members from their college (74.2%), followed by financial aspects (74%) and family and friends (73.7%). The preference to choose ophthalmology was significantly higher among female gender (ref: male, AOR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.39–4.88, p = 0.001) and students with a GPA of 4.6 and above (ref: GPA less than 3.5, AOR = 3.77, 95% CI = 2.99–5.36, p = 0.023).ConclusionNorthern Saudi medical students’ preference for ophthalmology aligns with Vision 2030 goals. Therefore, it is essential to tailor strategies by policymakers to the medical students according to the identified sociodemographic influencing factors. Furthermore, we recommend prospective studies across all the regions of KSA to identify regional variations.

Leveraging Lean Methodology to Improve Compliance With Work-Hour Restrictions.

Since work-hour restrictions were instituted in 2003, sustainably complying with duty-hour regulations remains a challenge for general surgery residency programs across the nation. To determine whether industry-based process improvement techniques could be leveraged to increase compliance with work-hour restrictions within a general surgery residency. This quality improvement project using Lean methodology was conducted from October to November of the 2021 to 2022 academic year. The setting was a university-based general surgery residency program in southern California with rotations across 5 regional hospitals. The program trains 7 categorical general surgery residents per postgraduate year (PGY) and offers an optional 1 to 3 years for research and career development. Programmatic structures were examined, current and target states were analyzed, opportunities for improvement were identified, root-cause analyses were conducted, and targeted interventions were developed. Resident time logs and annual Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education resident and faculty surveys were reviewed from academic years 2019/2020 to 2022/2023. Attending faculty were surveyed on resident preparedness using a 5-point Likert scale. Differences between means and proportions were calculated with corresponding 95% CIs. The web-based survey responses of 29 residents (residents per PGY, 7 [PGY1], 14 [PGY2/3], 8 [PGY4/5]; 17 female [54.7%]) were included in this study. Root causes included maxed baseline schedules, late in shift work, culture, service variability, clinical volume, and inefficient workflows. Fifteen multifactorial interventions impacting call and weekend scheduling, work practices and efficiencies, intern and service orientations, and faculty and cultural expectations were implemented. The mean number of residents per block who logged more than 80 hours per week decreased by 3.6 violations per block (95% CI, 2.98-4.22), from 4.4 (12.4%) to 0.8 (2.2%) for a difference of 10.2% (95% CI, 8.4%-16.2%). On the annual resident survey, perceived compliance with 80 hours was 72%, 83%, 83%, and 88%, respectively, over the following study periods: 2019 to 2020, 2020 to 2021, 2021 to 2022, and 2022 to 2023. Faculty perception of resident preparedness for the case increased from a mean (SD) of 2.6 (0.8) to 3.0 (0.5), with a difference of 0.47 (95% CI, -0.52 to 0.68). There were no statistically significant differences in technical skill, clinical judgment, sense of responsibility, efficiency, or sense of well-being. Results of this quality improvement study suggest that through Lean methodology, surgical residency programs can improve working environments. This novel approach can increase compliance with resident work hours by engaging front line trainees in the process.

Breastfeeding Policies of Otolaryngology Residency Programs

Background: Women entering surgical residencies must determine which programs best fit their career and family goals. The purpose of this study was to determine if breastfeeding policies are available on otolaryngology residency program websites. Methods: A total of 122 publicly available otolaryngology residency program websites were reviewed for the presence of a breastfeeding policy and lactation information. The percentage of residents and faculty that are women in each program as well as the program’s region, size, and affiliation with a top 50 hospital for ear, nose, and throat care were determined. Frequencies and nonparametric analyses were calculated when appropriate. Results: None of the otolaryngology residency programs had a breastfeeding policy posted directly on their website. A link to a Graduate Medical Education (GME) website that contained a breastfeeding policy was present on 20 (16.4%) program websites, and 31 websites (25.4%) had information about lactation facilities on the GME website or another page that could be found through the search bar; 17 (23.0%) of the large residency programs contained the link to the GME website, whereas only 3 (6.25%) of the small programs did (p = 0.015). Residency programs that were affiliated with a top 50 hospital for ear, nose, and throat care were more likely to have a link to the GME website with a breastfeeding policy than those not affiliated (13 [29.5%] vs. 7 [8.9%], respectively; p = 0.003). Conclusion: Otolaryngology residency programs do not provide breastfeeding policies directly on their websites.

Enhancing residency training by addressing anatomical knowledge gaps through structured educational programs: a need assessment study in radio diagnosis residents.

The evolving curricula in medical education have significantly reduced the time allocated for learning and clinically correlating anatomical facts. This has led to noticeable gaps in the anatomical knowledge observed by specialists while training junior residents and is being extensively documented in the literature. The descriptive, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted online by sharing the questionnaire via e-mail, WhatsApp, and Telegram to institutes across all Indian states and union territories where postgraduate radiodiagnosis courses are offered. The survey had a predominant response from radiodiagnosis residents belonging to the female gender (53.8%), pursuing MD (83.2%), from final year (43.4%), and from private (58%) institutes. 98% of the residents encountered challenges interpreting radiological images, 89% had no formal training in anatomy during residency, and 59% felt a lack of confidence regarding the human anatomy knowledge required for radiodiagnosis. 91.5% of the residents believe that a short human anatomy posting would significantly improve their radiological reporting skills, and 94% expressed interest in attending workshops or seminars to enhance their knowledge of human anatomy for radiological practice. A standardized curriculum for human anatomy training during the radiodiagnosis residency program is needed for the current period, as 90% of the respondents agreed. To bolster future radiologists' diagnostic acumen, an enhanced anatomical education within radiodiagnosis residency programs in India is indeed necessary. Implementing structured training programs, incorporating interactive workshops, and leveraging advanced technological tools can significantly bridge knowledge gaps among residents.

Can Artificial Intelligence Deceive Residency Committees? A Randomized Multicenter Analysis of Letters of Recommendation.

The introduction of generative artificial intelligence (AI) may have a profound effect on residency applications. In this study, we explore the abilities of AI-generated letters of recommendation (LORs) by evaluating the accuracy of orthopaedic surgery residency selection committee members to identify LORs written by human or AI authors. In a multicenter, single-blind trial, a total of 45 LORs (15 human, 15 ChatGPT, and 15 Google BARD) were curated. In a random fashion, seven faculty reviewers from four residency programs were asked to grade each of the 45 LORs based on the 11 characteristics outlined in the American Orthopaedic Associations standardized LOR, as well as a 1 to 10 scale on how they would rank the applicant, their desire of having the applicant in the program, and if they thought the letter was generated by a human or AI author. Analysis included descriptives, ordinal regression, and a receiver operator characteristic curve to compare accuracy based on the number of letters reviewed. Faculty reviewers correctly identified 40% (42/105) of human-generated and 63% (132/210) of AI-generated letters (P < 0.001), which did not increase over time (AUC 0.451, P = 0.102). When analyzed by perceived author, letters marked as human generated had significantly higher means for all variables (P = 0.01). BARD did markedly better than human authors in accuracy (3.25 [1.79 to 5.92], P < 0.001), adaptability (1.29 [1.02 to 1.65], P = 0.034), and perceived commitment (1.56 [0.99 to 2.47], P < 0.055). Additional analysis controlling for reviewer background showed no differences in outcomes based on experience or familiarity with the AI programs. Faculty members were unsuccessful in determining the difference between human-generated and AI-generated LORs 50% of the time, which suggests that AI can generate LORs similarly to human authors. This highlights the importance for selection committees to reconsider the role and influence of LORs on residency applications.

National Survey of Airway Management Practices and Training Among Emergency Medicine Residency Programs in the United States.

As airway management becomes more complex with the adoption of new technologies and strategies, it is important to ensure that emergency medicine residents, the future of the specialty, receive extensive training. This study was designed to understand the prevailing airway management practices and training within emergency medicine residency programs. A survey consisting of 19 multiple-choice questions was sent to program directors of 258 emergency medicine residency programs in the United States. A total of 63 emergency medicine residency programs completed the airway survey, a response rate of 24%. Programs from all regions of the country are represented, most of them from university-based teaching hospitals (40%) and 3-year programs (78%). The majority of programs provide their residents with 50-100 intubations (50.8%) during their training. Pediatric intubations remain scarce with 54.1% of programs having only 5-10 pediatric intubations per resident. The emergency medicine team manages 93.6% of all trauma intubations, and residents complete 81% to 100% of all the department's intubations 88.9% of the time. Video laryngoscopy is on the rise, with GlideScope® (93.7%) and C-Mac® (55.6%) being the most common devices available. Overall, programs use both succinylcholine and rocuronium equally, but there is a trend toward using rocuronium more frequently than succinylcholine. By employing different teaching modalities, multiple times a year, residency programs expose residents to a variety of backup tools and surgical airway techniques. Emergency medicine residents are exposed to multiple advanced airway adjuncts and comprehensive airway curriculums as emergency airway management practices evolve and become more complex.

The Presence of Predatory and Open Access Journal Publications Among Canadian Plastic Surgery Residency Applicants

Introduction: As scientific publishing has transitioned online, open access and predatory publishers have surged. This study describes the frequency of publications in potentially predatory and open access journals among applicants to a Canadian plastic surgery residency program, and explores applicant characteristics associated with open access and predatory publishing. Methods: A retrospective review of plastic surgery resident applicants’ curriculum vitae (CVs) from 2015 to 2018 was performed. Published articles listed in CVs were reviewed by 2 authors to identify publication availability, publication year, and publisher. Open access publications were identified using the Directory of Open Access Journals. Predatory publications were identified using Beall's list of potentially predatory publishers. Published applicants’ characteristics were summarized. Applicant characteristics associated with open access and predatory publishing were explored using logistic regression. Results: Of the 186 applicants, 117 published 388 articles and were included in the final analysis. 156 (40.2%) articles were published in open access journals by 76 (40.8%) applicants. 14 (3.6%) articles were published in predatory journals by 14 (7.5%) applicants. Applicant characteristics associated with open access publishing included total number of publications (OR: 1.56, 1.18-1.93, P &lt; .001) and presence of at least one post-baccalaureate degree (OR: 0.36, 0.13-0.95, P = .038). Only an applicant's total number of publications (OR: 1.25, 1.06-1.48, P = .010) was significantly associated with publishing in a predatory journal. Conclusion: These findings stress the importance of raising awareness within the plastic surgery community, including medical students, about the deceptive nature of predatory journals.

Understanding Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Interest: A National Survey of the Resident Experience.

The field of pediatric anesthesiology faces an impending shortage of fellowship-trained physicians. Despite this projection, fewer anesthesiology residents are opting to pursue a fellowship. To better understand the current perspective and motivation of trainees to pursue a career in pediatric anesthesiology, we surveyed anesthesiology residents across the United States. Our primary aims were to assess the understanding of the current workforce shortage as well as explore the impact of both exposure and characteristics of the anesthesia resident rotation on the decision to pursue pediatric anesthesiology fellowship. A 25-question Qualtrics survey was distributed to members of the Pediatric Anesthesia Leadership Council and Education Committee within the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and to anesthesiology residency program directors based in the United States. The survey received 201 responses. Of the respondents, 29% were in Clinical Anesthesia Year 3, 25% in Year 2, 19% in Year 1, and 10% in their intern year. The analysis revealed that self-reported adequate exposure to high-acuity cases and advanced procedures (arterial lines, central lines, and nerve blocks) significantly increased the likelihood of planning to pursue pediatric anesthesiology fellowship (adjusted Odd Ratio 8.47, 95% Confidence Interval, 1.65-43.4). Perceptions of faculty teaching, mentor availability, planned practice environment, and the presence of fellowship programs at the institution were not significantly associated with intentions to pursue pediatric anesthesiology fellowship. The journey toward specializing in pediatric anesthesiology is influenced by a complex interplay of factors. Among these, enhanced exposure to challenging cases and advanced procedures during the residency phase is emerging as a critical element. Such exposure not only equips residents with the necessary skills and confidence to handle complex pediatric anesthesia cases but also plays a pivotal role in attracting more trainees to this essential subspecialty.

Evaluation of a Computer-Based Morphological Analysis Method for Free-Text Responses in the General Medicine In-Training Examination: Algorithm Validation Study.

The General Medicine In-Training Examination (GM-ITE) tests clinical knowledge in a 2-year postgraduate residency program in Japan. In the academic year 2021, as a domain of medical safety, the GM-ITE included questions regarding the diagnosis from medical history and physical findings through video viewing and the skills in presenting a case. Examinees watched a video or audio recording of a patient examination and provided free-text responses. However, the human cost of scoring free-text answers may limit the implementation of GM-ITE. A simple morphological analysis and word-matching model, thus, can be used to score free-text responses. This study aimed to compare human versus computer scoring of free-text responses and qualitatively evaluate the discrepancies between human- and machine-generated scores to assess the efficacy of machine scoring. After obtaining consent for participation in the study, the authors used text data from residents who voluntarily answered the GM-ITE patient reproduction video-based questions involving simulated patients. The GM-ITE used video-based questions to simulate a patient's consultation in the emergency room with a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism following a fracture. Residents provided statements for the case presentation. We obtained human-generated scores by collating the results of 2 independent scorers and machine-generated scores by converting the free-text responses into a word sequence through segmentation and morphological analysis and matching them with a prepared list of correct answers in 2022. Of the 104 responses collected-63 for postgraduate year 1 and 41 for postgraduate year 2-39 cases remained for final analysis after excluding invalid responses. The authors found discrepancies between human and machine scoring in 14 questions (7.2%); some were due to shortcomings in machine scoring that could be resolved by maintaining a list of correct words and dictionaries, whereas others were due to human error. Machine scoring is comparable to human scoring. It requires a simple program and calibration but can potentially reduce the cost of scoring free-text responses.

Factors affecting the specialty choice among medical students of Saudi Arabia; an exploratory study

BackgroundCareer or specialty choice is one of the crucial steps of a medical student’s life. It’s a difficult yet important decision that is hard to reverse after getting into the residency program. The recent catastrophic experience of shortage and maldistribution of the health workforce among different specialties during the recent pandemic has made it critical for the authorities to look into the motivators and determinants for the specialty choice from the undergraduate medical student’s perspective. Therefore, the study aimed to find out the major factors affecting career choice and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the specialty choice of medical students in Saudi Arabia.MethodThis qualitative exploratory study was carried out to explore the factors affecting the specialty choice and effects of COVID-19 on the specialty choice of senior medical students and interns of Saudi Arabia by utilizing semi-structured audio-recoded interviews. Participants of the study were enrolled by convenient sampling after informed written consent. Data were transcribed and thematic analysis was done to extract the themes.ResultA total of 28 medical students and 14 interns participated in the study. The study identified five major themes with 18 relevant subthemes. The subthemes derived from the transcribed data were arranged under the following key themes; recognizing the determinants for specialty choice, financial expectation, gender specificity/stereotype, the impact of COVID-19, and concomitant motivation factors.ConclusionThe right selection of a suitable future career is pivotal and strongly associated with future job success and satisfaction for a medical graduate. The study has provided insight to the regulatory bodies about student’s fears and factors affecting them to choose or avoid certain specialties to formulate a future resource management plan accordingly.

Return on Investment of Incorporating Simulation into a New Graduate Nurse Emergency Department Residency Program.

Ensuring a smooth transition from education to practice for new nurses is essential in helping stem the flow of nurses out of the profession. However, traditional nurse residency education has only included didactic education sessions. In a novel new graduate emergency Nurse Residency Program, simulation-based education was ranked as the best part of the new graduate Nurse Residency Program. The result of incorporating simulation experiences was increased satisfaction by program participants and a decrease in turnover.

Predicting Performance in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Part II Certification Oral Examination Based On Milestone Ratings.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) introduced the Milestones to document learner development within a competency-based framework. On the other hand, board certifying examinations serve as a summative evaluation of a learner's readiness for independent medical practice. Scores in Part I of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR) examination, which measures medical knowledge, has been shown to correlate only with Milestones ratings in medical knowledge. We hypothesized that combined ratings of various Milestone competencies can predict subsequent performance in related ABPMR Part II certifying examination domains. Milestones data and ABPMR Part II examination scores of trainees in 3-yr PM&R residency programs in the United States from academic years (AY) 2014-2016 who sat for the ABPMR Parts I and II Examinations, immediately after completion of training, were reviewed. Regression analysis showed that Milestone sub-competencies, alone or in combination, did not correlate with Part II domain scaled scores. Medical Knowledge was the only Milestone sub-competency that was correlated with performance in the ABPMR Part I certifying examination. This current study found that no similar association exists between any of the Milestones Competencies and the ABPMR Part II certifying examination, suggesting that the two assessment tools measure different attributes.

A structured simulation-based mastery learning curriculum in chest tube insertion results in superior skills compared to traditional training programs.

Chest tube insertions (CTI) have a high complication rate, warranting a dedicated Simulation-Based Mastery Learning (SBML) curriculum to acquire technical skills. This randomized controlled trial compares residents' skills in CTI after completing a SBML curriculum with those enrolled in a traditional residency program. Junior residents were baseline tested on cognitive and technical skills (Thiel bodies) before randomization into an intervention and control group. The former deliberately trained CTI on a porcine rib model until passing a predefined pass/fail score and were then summatively tested on Thiel bodies. The latter had no additional training opportunities and was evaluated 3months later. Seventeen residents were recruited and randomized. Following the per-protocol principle, a significant interaction effect for Group×Procedure (F(1,14)=6.2, p=0.026) was observed. Between baseline and summative assessment, both the control group (28.0±8.2 vs. 43.6±8.1, p<0.001) and the intervention group (33.2±7.7 vs. 57.6±5.7, p<0.001) significantly increased their scores. The intervention group outperformed the control group at summative assessment (43.6±8.1 vs. 57.6±5.7, p<0.001). All participants in the intervention group and one resident in the control group achieved the pass/fail score. This SBML curriculum enabled quicker and superior skill acquisition. Skills trained on a porcine model are transferred to the highly realistic Thiel bodies and reach expert level, potentially increasing resident skill in clinical practice.

Academic productivity and industry trends of fellowship‐trained U.S. academic rhinologists

AbstractBackgroundAcademic productivity is believed to be correlated with years of experience and departmental rank, yet there is a paucity of granular academic data between rhinology faculty regarding departmental rank and industry engagement, and how these relate to experience.ObjectiveTo examine the interrelationships between experience, department rank and reputation, funding, industry engagement, and academic output of rhinology faculty.MethodsDemographics, academic metrics (publications, citations, h‐index, National Institutes of Health [NIH] funding), program rankings, and industry compensation for academic U.S. rhinologists through June 2022 were collected and compared between academic rank and years of experience.ResultsA cohort of 278 rhinologists were included. Full professors had greater academic metrics (all p &lt; 0.001) and industry compensation (all p &lt; 0.05) than associate professors, assistant professors, and private practice rhinologists. Full professors were also more likely to receive NIH funding than other groups (p &lt; 0.001). Years of experience and industry compensation positively correlated with each other and with academic metrics (all p &lt; 0.001) with significant jumps between the 5th–9th and 10th–14th years of practice (p &lt; 0.001). However, early career (≤8 years) rhinologists published more articles per year than later career (&gt;8 years) rhinologists (p &lt; 0.001). Rhinologists at Doximity top 10 and 25 residency programs by reputation and research output and top 50 U.S. News and World Report departments had significantly greater academic metrics and NIH funding compared to those who were not (p &lt; 0.001). Top 10 and 25 reputations was associated with increased industry compensation (p = 0.024).ConclusionsAlthough early career rhinologists published more frequently, ascending professorial rank, years of experience, and affiliation with top‐ranked departments were associated with total academic productivity. Industry engagement was linked to reputation and years of experience.

Point-of-care ultrasound in palliative medicine residency programs: report of a national survey and local workshop.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is used in various clinical specialties to improve diagnostic and procedural accuracy and has many potential applications in palliative care. However, it is unclear what is the current state of training and use of POCUS in palliative care in Canada. Our objectives were to understand the current state of training and use of POCUS in Canadian Palliative Medicine subspecialty residency programs and to develop and implement a local training workshop for POCUS in palliative care. We surveyed residency program leaders regarding formal training and clinical applications of POCUS for faculty and residents in their programs. The results from the national survey informed the design of a workshop for POCUS at our institution. Faculty and resident participants completed pre- and post-workshop surveys evaluating their comfort with using and teaching POCUS. Most residency programs provided between one to ten hours of POCUS teaching to residents. Clinical application was generally limited to assessing ascites and performing paracentesis. Lack of POCUS-trained faculty was identified as the most common barrier to more widespread use of POCUS. On a limited budget, we successfully implemented a POCUS training workshop at our institution that improved participant confidence and comfort in using and teaching POCUS. Although POCUS is viewed as a beneficial skill for enhancing patient care and is a competency in palliative medicine residency programs, there are gaps in both training and utilization. A POCUS workshop is an effective and low-cost "first-step" intervention that can be easily replicated in other programs.

Research Productivity Among Applicants Who Matched into an Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency Program: A Bibliographic Review

ObjectiveResearch productivity is an important factor in candidate selection by Integrated thoracic surgery residency programs. It is necessary to track the research output of applicants who match into an Integrated program. This study sought to examine the research productivity of matched Integrated applicants prior to residency and assess demographic, bibliographic, and institutional variables associated with continued research productivity during residency. MethodsBibliographic records of applicants who matched into an Integrated program from 2015 to 2022 were manually reviewed (e.g., PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, ResearchGate) to identify studies published until January 2024. Publications were stratified by publication type and first-authorship relative to the applicants’ match year. Individuals were analyzed by demographics, medical school ranking, and affiliated residency programs’ research infrastructure. ResultsThree hundred matched Integrated applicants were identified. Among applicants who matched into an Integrated program, the number of total (p = 0.001) and first-author (p = 0.006) publications prior to residency significantly increased from 2015 to 2022. Over the same period, the rate of total (p = 0.2) and first-author (p = 0.3) publications during residency remained relatively unchanged. Matched Integrated applicants with a higher number of total and first-author publications prior to residency had a higher rate of total (1.17; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09 – 1.25; p < 0.001) and first-author (1.19; 95% CI 1.13 – 1.26; p < 0.001) publications during residency, respectively. ConclusionResearch productivity among applicants who matched into an Integrated program from 2015 to 2022 has increased and is a strong predictor of sustained scholarly output during residency.