Medicine Residency Program (medicine + residency_program)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Applicant Considerations Associated with Selection of an Emergency Medicine Residency Program

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 4 2009
Sara Laskey MD
Abstract Objectives:, The primary objective of this study was to assess variables that residency applicants ranked as influential in making residency choices. The secondary objective was to determine if residents were satisfied with their residency choices. Methods:, A secondary analysis was performed on a cohort database from a stratified, random sampling of 322 emergency medicine (EM) residents collected in 1996,1998 and 2001,2004 from the American Board of Emergency Medicine Longitudinal Study on Emergency Medicine Residents (ABEM LSEMR). Residents rated the importance of 18 items in response to the question, "How much did each of the following factors influence your choice of residency program location?" The degree to which residents' programs met prior expectations and the levels of satisfaction with residency programs were also assessed. All analyses were conducted using descriptive statistics. Results:, Three-hundred twenty-two residents participated in the survey. Residents considered the following to be the most important variables: institutional reputation, hospital facilities, program director reputation, and spousal influence. Several geographic and gender differences were noted. Ninety percent (95% confidence interval [CI] = 86% to 93%) of residents surveyed in their final year answered that the residency program met or exceeded expectations. Seventy-nine percent (95% CI = 76% to 82%) of residents identified themselves as "highly satisfied" with their residency choice. Conclusions:, The most influential factors in residency choice are institutional and residency director reputation and hospital facilities. Personal issues, such as recreational opportunities and spousal opinion, are also important, but are less influential. Significant geographic differences affecting residency choices exist, as do minor gender differences. A majority of residents were highly satisfied overall with their residency choices. [source]


The Status of Bedside Ultrasonography Training in Emergency Medicine Residency Programs

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 1 2003
Francis L. Counselman MD
Abstract Bedside ultrasonography (BU) is rapidly being incorporated into emergency medicine (EM) training programs and clinical practice. In the past decade, several organizations in EM have issued position statements on the use of this technology. Program training content is currently driven by the recently published "Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine," which includes BU as a necessary skill. Objective: The authors sought to determine the current status of BU training in EM residency programs. Methods: A survey was mailed in early 2001 to all 122 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited EM residency programs. The survey instrument asked whether BU was currently being taught, how much didactic and hands-on training time was incorporated into the curriculum, and what specialty representation was present in the faculty instructors. In addition, questions concerning the type of tests performed, the number considered necessary for competency, the role of BU in clinical decision making, and the type of quality assurance program were included in the survey. Results: A total of 96 out of 122 surveys were completed (response rate of 79%). Ninety-one EM programs (95% of respondents) reported they teach BU, either clinically and/or didactically, as part of their formal residency curriculum. Eighty-one (89%) respondents reported their residency program or primary hospital emergency department (ED) had a dedicated ultrasound machine. BU was performed most commonly for the following: the FAST scan (focused abdominal sonography for trauma, 79/87%); cardiac examination (for tamponade, pulseless electrical activity, etc., 65/71%); transabdominal (for intrauterine pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, etc., 58/64%); and transvaginal (for intrauterine pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, etc., 45/49%). One to ten hours of lecture on BU was provided in 43%, and one to ten hours of hands-on clinical instruction was provided in 48% of the EM programs. Emergency physicians were identified as the faculty most commonly involved in teaching BU to EM residents (86/95%). Sixty-one (69%) programs reported that EM faculty and/or residents made clinical decisions and patient dispositions based on the ED BU interpretation alone. Fourteen (19%) programs reported that no formal quality assurance program was in place. Conclusions: The majority of ACGME-accredited EM residency programs currently incorporate BU training as part of their curriculum. The majority of BU instruction is done by EM faculty. The most commonly performed BU study is the FAST scan. The didactic component and clinical time devoted to BU instruction are variable between programs. Further standardization of training requirements between programs may promote increasing standardization of BU in future EM practice. [source]


The Business of Emergency Medicine: A Nonclinical Curriculum Proposal for Emergency Medicine Residency Programs

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2009
Thomas Falvo DO
Abstract Over the course of their postgraduate medical education, physicians are expected not only to acquire an extensive knowledge of clinical medicine and sound procedural skills, but also to develop competence in their other professional roles as communicator, collaborator, mediator, manager, teacher, and patient advocate. Although the need for physicians to develop stronger service delivery skills is well recognized, residency programs may underemphasize formal training in nonclinical proficiencies. As a result, graduates can begin their professional careers with an incomplete understanding of the operation of health care systems and how to utilize system resources in the manner best suited to their patients' needs. This article proposes the content, educational strategy, and needs assessment for an academic program entitled The Business of Emergency Medicine (BOEM). Developed as an adjunct to the (predominantly) clinical content of traditional emergency medicine (EM) training programs, BOEM is designed to enhance the existing academic curricula with additional learning opportunities by which EM residents can acquire a fundamental understanding of the nonclinical skills of their specialty. [source]


National Growth in Simulation Training within Emergency Medicine Residency Programs, 2003,2008

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2008
Yasuharu Okuda MD
Abstract Objectives:, The use of medical simulation has grown dramatically over the past decade, yet national data on the prevalence and growth of use among individual specialty training programs are lacking. The objectives of this study were to describe the current role of simulation training in emergency medicine (EM) residency programs and to quantify growth in use of the technology over the past 5 years. Methods:, In follow-up of a 2006 study (2003 data), the authors distributed an updated survey to program directors (PDs) of all 179 EM residency programs operating in early 2008 (140 Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education [ACGME]-approved allopathic programs and 39 American Osteopathic Association [AOA]-accredited osteopathic programs). The brief survey borrowed from the prior instrument, was edited and revised, and then distributed at a national PDs meeting. Subsequent follow-up was conducted by e-mail and telephone. The survey concentrated on technology-enhanced simulation modalities beyond routine static trainers or standardized patient-actors (high-fidelity mannequin simulation, part-task/procedural simulation, and dynamic screen-based simulation). Results:, A total of 134 EM residency programs completed the updated survey, yielding an overall response rate of 75%. A total of 122 (91%) use some form of simulation in their residency training. One-hundred fourteen (85%) specifically use mannequin-simulators, compared to 33 (29%) in 2003 (p < 0.001). Mannequin-simulators are now owned by 58 (43%) of the programs, whereas only 9 (8%) had primary responsibility for such equipment in 2003 (p < 0.001). Fifty-eight (43%) of the programs reported that annual resident simulation use now averages more than 10 hours per year. Conclusions:, Use of medical simulation has grown significantly in EM residency programs in the past 5 years and is now widespread among training programs across the country. [source]


Emergency Medicine Residency Selection: Factors Influencing Candidate Decisions

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 6 2005
Melissa DeSantis MD
Abstract Background: Published information is limited regarding factors considered by emergency medicine resident candidates when selecting a residency program. Objective: To identify factors considered important by applicants when making decisions about residency programs. Methods: A self-administered survey questionnaire was mailed to all applicants who interviewed at the authors' emergency medicine residency program for the 2003,2004 match year. Results: Surveys were completed by 105 respondents (53% response rate). Factors were rank-ordered by the proportion of respondents who indicated that the factor was "very important" or "important" when selecting residency programs. The five most important factors were friendliness (95%), environment (87%), interview day (81%), academics (76%), and location (74%). Male applicants were more likely to consider the existence of a flight program important or very important (55%), compared with female applicants (33%, p < 0.05, chi-square). Older respondents (over the age of 30 years) were more likely to consider gender issues (16%, compared with 13%) and research (32%, compared with 20%) as important factors (p < 0.05, chi-square). Conclusions: Residency applicants indicated that the most important factors when selecting residency program(s) were friendliness, environment, interview day, academics, and location. [source]


Gender and the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors Standardized Letter of Recommendation

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2004
Daniel V. Girzadas Jr. MD
Abstract Objectives: Until 2002, the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors standardized letter of recommendation (SLOR) prompted authors to predict how an applicant would rank on their match list. A ranking of guaranteed match (GM) was identified as the least common superlative response on the SLOR. That knowledge allowed precise identification of the best SLORs. The authors correlated GM with every possible author/applicant gender combination. Methods:This was a retrospective, observational study of 835 SLORs submitted in the 1998,1999 and 1999,2000 application cycles to one emergency medicine residency program. A standardized data collection instrument was used. Author/applicant gender combinations (M/M, M/F, F/F, F/M, M/M + F/F, and M/F + F/M) were analyzed with respect to GM by chi-square test, odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals, and logistic regression. Results: There was a statistically significant association between a female-authored/female-applicant SLOR and GM, with a female applicant two times more likely to get a GM from a female author than any other author/applicant gender combination (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval = 1.1 to 3.8; p = 0.023). No other combination was significantly associated with GM. Conclusions: Female applicants to the authors' emergency residency program had a two times better chance of receiving a GM recommendation on a SLOR written by a female faculty member compared with any other possible gender combination of applicants and letter authors. Although the choice of GM has now been eliminated from the SLOR, the role of gender in relation to the SLOR merits further study. [source]


Adolescent Foley Catheter Technique for Visualizing Hymenal Injuries in Adolescent Sexual Assault

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2003
Jeffrey S. Jones MD
Abstract Objectives: To determine the usefulness of the Foley catheter balloon technique for visualizing injuries of the estrogenized hymen in adolescent sexual assault victims compared with supine labial traction. Methods: A prospective clinical trial of 20 adolescent (age 13,16 years old) victims of sexual assault evaluated at a free-standing Nurse Examiner Clinic was conducted over a four-month study period. The clinic, affiliated with an emergency medicine residency program, is staffed by registered nurses who have been specially trained to perform medicolegal examinations using colposcopy with digital imaging. The Foley catheter technique uses an inflated balloon in the distal vaginal vault to expand the estrogenized hymen to its full capacity so that the edge may be readily visualized for signs of trauma. The Foley technique was compared with gross inspection, using supine labial traction, to photodocument hymenal abnormalities. Photographs of the hymen were obtained using the labial traction technique and then with the Foley technique. Three emergency physicians independently examined each pair of photographs with high interrater agreement for the presence of injury (,= 0.88). Results: Twenty adolescent sexual assault victims volunteered for the study; mean age was 14.8 years. Gross inspection of the hymen using supine labial traction identified hymenal injuries in three patients (15%). Use of the Foley catheter balloon technique allowed identification of hymenal abnormalities in nine additional cases (60%). The common injuries to the hymen included lacerations (30%), followed by ecchymosis and abrasions. One patient (5%) voiced discomfort (mild pressure sensation) during inflation of the balloon. Conclusions: The Foley catheter balloon technique is a simple method allowing improved photodocumentation of hymenal trauma in adolescent sexual assault victims compared with supine labial traction. [source]


Comparative Analysis of Adult versus Adolescent Sexual Assault: Epidemiology and Patterns of Anogenital Injury

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2003
Jeffrey S. Jones MD
Abstract Objectives: To compare the characteristics of sexual assault in pubertal girls (<18 years old) and adults in a community-based population of women presenting to an urban sexual assault clinic. Methods: This case-series analysis evaluated consecutive female patients presenting to a sexual assault clinic during a three-year study period. The clinic is associated with a university-affiliated emergency medicine residency program and is staffed by forensic nurses trained to perform medicolegal examinations using colposcopy with nuclear staining. Patient demographics, assault characteristics, and injury patterns were recorded using a standardized classification system. Data from the two patient groups (adolescents vs. women ,18 years of age) were analyzed using chi-square test and t-test. Results: A total of 766 cases were identified: 43% of the victims were 13 to 17 years old (mean 15.0 years old), and 57% were older than 17 years old (mean 30.8 years old). Adolescents were more likely to be assaulted by an acquaintance or relative (84% vs. 50%, p < 0.001) and to delay medical evaluation (17 hours vs. 12 hours, p < 0.001) than were older women. Adolescent sexual assault was less likely to involve weapons or physical coercion (29% versus 57%, p < 0.001) and was associated with fewer nongenital injuries (33% vs. 55%, p < 0.001). Adolescents had a greater frequency of anogenital injuries (83% vs. 64%, p < 0.001), however, compared with older women. Common sites of injury in adolescents were posterior, including the fossa navicularis, hymen, fourchette, and labia minora. The injuries showed consistent topologic features, varying with the site and nature of tissue. Adult victims of sexual assault had a less consistent pattern of anogenital injuries with fewer hymenal injuries, greater injury to the perianal area, and widespread erythema. Conclusions: Of women presenting to an urban sexual assault clinic, 43% were adolescents. The epidemiology of sexual trauma and the pattern of anogenital trauma in this age group are unique and may pose special challenges to emergency health care providers. [source]


A Comparison of GlideScope Video Laryngoscopy Versus Direct Laryngoscopy Intubation in the Emergency Department

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 9 2009
Timothy F. Platts-Mills MD
Abstract Objectives:, The first-attempt success rate of intubation was compared using GlideScope video laryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy in an emergency department (ED). Methods:, A prospective observational study was conducted of adult patients undergoing intubation in the ED of a Level 1 trauma center with an emergency medicine residency program. Patients were consecutively enrolled between August 2006 and February 2008. Data collected included indication for intubation, patient characteristics, device used, initial oxygen saturation, and resident postgraduate year. The primary outcome measure was success with first attempt. Secondary outcome measures included time to successful intubation, intubation failure, and lowest oxygen saturation levels. An attempt was defined as the introduction of the laryngoscope into the mouth. Failure was defined as an esophageal intubation, changing to a different device or physician, or inability to place the endotracheal tube after three attempts. Results:, A total of 280 patients were enrolled, of whom video laryngoscopy was used for the initial intubation attempt in 63 (22%) and direct laryngoscopy was used in 217 (78%). Reasons for intubation included altered mental status (64%), respiratory distress (47%), facial trauma (9%), and immobilization for imaging (9%). Overall, 233 (83%) intubations were successful on the first attempt, 26 (9%) failures occurred, and one patient received a cricothyrotomy. The first-attempt success rate was 51 of 63 (81%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 70% to 89%) for video laryngoscopy versus 182 of 217 (84%, 95% CI = 79% to 88%) for direct laryngoscopy (p = 0.59). Median time to successful intubation was 42 seconds (range, 13 to 350 seconds) for video laryngoscopy versus 30 seconds (range, 11 to 600 seconds) for direct laryngoscopy (p < 0.01). Conclusions:, Rates of successful intubation on first attempt were not significantly different between video and direct laryngoscopy. However, intubation using video laryngoscopy required significantly more time to complete. [source]


Preparedness for rural community leadership and its impact on practice location of family medicine graduates

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2005
Wayne Woloschuk
Abstract Objective:,To identify non-clinical dimensions of preparedness for rural practice and to determine whether preparedness for rural practice is predictive of rural practice location. Design:,Cross-sectional postal survey mailed in 2001. Setting:,Communities across Canada where graduates were practising. Subjects:,,Graduates (n = 369) of the family medicine residency program at the universities of Alberta (U of A) and Calgary (U of C) between 1996 and 2000, inclusive. Interventions:,Using a 4-point scale, graduates rated the extent to which the residency program prepared them for eight dimensions of rural practice: clinical demands of rural practice, understanding rural culture, small community living, balancing work and personal life, establishing personal/professional boundaries, becoming a community leader, handling a ,fish bowl' lifestyle, and choosing a suitable community. Main outcome measure:,Identification of non-clinical dimensions of preparedness for rural practice and whether scores on preparedness scales are predictive of rural practice location. Results:,The overall response rate was 76.4%. Factor analysis of the eight preparedness items produced two factors, ,rural culture' and ,rural community leader' which explained 72% of the variance. The alpha coefficient for each factor was 0.87. Odds ratios revealed that family medicine graduates prepared for rural community leadership roles were 1.92 (CI = 1.03,3.61) times more likely to be in rural practice. Rural physicians were also 2.14 (CI = 1.13,4.03) times as likely to have a rural background. Conclusions:,Preparedness to be a rural community leader and having a rural background were predictive of rural practice. Educators should consider this in both family medicine residency admissions policy and practice and when designing and implementing family medicine residency curricula. [source]


Survey of Emergency Medicine Resident Debt Status and Financial Planning Preparedness

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 1 2005
Jeffrey N. Glaspy MD
Objectives: Most resident physicians accrue significant financial debt throughout their medical and graduate medical education. The objective of this study was to analyze emergency medicine resident debt status, financial planning actions, and educational experiences for financial planning and debt management. Methods: A 22-item questionnaire was sent to all 123 Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education,accredited emergency medicine residency programs in July 2001. Two follow-up mailings were made to increase the response rate. The survey addressed four areas of resident debt and financial planning: 1) accrued debt, 2) moonlighting activity, 3) financial planning/debt management education, and 4) financial planning actions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: Survey responses were obtained from 67.4% (1,707/2,532) of emergency medicine residents in 89 of 123 (72.4%) residency programs. Nearly one half (768/1,707) of respondents have accrued more than $100,000 of debt. Fifty-eight percent (990/1,707) of all residents reported that moonlighting would be necessary to meet their financial needs, and more than 33% (640/1,707) presently moonlight to supplement their income. Nearly one half (832/1,707) of residents actively invested money, of which online trading was the most common method (23.3%). Most residents reported that they received no debt management education during residency (82.1%) or medical school (63.7%). Furthermore, 79.1% (1,351/1,707) of residents reported that they received no financial planning lectures during residency, although 84.2% (1,438/1,707) reported that debt management and financial planning education should be available during residency. Conclusions: Most emergency medicine residency programs do not provide their residents with financial planning education. Most residents have accrued significant debt and believe that more financial planning and debt management education is needed during residency. [source]


A Curriculum to Teach Internal Medicine Residents to Perform House Calls for Older Adults

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 8 2007
Jennifer L. Hayashi MD
Physician house calls are an important but underused mode of delivering health care to a growing population of homebound elderly patients. One major barrier to internal medicine physicians making house calls is a lack of training in this setting. This article describes a needs assessment survey of residents from nine internal medicine residency programs for a house call curriculum that combines a longitudinal clinical experience with Internet-based learning. Implementation of the curriculum was begun in July 2006, and data will be collected and results evaluated for at least 2 years. Several educational outcomes from the intervention are anticipated, including increased learner knowledge of house call medicine, improved learner confidence in making house calls, and program director satisfaction with the curriculum. This early work lays the foundation for determining the effect of a carefully designed curriculum on the number of practicing internists with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to meet the growing need for physician house calls. [source]


Are Internal Medicine Residency Programs Adequately Preparing Physicians to Care for the Baby Boomers?

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 10 2006
A National Survey from the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs Status of Geriatrics Workforce Study
Patients aged 65 and older account for 39% of ambulatory visits to internal medicine physicians. This article describes the progress made in training internal medicine residents to care for older Americans. Program directors in internal medicine residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education were surveyed in the spring of 2005. Findings from this survey were compared with those from a similar 2002 survey to determine whether any changes had occurred. A 60% response rate was achieved (n=235). In these 3-year residency training programs, 20 programs (9%) required less than 2 weeks of clinical instruction that was specifically structured to teach geriatric care principles, 48 (21%) at least 2 weeks but less than 4 weeks, 144 (62%) at least 4 weeks but less than 6 weeks, and 21 (9%) required 6 or more weeks. As in 2002, internal medicine residency programs continue to depend on nursing home facilities, geriatric preceptors in nongeriatric clinical ambulatory settings, and outpatient geriatric assessment centers for their geriatrics training. Training was most often offered in a block format. The mean number of physician faculty per residency program dedicated to teaching geriatric medicine was 3.5 full-time equivalents (FTEs) (range 0,50), compared with a mean of 2.2 FTE faculty in 2002 (P,.001). Internal medicine educators are continuing to improve the training of residents so that, as they become practicing physicians, they will have the knowledge and skills in geriatric medicine to care for older adults. [source]