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• Choosing program evaluation committee members

  Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from The Program Evaluation Committee Handbook. For more information about this book, click here. 

  The program director should have a general idea of how the PEC will operate prior to recruiting members. Some committees may be composed of only the required three members—two faculty and one resident or fellow member— whereas others, such as for smaller fellowship PECs, may include all faculty.

  To promote committee membership in any scenario, though, start by recruiting faculty who have a strong interest in education. Ask your residents or fellows which faculty give high-yield didactic sessions, provide supportive supervision, or offer meaningful mentorship. The PD can solicit these faculty in the hopes that they would like to become more involved in the residency or fellowship program. The PD may also simply ask for volunteers after presenting the PEC concept at a meeting. Some individuals may not feel comfortable asking to be a member, so offering such an opportunity allows them to volunteer and accept the offer.

  Appointing three people to a committee does not seem like a difficult thing to do, but due to increased clinical responsibilities, faculty may be reluctant to take on additional obligations. For this reason, the PD will often be a committee member. The PD may be a part of the committee, but it is beneficial to have individuals who are not directly involved with the program’s administration serve on the committee and report to the PD. Doing so may result in a more objective evaluation of the program.

  It may take some effort to recruit members; offering incentives can help in this endeavor. The PD can ask the department chair to grant educational RVUs for PEC membership. The PD can ask for support from the chair or section head to give members dedicated administrative, non-clinical time to devote to committee responsibilities. Another incentive may be highlighting the efforts of the PEC members with a yearly award during the senior graduation dinner or department awards luncheon or dinner. If those who invest their time are distinguished for their hard work in front of their peers, faculty who are not currently involved in the educational activities of the program may express greater interest.

• 2018 trends in medical specialty choice

  Choosing a medical specialty to enter is perhaps the most important choice a medical student will make in his or her career as a physician. Many factors ultimately influence this decision, from level of compensation to the desired level of interaction with patients. With 2018 coming to a close, it’s a good time to examine trends among medical specialties for the year.

  The highest-paying specialties and their average annual compensation are as follows:

  • Plastic surgery: $501,000
  • Orthopedics: $497,000
  • Cardiology: $408,000
  • Radiology: $401,000
  • Dermatology: $392,000

  Primary care fields were among the lowest-paying specialties. Included in the bottom five are the following:

  • Internal medicine: $230,000
  • Family medicine: $219,000
  • Pediatrics: $212,000

  According to more than 15,000 respondents in a survey regarding burnout and depression, burnout is down 9% compared to results from last year, although 15% of respondents reported experiencing depression. Physicians reported the lowest rates of burnout practice in the following specialties:

  • Plastic surgery
  • Dermatology
  • Pathology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Orthopedics

  Additionally, women made up the majority of residents in the specialties of obstetrics and gynecology (83% women) and pediatrics (73%) . Men made up a larger percent of the residents in orthopedic surgery (85% men) and neurological surgery (83%).  

  Source: American Medical Association

   

• Editor’s note

  HCPro is working on a new edition of The Residency Program Director’s Handbook. This book is an on-the-job training manual for program directors, covering topics such as program accreditation, structuring curriculum, and measuring performance outcomes. Please let us know what you would like to see included in this book by emailing me.

  Thanks for reading!

  Karla Accorto, associate editor, Residency Program Insider

   

• Bring clinical teaching to patient rounds with mini-chalk talks

  Patient rounds are an ideal time for clinical learning, but all too often faculty miss this opportunity to teach residents.  

• Editor's note

  The 2017 Residency Coordinator Salary Survey Report is now available! RPA subscribers can click here to access their complimentary PDF. Note, you must be signed in to your account. Non-subscribers can purchase the Report here, or they can click here to subscribe to RPA and receive instant access to the Report as well as our monthly newsletter, Residency Program Alert. 

  
  The Report contains two major sections, 16 detailed subsections, and more than 30 statistical visualizations, all of which are devoted to expert-driven analysis and guidance. By publishing this information, the Residency Program Alert team hopes to empower coordinators across career stages, the compensation spectrum, and the care continuum with insights and inspiration to advance their career goals.

   

• Residency Program Alert

  To download the full November 2018 edition of Residency Program Alert, log into your account and click the "PDF OF THE FULL ISSUE" link.

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