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Residency Program Connection

Residency Program Connection is devoted to bringing residency directors and coordinators expert advice, best practice strategies, and news you can use every other week to make your job just that much easier.

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Residency Program Connection

Issue 44, November 17, 2009

• Accepting applications for program coordinator award

  Nominate a coordinator colleague or yourself for our new award celebrating the professionalism of...

• Despite more medical school enrollments, number of residency positions stable

  The Association of American Medical College (AAMC) reports that the number of allopathic medical...

• MedPAC focuses on new ways to fund GME

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• Feature blog post: Recruitment requirement reminder

  The ACGME requires that candidates invited for interviews have the opportunity to review the terms...

Issue 43, November 10, 2009

• Three tips to navigate the ACGME Web site

  The ACGME’s Web site (www.acgme.org) is full of helpful information—if you know where...

• Ask the expert: What is the difference between IME and DME payments?

  Funding for GME is right in the middle of the national healthcare debate. Although GME funding is...

• Feature blog post: How long do you have to keep files and documentation?

  Take our Monday's Poll and tell us whether your institution has a policy for how long you must keep...

Issue 42, November 3, 2009

• Feature blog post: Quarterly program report template now available

  After a surgery coordinator wrote in describing thequarterly report she compiles, several of you...

Issue 41, October 27, 2009

• Ask the expert: How can we assess the effectiveness of our evaluations?

  Assessing the effectiveness of your evaluation tools is a critical part of the education process.

• Tip of the month: Selecting residents for the GMEC

  Residents bring a unique perspective to the GMEC. They’re on the front line of patient care...

• Feature blog post: Now accepting nominations for new coordinator award

  In case you didn't see our exciting news last week, HCPro, Inc. is excited to announce the...

Issue 40, October 20, 2009

• Medical schools and teaching hospitals fuel economy, study says

  Medical schools and teaching hospitals are doing more than training tomorrow’s...

• Theater techniques teach residents interpersonal communication

  Although residency programs have been the inspiration for several TV shows, there are few instances...

• Feature blog post: Mind your e-mail manners during the interview season

  For all of the time and tress e-mail saves, it can also be ripe for mistakes. I certainly have been...

Issue 39, October 13, 2009

• Tip of the month: Review the PIF with residents

  It is essential that the residents are aware of and agree with the PIF’s content.

• Ask the expert: What is the coordinator's role in screening applications?

  The answer to this question is, “it depends.” The program director determines the...

• Feature blog post: Save time with recruitment e-mail templates

  Creating e-mail templates now will save you time later on during the recruitment season.

Issue 38, October 6, 2009

• Medical errors linked to fatigue and burnout, study says

  A new study confirms that fatigue and distress are associated with residents’ self-reported...

• Feature blog post: Training for new coordinators

  The fear caused by ghosts, goblins, and zombies has nothing on the terror some coordinators report...

Issue 37, September 29, 2009

• Tip of the week: Consider generational differences during recruitment

  “The times they are a-changin’,” Bob Dylan sang in 1964. For the physician work...

• Ask the expert: What exactly does "practice-based learning and improvement" mean?

  To many, the ACGME core competency practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI) sounds like a...

• Feature blog post: To-do list tricks

  October starts the busy recruitment season for directors and coordinators. To-do lists are a sure...

Issue 36, September 22, 2009

• A chance to win free registration to our residency workshop

  We know budgets are tight, so, in an effort to make the 4th Annual Residency Program Management...

• Researchers link international medical graduates’ background to performance during residency

  A candidate’s application materials can only tell you so much. Wouldn’t it be great if...

• Academic medical centers in a precarious position, report says

  A new study finds that the multitude of pressure academic medical centers (AMC) face in trying to...

• Feature blog post: Prevent no-show faculty during interviews

  Diane Farineau gives 10 tips for ensuring faculty show up for interviews during recruitment.

Issue 35, September 15, 2009

• Ask the expert: What should program directors and coordinators look for when pre-screening candidate applications?

  The interview season is in full-swing. Pre-screening applications to pick out the top candidates is...

• Tip of the week: Ensure your infection control training is up to par

  Health officials are already warning that this winter’s flu season will be severe largely due...

• Feature blog post: Coordinator salary survey results are in

  Check out the results of the 2009 Coordinator Salary Survey on our blog.

Issue 34, September 8, 2009

• Duty hour reform associated with more complications after hip surgery

  The effect of resident work hour limits on patient care is a big question on the minds of many...

• Strategies for patient handoffs vary, study shows

  One concern regarding further limits to resident work hours is the increase of patient hand-offs...

• Feature blog post: Scheduling interviews for recruitment

  Get the inside scoop on how one coordinator schedules her program's interviews for recruitment.

Issue 33, September 1, 2009

• Share your recruitment best practices and enter to win a free book

  Recruitment is on the horizon. It's one of the biggest projects coordinators have to manage each...

• Tip of the week: ERAS refresher

  The madness of the recruitment season begins today with the opening of the ERAS post office. You...

• Ask the expert: How can residency program directors and coordinators document resident participation in quality improvement activities?

  The common program information form (PIF) asks for examples of quality activities in which...

• Feature blog post: Ensure new residents are ready for patient care duties with online modules

  This week's winner of free registration to the 4th Annual Residency Program Management Workshop...

Issue 32, August 25, 2009

• New Match statistics released

  The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) released a new report that looks at the...

• More federal funds dedicated to addressing physician shortage

  The Department of Health and Human Services will distribute $200 million in programs that will...

• Feature blog post: Blind interviewing technique explained

  Blind interviewing sounds like it could be just as nerve-wracking for the interviewers as it is for...

Issue 31, August 18, 2009

• Feature blog post: Quarterly core competency reports keep programs on track

  This week's winner of free registration to the 4th Annual Residency Program Management Workshop...

• Ask the expert: What documentation is needed when a resident is on probation?

  If a resident’s actions do not improve through remediation, or in extremely egregious...

• Tip of the week: Core competency retreats

  The ACGME’s six core competencies have become the heart of resident training. Consider a...

Issue 30, August 11, 2009

• Feature blog post: Program director evaluations

  Evaluating program director performance facilitates personal growth, and identifies areas of the...

• News in brief: Court upholds resident’s dismissal for unprofessional behavior

  The North Dakota Supreme Court sided with the University of North Dakota School of Medicine in a...

• CMS says capital IME payments can stay

  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reinstated the capital indirect medical...

Issue 29, August 4, 2009

• Advocating for the residency coordinator position

  Whether you’re a residency program coordinator new to the position or a veteran, you probably...

• Feature blog post: Councils unite coordinators and lead to advancement

  Starting a Coordinator Council at your institution is a great way to build camaraderie between...

• Clarification: Specialty RITEs

  Last week’s “Ask the expert” section covered the coordinator’s role in...

Issue 28, July 28, 2009

• Ask the expert: What is the program coordinator's role in organizing inservice training exams for residents?

  Resident inservice training examinations (RITE) are required by many specialties. RITEs assess...

• Tip of the week: Create a document library to prepare for a site visit

  Preparing for the site visit is an overwhelming task for program directors and coordinators. An...

• Feature blog post: Help residents learn e-professionalism basics

  Chances are you’ve witnessed trainees misusing technology, such as smart phones, text...

Issue 27, July 21, 2009

• Physician starting salaries on the rise, study says

  A survey of 3,520 new physicians shows salaries are increasing in several fields, according to a...

• Surgery residents says duty hour limitations impede training

  Forty-one percent of recently surveyed surgical residents report that work hour restrictions are a...

• Feature blog post: Program leadership retreat

  We’re all off and running! The new chiefs have started, new trainees have started, and...

Issue 26, July 14, 2009

• Ask the expert: What is procedural credentialing?

  In general, procedural credentialing is the process of tracking the specific patient care...

• Tip of the week: Set standards for background checks

  Now that the new residents are settled in, you have a chance to reflect on how orientation went...

• Feature blog post: Coordinators take a seat on internal review committees

  As more institutions view coordinators as an integral part of the educational team, GME leaders are...

Issue 25, July 7, 2009

• Feature blog post: Expanded orienation focuses on IMGs

  Congratulations to education coordinator Susan Potter, MA, RN, who is our first winner for a free...

• Medical schools take strong stance on drug company relationships

  More medical schools this year received higher scores on the American Medical Student Association...

Issue 24, June 30, 2009

• Last chance to take the 2009 Residency Coordinator Salary Survey

  Wondering how your salary compares with your colleagues nationwide? Take our 2009 Residency...

• Tip of the week: PIF tutorials eliminate headaches

  Before working on or printing Part I of the Common Program Information Form (PIF), view the...

• Ask the expert: How should residency programs answer questions on verification forms about a resident's health status?

  Hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission must confirm that an applicant doesn’t have any...

• Feature blog post: Stop burnout before it stops residents

  As you watch eager new residents start their training, I know it’s hard to think about...

Issue 23, June 16, 2009

• Ask the expert: What information should PLAs contain?

  Each residency program in an academic institution must have program letters of agreement (PLA) in...

• Restructuring residency education key to healthcare reform, says MedPAC

  The future of the healthcare delivery system has received a lot of attention lately with President...

• Practicing physicians work hours reflect ACGME duty hour rules

  Practicing physicians work a similar number of hours as allowed under the ACGME’s duty hour...

• Feature blog post: Bring spouses and significant others into the loop

  Program directors and coordinators spend a lot of time planning orientation and ensuring that new...

Issue 22, June 9, 2009

• Trainees, attending physicians disagree on important clinical procedures

  First-year residents and faculty members don’t see eye-to-eye when it comes to rating which...

• Reducing intern work hours may not affect fatigue levels

  A survey of first-year residents at the University of California, San Francisco, indicates that...

• Feature blog post: Coordinator communication with faculty members

  How many times have you had to leave faculty members voice mails or send e-mails requesting an...

• Join us for the 4th Annual Residency Program Management Workshop

  Get a complete agenda for this special workshop just for GME professionals.

• Tip of the week: Program coordinator boot camp basics

  Program coordinator roles vary greatly among institutions, but at minimum, the coordinator should...

• Feature blog post: Create an old school face book before resident orientation

  Does everyone hand out a face sheet, or something similar, of their new interns or fellows each...

Issue 21, June 2, 2009

• Tip of the week: Ensure a successful new resident orientation

  When planning resident orientation, keep the following pointers in mind:

• Ask the expert: What characteristics are associated with problem residents?

  Program directors, faculty, and coordinators must determine whether disruptive behavior is due to a...

• Feature blog post: Orientation ice breakers

  Playing a few ice breakers during orientation is a great way to help residents relax and identify...

Issue 20, May 26, 2009

• IOM recommendations could cost teaching hospitals $3.2 million annually, study says

  The cost of implementing the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) resident work hour recommendations...

• ACGME's 2003 duty hour reform does not affect high risk patients

  The 2003 ACGME duty hour standards have not positively or negatively affected mortality or...

• Feature blog post: Managing the relationship between residency and fellowship programs

  How much attention do you pay to the relationship between subspecialty programs and their...

Issue 19, May 19, 2009

• Tips for New Residency Coordinator Success

  If you’ve been a coordinator for fewer than three years, chances are there are still some...

• Tip of the week: Don't let faculty qualifications get in you in PIF trouble

  When addressing the faculty in Part 1 of the PIF, there are a few areas where program directors and...

• Ask the expert: Which documents should we examine during an ACGME internal review?

  The internal review committee should examine the following policies and documents.

• Program directors respond to IOM’s recommendations for resident duty hours

  Feature blog post: An interesting survey of program directors looked at opinions of the IOM's duty...

Issue 18, May 12, 2009

• Letter from the Editor: How do GME professionals like to get the news?

  Tell us how you like to get your residency-related news and enter our drawing for a free copy of...

• In the news: Proposed legislation to increase residency slots

  Congress is currently reviewing a bill that Congress would increase the number of...

• ACGME duty hour rules compromise neurosurgery resident training, study says

  A new survey of neurosurgery program directors and chief residents sheds light on the impact of the...

Issue 17, May 5, 2009

• Define program director and coordinator responsibilites for PIF preparation

  With a site visit on the horizon and a program information form (PIF) to complete, program...

• Program director-coordinator relationship

  There are several actions coordinators can take to build a respectful and supportive working...

• Feature blog post: Subspecialties helped by streamlined administrative structure

  It appears as if the exercise we endured this year, consolidating the coordination of our programs...

Issue 16, April 28, 2009

• A big week for GME in Washington D.C.

  New clinical care delivery models, solutions for lowering healthcare costs, and improving quality...

• How beneficial are board review courses?

  Residents in most specialties complete in-training examinations to assess trainees’ medical...

• OSCE activities for residents

  n the April issue of Residency Program alert, I profiled Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) and...

Issue 15, April 21, 2009

• Coordinator's role in orienting a new program director?

  Ideally, a new program director should have two orientations: one with the institution and one with...

• Courtesies for site visitors

  Anyone who has to travel for work knows that it can be exhausting. Imagine being on the road as...

• Letter from the Editor: Update from AHME

  Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Association for Hospital Medical Education in...

Issue 14, April 14, 2009

• Check out MedEdPORTAL 2.0

  The Association of American Medical Colleges recently released MedEdPORTAL 2.0, a Web site offering...

• News in brief: Resident may have exposed hundreds to tuberculosis

  A pediatric resident at Northwestern University in Chicago may have spread tuberculosis to as many...

• New model for extended residency training in business management

  Duke University Medical School is one of the first to offer residents a training pathway focused on...

Issue 13, April 7, 2009

• Match statistics show fewer medical students headed into family medicine

  Although this was a record-setting year for the number of Match participants, the number of U.S...

• Steps for setting up a 360-degree evaluation system

  When distributing 360-degree evaluations, keep the following points in mind:

• Tip of the week: Read releases of information carefully

  After residents leave your program, you will receive correspondence from both licensing and...

• Feature blog post: Sample pre-orientation e-newsletters

  Ask and you shall receive! Being the good sport that she is, Diane shared two sample e-newsletters...

Issue 12, March 31, 2009

• Does the type of training program accreditation affect professional satisfaction levels of osteopathic medical school graduates?

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• Trainees perform better on simulator exercise than attending physicians

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• Feature blog post: Save time by giving residents a head start on orientation

  The period of time between Match Day and orientation is a flurry of activity for residency program...

Issue 11, March 24, 2009

• Creating the new resident manual

  A program handbook organizes all of the information on your teaching and assessment program in one...

• Institutional help for your PIF

  Residency program directors and coordinators typically submit annual reports to the designated...

• Book Excerpt: Orientation starts before residents arrive

  Most program coordinators think of orientation as the process of introducing incoming residents to...

• Feature blog post: Give chief residents the tools to succeed

  There’s no question that chief residents are a vital part of the management of the residency...

Issue 10, March 17, 2009

• Measuring the reliability of evaluation tools

  A new study indicates there is no evidence that current measurement tools can reliably assess the...

• Resident survey data spur change across five hospitals

  Graduate medical education leaders at Loma Linda University (CA) used data collected from annual...

• Feature blog post: Preparing for duty hour changes

  I spoke with several GME professionals at the ACGME 2009 Educational Conference about their...

Issue 9, March 10, 2009

• PIF preparation strategy

  Completing the program information form (PIF) can be a time-intensive activity, but program...

• Find internal review committee members

  If you are having a hard time finding volunteers for internal review committees, ask program...

• Notes from the 2009 ACGME Educational Conference

  Last week I was lucky enough to attend the 2009 ACGME Educational Conference in Grapevine, Texas.

Issue 8, March 3, 2009

• Residency program accreditation cycles

  Wouldn’t it be great if you could look into a crystal ball before an ACGME site visit and see...

• Do patients know your name?

  Residents and faculty members put a lot of effort and time into caring for patients, but the...

• Feature blog post: Resources for teaching the National Patient Safety Goals

  Many GME professionals and hospital quality managers told me they’re shocked at how many...

Issue 7, February 16, 2009

• Where personal and professional lives intersect online

  Medical students and residents share too much information on social networking Web sites, according...

• Feature blog post: Semi-annual evaluation checklist

  After interviews were behind me, I finally sat down and focused on gathering all of the information...

• ACGME reveals plans for duty-hour reform

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• Tip of the Week: Assess the end-of-rotation evaluation

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• Ask the expert: What should we discuss with residents prior to a site visit?

  The ACGME issues many citations based on the information residents give the site visitor during...

• Feature blog post: An idea for teaching systems-based practice

  Providing cost effective care, a component of the systems-based practice competency, is more...

Issue 6, February 10, 2009

• Tips to develop practice-based learning and improvement curriculum

  The ACGME requires graduate medical education programs to teach and assess the concept of...

• What’s in your residents' files?

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• Feature blog post: Tips for compiling your Match list

  Well, it is that wonderful time of the year when we sit down, scratch our heads, and try to come up...

• Internal review scheduling

  We’ve picked up several helpful hints for scheduling internal reviews. Facilitate scheduling...

Issue 5, February 3, 2009

• Focused faculty development produces better teachers

  Training faculty on how to be more humanistic teachers and consequently, more humane physicians...

• Can a 48-hour work week enhance patient safety?

  Decreasing residents’ work hours to 48 hours per week does not compromise patient safety...

• Feature blog post: The quest for a new job description for coordinators

  Yesterday was the day that we coordinators look forward to each year. . .our annual performance...

Issue 4, January 27, 2009

• Prepare for the scramble before the Match

  Most programs approach the Match expecting to fill every position. We have worked hard, interviewed...

• Tip of the week: Know the ins and outs of resident contracts

  With Match Day just a month away, it is time for program coordinators and directors to think about...

• Ask the expert: What should we consider when crafting answers about medical knowledge on the PIF?

  Determine how to answer medical knowledge questions on the program information form (PIF) by...

• Feature blog post: Handling verification requests

  The number of verification requests residency programs receive is not going to dwindle anytime...

Issue 3, January 20, 2009

• Reflection increases trainees' ability to meet rotation goals

  Educational sessions dedicated to reflection may help residents achieve rotation goals and...

• The effect of music on junior residents in the operating room

  It’s common for professionals in any field to listen to music while they’re working...

• Feature blog post: Market yourself to superiors

  Having an organized task management system (to do lists, electronic calendar, etc) not only helps...

Issue 2, January 13, 2009

• Tip of the week: ACGME Resident/Fellow survey now open

  The 2009 ACGME Resident/Fellow survey is open for trainees to complete, the accrediting agency said...

• Ask the expert: Who should we involve in program improvement teams?

  After an annual program evaluation, program directors and faculty typically have a list of program...

• Feature blog post: Tips for the semi-annual performance review

  It is the time of year for programs to conduct the semi-annual performance review of residents and...

• Next steps after Match Day

  After you download your match list and know who will be joining your program, it is time to start...

Issue 1, January 6, 2009

• AAMC survey shows medical student debt load continues to increase

  An American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) survey of medical school graduates shows that...

• Feature blog post: Program coordinator succession planning

  I’m on the verge of being coordinator-less. One of our coordinators is taking a job in the...

Issue 42, November 3, 2009

• New residents do not affect safety of patients, study says

  Inevitably around July 1, someone makes a joke or comment about how July is the worst time to visit...

Issue 22, June 16, 2009

• Free orientation resource available on Residency Manager Blog

  HCPro is proud to announce the publication of its latest residency resource, The Complete Residency...

Issue 18, May 12, 2009

• Feature blog post: Keep a sense of humor

  Most days I love my residents, but there are sometimes when they just frustrate me, especially when...

Issue 1, January 20, 2009

• Put ACGME answers at your residents' fingertips

  Resident’s Orientation Handbook provides residency programs and GME offices with a simple...