Residency

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• Heard this week

  “When work factors catch up with physicians, the result can be articulated by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a lost sense of personal accomplishment. Even when a physician thinks he or she is suffering in silence, their problems run the risk of having a negative impact on a spouse or children.”
  
   

• Q&A with ECFMG

  Travel restrictions, fear of visa delays, and presidential proclamations. There is a lot of confusion about what has and has not changed for international medical graduates (IMG) training in the United States on a J-1 visa. Tracy Wallowicz, director of the Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program (EVSP) and compliance at the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), clarifies the current regulatory environment and gives program coordinators tips for working with the institution’s training program liaison (TPL) to ensure all required information passes between the program, institution, and ECFMG.

• Young physicians struggle to get recommended family leave

  While the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) currently recommends three months of leave after childbirth to support the health of both baby and mother, two new studies suggest that physicians in training receive much less time off than the recommendation. Out of the 15 hospitals affiliated with the United States’ top 12 medical schools, only eight offer paid family leave to physicians in training; yet, all fifteen have policies in place for family leave for faculty physicians. According to one of the two studies, physicians in training receive approximately six-and-a-half weeks of paid leave compared to the eight-and-a-half weeks that faculty physicians receive.

• Understanding residents' scholarly activities

  The program is responsible for creating an environment that encourages scholarly activity among residents, which is not the same as dedicated research time. The ACGME Common Program Requirement refers to the need for programs to educate their residents in the basic principles of research and how they are applied to patient care.

• 2017 Residency Coordinator Salary Survey Report

  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.

   

• 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.

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