Impact of Virtual Recruitment on Costs, Time Spent, and Applicant Perspectives Within a Family Medicine Residency Program.

Background: Virtual recruitment for all residency programs was endorsed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for the 2021 and 2022 recruitment seasons. This study assesses the impact of virtual recruitment on cost and outcome in a family medicine residency program. Methods: We assessed program recruitment costs and interview-day time with applicants in one program for the 2019 to 2022 recruitment seasons, and we sent an anonymous survey to interviewed applicants (n=98) for the 2022 match year. In-person interviews were conducted in 2019 and 2020. Virtual interviews were conducted in 2021 and 2022. Results: Program recruitment costs decreased from over $70,000 annually for in-person interview seasons to between $10,000 and $20,000 annually for the virtual interview years. Applicant time with the program on interview days decreased from 515 minutes when held in-person, to 345 minutes when virtual. Applicants expressed that they were generally satisfied with the virtual interview format though their preference for the virtual format was only slightly greater than for in-person interviews (38.6% and 35.1%, respectively); 26.3% of the responding applicants had no preference for either format. During virtual interview years, applicants interviewed at an average of 16.6 programs with 80% indicating that virtual interviews allowed for consideration of more programs. Conclusion: The virtual interview format was associated with decreased interview-day costs for programs and interviewees, and decreased time on interview days for both groups. It allowed applicants to consider more programs.

Teaching Self-directed Learning Skills Through a Resident-Led Milestones Process.

Introduction: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education allows flexibility for resident roles in the Milestone assessment process. The University of Utah Family Medicine Residency implemented a resident-led Milestones process to cultivate the skill of self-assessment and promote resident ownership of their learning. Methods: Residents were provided comprehensive evaluation data and asked to self-assess their competency on each Milestone, with input from their advisor. Residents presented their self-assessment to the Clinical Competency Committee, who then determined the final score for each Milestone. A 10-question survey examined perceptions of the resident-led Milestones process by residents and faculty. We calculated means and standard deviations (SD). Results: A total of 16 of 24 residents (67% response rate) and 12 of 14 faculty (86% response rate) completed the survey. Residents agreed most highly with the following statements: "I have good support from my advisor in being prepared to lead my Milestones meeting," "I am actively engaged in guiding the development of my own Milestones ratings," and "Leading my Milestones meeting assists me in accurately self-assessing my progress." Residents showed high agreement that "My final Milestones scores accurately reflect my behavior and level of knowledge." Residents rated the stress as low, in response to the statement, "My Milestones meeting is stressful for me." Faculty responses were similar but tended toward lower scores than residents. Conclusion: The resident-led Milestones process engages residents actively in self-assessment. Residents and faculty believe the process provides accurate assessment results without undue stress; this process potentially increases residents' ability to understand their own learning needs and direct their own learning process.

Increasing URiM Family Medicine Residents at University of Utah Health.

INTRODUCTION: The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine is home for the University of Utah's Family Medicine Residency program. Although Utah's diversity is steadily increasing, the race/ethnic diversity of the program's family medicine residency does not reflect the state's general population. METHODS: From 2017 to 2021, the residency instituted several adjustments to recruitment processes, including modification of an existing screening system to better highlight resiliency in overcoming challenging life experiences; promotion of commitment to diversity during interview days; incorporation of increased participation from diverse faculty and residents on interview days; and addition of outreach from the Office of Health, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Underrepresented in medicine (URiM) applicants were the first to be offered interviews in an identical screening score cohort, and were ranked highest in rank lists in cohorts with identical final rank scores. RESULTS: Over the past five match cycles, Latinx residents have increased from zero to six, and underrepresented Asian residents from zero to two. In the 2021 match cycle, five of 10 incoming residents (50%) are URiM. Overall, URiM residents are now 30%, and residents of color 36%, of a total of 30 residents across all 3 training years. We found that eight URiM interviews were needed for every one URiM match. CONCLUSION: Intentional resident recruitment initiatives can transform racial/ethnic diversity in a family medicine residency program in a short amount of time.

Use of a Hepatitis C Screening Order Set to Improve Screening Rates and Measure Intervention Effectiveness.

INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Rates of HCV infection are greatest in patients born from 1945 to 1965, so the Centers for Disease Control recommends a one-time screening in this cohort. Previous interventions utilizing the electronic medical record (EMR) capabilities at two University of Utah Family Medicine clinics have increased screening rates significantly, but further improvement is possible. METHODS: A family medicine resident-led continuous quality improvement (CQI) team used the Model for Improvement methods popularized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to create a team-based intervention with the goal of improving HCV screening in a family medicine faculty and resident clinic. An order set was created and a protocol developed that allowed medical assistants or clinic phlebotomists to order the appropriate HCV screening lab if this had not yet been done by the primary care provider. Data were extracted from the EMR that showed changes in total and monthly screening rates as well as the frequency of order set use. RESULTS: Monthly screening rates at the Madsen Family Medicine Clinic (Salt Lake City, UT) increased from approximately 40% to greater than 50% in the 5-month intervention period. The order set was used 19 times during this period which accounted for 18.8% of new screens. CONCLUSIONS: Creating an order set that allows medical assistants to order the HCV screening lab increased HCV screening rates in our clinic. Because order set utilization data can be extracted from the EMR, this intervention provided a process measure that can differentiate the effect of this intervention from the effects of other interventions previously undertaken in the clinic.

Evidence-based medicine teaching requirements in the USA: taxonomy and themes.

BACKGROUND: In the USA, recent changes to oversight of residency training codify the requirements for teaching evidence-based medicine and information mastery (lifelong learning) knowledge, skills, and attitudes. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this project is to determine current requirements for teaching of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and information mastery (IM) in specialty residency education in the USA. METHODS: The project was a qualitative thematic analysis using content analysis. The source of the requirements for EBM and IM were the "milestone" statements for all 28 major specialties and transition year programs. Milestone descriptors related to EBM/IM were extracted and codes were developed and applied to each descriptor by four researchers. The resulting codes were coalesced into themes and tested against the milestone descriptors. RESULTS: The coding process identified 15 content areas comprising five themes. Two themes related to the knowledge and skills of EBM and three themes related to the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of IM. EBM themes encompassed basic critical appraisal skills and knowledge of clinical epidemiology principles and statistics. IM themes centered on identifying one's information needs for patient-specific information, using information sources, and using current awareness services to remain abreast of changes in medicine. In general, they align well with the Sicily Statement on Evidence-Based Practice. No specialty required competence in all areas. CONCLUSION: New training requirements for specialties in the USA require the development of both classic EBM skills as well as skills for managing information. However, there is marked variation in the requirements among specific specialties.