Creating flexibility in pediatric resident education.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pediatric Residency Training

Background:

• Pediatric residency programs face challenges in preparing graduates for diverse career paths.
• Achieving program flexibility is crucial but often difficult.
• An alternative half-day continuity clinic model offers potential flexibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a pediatric residency program's experience with an alternative half-day continuity clinic structure.
• To assess resident participation, project outcomes, and academic performance within this model.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of resident participation data.
• Analysis of project types (research, advocacy), scholarly products, and examination scores.
• Comparison of outcomes for residents in the alternative program versus traditional schedules.

Main Results:

• Resident participation in the alternative program increased significantly (21% to 41%).
• Residents engaged in research (80%) and advocacy (20%) projects, with increased national presentations and grant awards.
• While average board examination scores were slightly lower, pass rates remained high.

Conclusions:

• The alternative half-day continuity clinic model enhances resident education for primary care.
• It provides valuable opportunities for residents interested in research or advocacy careers.
• This flexible approach can be implemented without establishing formal subspecialty tracks.