Postgraduate medical education: residents rating the quality of their training

To determine the residents' rating of the quality of their residency training by measuring their level of satisfaction with the various educational attributes of their training.

Cross-sectional survey.

Department of Medical Education (DME), Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, from September to November 2008.

Residents who had been pursuing residency training for over a period of one year were included. A comprehensive questionnaire consisting of 14 questions was employed which covered fundamental attributes of the quality of postgraduate training. A five point response scale was used to rate responses to questions. Results for each of the measures of all the included residents were added up, and then an average was calculated and scaled to a score out of 100 to form the Index Score. In this way the residents' level of agreement or disagreement with the questioned statement was measured from 'Strongly disagree' (0%) to 'Strongly agree' (100%).

Out of a total of 150 residents contacted, 109 answered the questionnaire. The response rate was thus 73%. Residents variably rated the various educational attributes of their residency training. Relatively favourably rated areas included regular conduct of case/ topic discussions (75.96%), consultant's supervision during interventional procedures (70.27%) and regularly holding journal clubs (69.54%). The less favourably rated areas included constructive feedback by supervisor (54.49%), consultant as role model (54.49%) and faculty as the source of learning (50.82%). Overall, the Index Score was 60.55%.

Significant room exists for improvement in the quality of residency training as indicated by the less than desirable ratings of the various educational attributes of the residency programme. Faculty members who constitute the cornerstone of educational process are pivotal to effect the desired improvements.