An analytic decision support tool for resident allocation.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Program Administration
• Health Systems Management

Background:

• Academic residency programs face challenges in managing resident progression and research participation.
• Resident attrition rates range from 3.4% to 3.8%, complicating program planning.
• Traditional methods for resident allocation rely on manual processes like magnetic strips, leading to inefficiencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an optimized system for resident allocation within academic programs.
• To ensure a consistent number of residents at each training stage and research level.
• To improve the efficiency of program administration and resident progression planning.

Main Methods:

• Development of a two-phase program utilizing Microsoft Excel.
• Phase 1: 'Brain Sheet' uses formulas to determine intern recruitment, research residents, and advancement.
• Phase 2: An Excel macro allocates current residents to future stages, creating a resident matrix.

Main Results:

• The developed macro simplifies resident movement, maximizing administrator time.
• Provides a tool for strategic planning of intern recruitment and program expansion.
• Offers a systematic approach to managing resident flow through academic programs.

Conclusions:

• Analytical techniques, like the developed macro, can minimize administrative time in residency programs.
• The macro effectively reduces trial-and-error in planning resident progression.
• This approach enhances the efficiency and predictability of academic residency program management.