Residents' scholarly activity: a cost analysis with regard to its effects on departments

Current financial strain on training departments may have a significantly negative impact on continuing support for residents' scholarly activity. A cost analysis with regard to residents' scholarly activity effects on anesthesiology training departments is performed.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has issued a new outcome-focused scholarly activity requirement. Low scholarly achievement by anesthesiology faculty in the USA has been documented and needs transformation. It is evident that a structured scholarly activity support system is effective. To support such a system, training departments need to support anesthesiology residents' nonclinical time, which would cost an average of $13,500 per month per resident using nonresident hands-on care providers in operating rooms, resident's meeting attendance in average $1,424 per resident per meeting, and faculty mentorship and other infrastructure. It must also be taken into account that missed clinical opportunities by an anesthesiology resident during nonclinical time are an estimated average of 60 cases per month.

The importance of resident scholarly activity has never been so or as critical as in the present. Anesthesiology leadership must continue to invest to support resident scholarly activity for the future of the specialty while being mindful of costs incurred.