A Military Transitional Year Professionalism Curriculum

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Professionalism
• Military Medicine

Background:

• Professionalism development is crucial for military transitional year residency programs.
• Limited research exists to guide the development of such curricula.
• Concerns regarding resident professionalism prompted curriculum development at Tripler Army Medical Center.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a novel professionalism curriculum for a military transitional year residency.
• To explore universal expectations of physician professionalism among diverse stakeholders.
• To integrate a lessons-learned project and military-specific content into the curriculum.

Main Methods:

• A small group, discussion-based curriculum was employed.
• Stakeholder perceptions (patients, parents, faculty, nurses) of physician professionalism were explored.
• A lessons-learned project and military-unique curriculum components were integrated.

Main Results:

• The curriculum achieved 100% faculty satisfaction and 80-100% resident satisfaction.
• Resident professionalism scores on evaluations showed no significant change.
• Adverse actions due to professionalism lapses decreased steadily, with 18 months of no such actions.

Conclusions:

• The novel transitional residency professionalism curriculum demonstrated success in a military setting.
• The curriculum effectively addressed concerns regarding resident professionalism.
• High satisfaction rates and a reduction in adverse actions indicate program efficacy.