"Mini-Residency" in Musculoskeletal Care: a National Continuing Professional Development Program for Primary Care...

A cost-effective professional development program enhancing musculoskeletal (MSK) skills of physicians and allied health providers working in primary care settings has been reported at a single site. This article describes the first 2 years of the national expansion and implementation of a 3-day "MSK Mini-residency."

Faculty from Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers worked in partnership with national program faculty from the Salt Lake City VA to present an intensive, integrated, multidisciplinary program to strengthen the skills of primary care providers in evaluating and managing MSK conditions common in primary care. Course assessments included written surveys and a two-station observed structured clinical examination (OSCE) evaluating the physical examination of the shoulder and knee.

In the first 2 years of the program, 13 VA facilities participated. Two hundred twenty-seven health care providers, including 135 physicians, were trained. Two hundred seven participants (91 %) completed all pre- and post-course written assessments and the two-station OSCE.

The MSK Mini-residency program is an effective and well-received mixed-method educational initiative to strengthen the skills of primary care physicians and other health care providers in evaluating and managing patients with MSK complaints and to document their competence in performing physical examinations of the shoulder and knee. The 2-year experience in implementation suggests that this model of educational partnerships is a feasible approach to disseminating innovative educational programs in a way that preserves curricular consistency yet is adaptable to local needs.