Asking what do residents value most: a recent overview of internal medicine residents' learning preferences

Little is known about the preferred learning experiences of today's internal medicine residents. We conducted a survey of the educational experiences in an internal medicine residency to determine the learning opportunities internal medicine residents value most and why.

An online, anonymous survey of 182 internal medicine residents was performed, with each resident receiving a survey each day over nine days. Participants were asked to state their most valuable learning experience over the past day, describe why it was valuable, and rank it on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Resident free-text responses were coded and grouped into themes. The location of and participants in the experience were also examined.

The 182 residents completed a total of 303 surveys. Of the 303 surveys, 92% (N=277) of the responses noted their chosen learning experience was useful. An attending was involved in 50% (N=152) of experiences; the patient was noted as a participant in 8% (N=25) of experiences. Free-text responses were coded into five thematic groups descriptive of why residents found their learning experiences to be valuable: Repetition in Learning, Effective Pedagogy, Clinical Problem Solving as an Individual or Collaboratively, Opportunity for Active Engagement, and Bedside Learning.

Our data provide a broader framework for designing and implementing future faculty development and resident curricula that emphasize interprofessional education and the patient as a key educational figure.