Promoting scholarship in a community-based internal medicine residency

The University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine Internal Medicine residency implemented a program to enhance scholarship among residents. This residency is part of a small Mid-Western community-based school. Background: A Director of Research was hired and developed a structured approach consisting of: 1. Independent study regarding research methods and statistical testing and 2. Mentoring of residents and faculty in scholarly pursuits starting in the first months of residency. Methods: Scholarship for two cohorts of residents for years July 2011-2014 and January 2014-2017 were followed. Products included papers accepted/published and papers accepted/presented at national or international meetings. Results: 7 (14.8%) of 47 residents in the first cohort published 12 papers (0.25 papers/resident) with 18 faculty as co-authors (1.5/paper). 20 (43.4%) of 46 residents in the second cohort (structured program) published 39 papers (0.85 papers/resident) with 80 faculty as co-authors (2.1/paper). The difference in papers was significant by chi-square analysis. Conclusion: A structured program requiring independent study in conjunction with individualized mentoring of scholarship starting early in the first postgraduate year was successful in significantly increasing the scholarly activity of our community-based internal medicine residents and faculty. With this program, the percentage of residents publishing exceeds national statistics recently reported.