Improving Administrator and Educator Sense of Community in Anesthesiology Graduate Medical Education

Research has shown that, more than any other factors, social capital, connectedness, and a sense of community promote mental, physical, and social well-being, as well as productivity in the workplace and feelings of job satisfaction and fulfillment. In April 2015, the Society of Academic Associations of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine (SAAAPM) agreed to support the formation of the Association of Anesthesiology Program Administrators and Educators (AAPAE) to promote collaboration and collegiality among administrators and educators of anesthesiology residency and fellowship programs. This study was designed to determine if a series of interventions were able to promote a sense of community among administrators and educators of anesthesiology residency and fellowship programs.

From February 2016 to January 2018, the AAPAE implemented a series of interventions designed to foster a sense of community. These interventions included the development of a leadership structure, a coaching program, a Facebook group, distribution of pins with the AAPAE logo, social gatherings for members, as well as the creation of a dedicated track for administrators and educators during the SAAAPM annual meeting. In 2016 and again in 2018, using the validated, 24-item Sense of Community Index version 2 (SCI-2) with a score range of 0-72, AAPAE surveyed its members to assess their sense of community. Continuous data were assessed for normality using a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Comparisons between pretests and posttests were made using Mann-Whitney U tests.

Seventy-four of 169 (44%) and 87 of 211 (42%) members took the survey in February 2016 and January 2018, respectively. The total sum score measuring the sense of community increased 11.5 points from a median of 27.5 (IQR: 17.0 to 39.0) to 39.0 (IQR: 27.0 to 53.0, P < .001). This shows a significant increase in the average sense of community of AAPAE members.

A combination of web-based and face-to-face interactions allowed the AAPAE to successfully cultivate a sense of community among its members.