Social Media Bridges the Training Gap Between Match Day and Internship With ACGME Milestone-based Clinical Case...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Digital Health

Background:

• The transition from medical school to internship presents an educational gap for emergency medicine preinterns.
• A structured curriculum is needed to bridge this gap between Match Day and the start of residency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestone-based virtual case curriculum using Slack.
• To assess the impact of the curriculum on preinterns' perceived preparedness and clinical knowledge.

Main Methods:

• A 10-case emergency department curriculum was delivered via Slack.
• Instructors facilitated discussions and collaboration among preinterns across 11 institutions.
• Pre- and post-curriculum surveys and case-based examinations measured perceived preparedness and clinical knowledge.

Main Results:

• 127 preinterns participated in the Slack intern curriculum (SIC).
• Participants reported significant improvements in perceived preparedness across multiple Milestone topics.
• Clinical knowledge improved, particularly in airway management, as evidenced by examination performance.

Conclusions:

• The SIC effectively eased the transition for emergency medicine preinterns.
• Residency leadership can use preintern feedback to tailor educational focus.
• Further research is needed to explore the utility of virtual curricula for preinterns and displaced medical students.