Advancing Internal Medicine Training: Experience of a Bedside Procedure Service as a Resident Elective

In 2007, the American Board of Internal Medicine eliminated numeric procedure requirements for licensing. The level of exposure to procedures during residency, and subsequent competence of graduating residents, is variable. In 2015, our institution developed a bedside procedure service (BPS) with the intent to teach ultrasound guidance and procedural training to internal medicine residents with direct supervision of technique by Hospital Medicine faculty to optimize learning, increase confidence, and improve patient safety.

In this study, we review the number and complication rates of resident procedures on a dedicated internal medicine bedside procedure service (BPS) as a resident elective.

In this retrospective, observational, single-center study, we reviewed internally collected data from BPS procedures performed from 2015-2019. The BPS offers a variety of procedures done with ultrasound guidance at an adult tertiary care referral center. BPS services are available to all inpatient hospital services. A rotation with the BPS was offered as a stand-alone resident elective for the first time in 2015.

69 residents performed a total of 2700 ultrasound-guided/assisted procedures and 146 diagnostic ultrasound scans from 2015-2019. Residents performed an average of 40 procedures during their elective month. There were 5 resident performed procedural complications with an overall complication rate of 0.19%.

Our BPS increased procedural opportunities for residents and allowed for real-time feedback by an experienced faculty member in a one-on-one setting. A dedicated rotation allows the time to focus on becoming proficient in invasive procedures with expert supervision.