The Clinical Learning Environment: Past, Present, and Future

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Medical education
• Interprofessional collaboration

Background:

• Academic medical centers face increasing demands for quality improvement initiatives.
• Integrating continuous improvement training into graduate medical education is crucial.
• Effective collaboration across healthcare professions is essential for optimal patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the "Residents and Fellows Leading Interprofessional Continuous Improvement Teams" program.
• To detail the program's collaboration within a health system and alignment with Clinical Learning Environment review.
• To share key outcomes and lessons learned from the program's implementation.

Main Methods:

• Program description focusing on interprofessional team leadership.
• Utilized the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance (RE-AIM) framework.
• Included structural (timeline) and outcome (scholarship) measures.

Main Results:

• The program successfully engaged residents and fellows in continuous improvement.
• Key outcomes were measured using the RE-AIM framework and other metrics.
• Identified supporting elements and lessons learned for program success.

Conclusions:

• The described program provides a model for integrating continuous improvement training into graduate medical education.
• Interprofessional collaboration within health systems can be effectively fostered through such initiatives.
• The program's outcomes offer valuable insights for enhancing both graduate and undergraduate medical education.