Teaming in Graduate Medical Education: Ward Rounds and Beyond

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Teamwork and Collaboration
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Discontinuity in clinical learning environments hinders teamwork in graduate medical education (GME).
• Teaming offers a structured approach to teamwork in dynamic settings with changing personnel and objectives.
• Current GME programs may lack familiarity with integrating teaming principles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the teaming framework for GME.
• To provide a practical example of applying teaming to improve hospital ward rounds.
• To encourage GME leaders to implement teaming for enhanced patient care and education.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on teaming principles and project management.
• Conceptual framework development for GME teamwork.
• Case example illustration of teaming application in ward rounds.

Main Results:

• The teaming framework provides a strategy for overcoming GME teamwork challenges.
• Application of teaming to ward rounds can address common breakdowns in collaboration.
• Teaming is a required component of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Clinical Learning Environment Review.

Conclusions:

• Teaming is a valuable strategy for improving teamwork in graduate medical education.
• Implementing teaming can enhance both patient care and resident education.
• GME leaders are encouraged to adopt and integrate teaming into their programs.