Methods for working with problem residents in medical physics residency education

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Residency Training
• Professional Development

Background:

• Medical physics residency programs may face challenges with residents needing extra support.
• Existing literature on "problem" residents primarily focuses on physicians, with limited guidance for medical physics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a generalized strategy for identifying and correcting issues with "problem" residents in medical physics training.
• To offer a standardized intervention process and discuss transparency and bias in resident evaluations.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on "problem" residents.
• Development of a generalized strategy and intervention process tailored for medical physics.
• Discussion of potential problem categories and considerations for bias.

Main Results:

• A categorized approach to identifying "problem" resident issues in medical physics.
• A standardized intervention process designed to address specific resident difficulties.
• Emphasis on transparency and minimizing bias in the intervention process.

Conclusions:

• Implementing the proposed strategy can help medical physics residency programs support all residents.
• This framework aims to foster an environment where residents facing difficulties can still achieve successful training completion.
• The work assists programs in building a supportive culture for resident development.