Residents' knowledge of behavioral pediatrics.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Education
• Medical Training Assessment

Background:

• Assessing resident competency in behavioral pediatrics is crucial.
• The impact of funded versus unfunded training programs on behavioral knowledge is not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the performance of pediatric residents across different training program structures on behavioral and organic knowledge.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of funded mandatory behavioral training programs.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of In-Training Exam scores from 4433 pediatric residents across four program types: funded mandatory training, unfunded required training, control, and all others.
• Calculation of resident performance based on "organic" items, "behavioral" items, and a behavioral-to-organic ratio.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in "organic" knowledge scores based on program type.
• Residents in funded programs showed higher behavioral-to-organic ratios, particularly in early training years (PL-1, PL-2).
• Funded residents maintained higher behavioral knowledge compared to "all other" residents by the third year.

Conclusions:

• Behavioral knowledge is only moderately correlated with organic medical knowledge.
• Mandatory behavioral training enhances behavioral knowledge without compromising organic knowledge acquisition.
• Funded programs appear to attract and cultivate residents with superior behavioral knowledge throughout their training.