Outcomes of a Novel Transition to Residency Curriculum for Culture-Building and Professional Development

This study examined the feasibility and impact of a preresidency curriculum on developing a growth mindset and resilience, building time management skills, and creating a collective professional mission and culture.

The design of the Readiness for Residency curriculum was an iterative 3-year process (2020-2022) by U.S. medical educator and leaders as well as learners in obstetrics-gynecology. This work aimed to facilitate new residents' development of essential critical skills. The curriculum comprises 4 sessions occurring between Match and the beginning of residency: (1) Gratitude and Resilience, (2) Time Management and Priorities, (3) Evolving Your Learning Style, and (4) Mission and Values. Participants, facilitators, and residency program directors were surveyed about their experiences and perceptions of the final iteration administered in 2022.

In 2022, 140 of 283 U.S. obstetrics-gynecology programs (49.5%), representing 780 total rising interns, confirmed curriculum participation. Facilitators cited culture building as the most prominent benefit. Program directors valued building community, developing relationships between program leadership and interns, facilitating a growth mindset, and teaching time management. Interns identified building community with their class and developing relationships with program leadership as the most impactful benefits from their perspective.

The curriculum structure and content have benefits beyond the transfer of knowledge contained in the material, creating community and initiating professional transformation among interns. Programs in other specialties could adopt this approach with a similar impact. Collaborative studies on curriculum outcomes across specialties would be an ideal next step for this work.