Graduate Medical Education
As Sponsoring Institutions prepare for potential “deployment” of residents across major participating sites in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This resource provides institutions with a place to capture the resident talent pool, a process to “deploy” to meet an “all-hands-on-deck” situation, and tracking while ensuring required supervision communicated along with PD and DIO engagement. The residency programs place residents within each bucket with the corresponding level of supervision and the PD designates as available to deploy (or not). Sites receiving trainees know the program assigned level of supervision necessary. This process draws from the military’s experience with deploying medical personnel.
As Sponsoring Institutions prepare for potential “deployment” of residents across the Sponsoring Institution’s major participating sites or beyond in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Sponsoring Institution and program must ensure that “deployed” residents are properly supervised. This resource links COVID-19 patient care (4) and skill buckets (5) with ACGME supervision levels. The residency programs place residents within each bucket with the corresponding level of supervision required by year or individually. Clinical sites receiving residents proactively know the program assigned level of supervision necessary. The pandemic care buckets draws from military experience of the benefits of focused “Just-In-Time” training for the deployer.
The Transition to Residency Risk Index (TRRI) is a validated 9-item questionnaire created as a tool for self-awareness, recognizing the need to help facilitate the transition of individuals from medical school to residency with a focus on addressing depression, anxiety, isolation and suicide ideation during the first months of residency. By incorporating the TRRI into New-Resident Orientation, program leadership can identify residents at higher risk for a difficult adjustment and isolation, and tailor resources for them. The tool was piloted in 2019 with 48 new interns completing the instrument. Over half of these interns scored in either the moderate or high-risk category enabling their program leadership to provide enhanced measures to include frequent check-in calls, assigning peer or faculty mentors, setting up community-building events and referral to on-site mental health services if deemed beneficial. Half of all interns that scored in the high-risk category accessed mental health resources immediately. At the Annual ACGME Educational Conference in San Diego, the TRRI questionnaire was chosen out of more than 120 posters to be presented as an oral presentation, one of only 8 posters selected.