Didactic Conferences
Residents as Teachers
Educational activities dedicated to preparing residents to be effective teachers of students, patients and peers is part of the core curriculum at the University of Utah. Residents are required to complete computer based learning modules that provide house staff with a foundation of knowledge that prepares them for their role as educators. Modules cover topics such as bedside teaching, teaching procedures, giving feedback, lecturing, etc. Regular educational conferences addressing residents’ skills as teachers are also part of the core internal medicine and pediatrics core conference curricula as well as resident retreats. Regular feedback on these skills are also provided by faculty as part of the day to day activities on inpatient and critical care services where residents regularly interface with students, practice and develop their leadership and educational skills.
Didactic and Simulation Education
Med-peds residents participate in all of the same scheduled educational activities as the categorical pediatric and categorical internal medicine residents. Med-peds residents are required to attend 60% of internal medicine conferences when on internal medicine rotations, and 60% of pediatric conferences when on pediatric rotations. Combined Med-Peds conferences occur weekly at the Med-Peds continuity clinic sites, and attendance is expected unless residents are on vacation, post call or otherwise unable to attend due to clinical responsibilities (such as during adult ICU rotations).
Combined Med-Peds Conferences
Med-peds Ambulatory Care Conferences are held weekly on Thursday afternoons for 30 minutes prior to the beginning of patient care duties at the combined Med-Peds continuity clinic. Conferences are prepared and led by the Med-Peds residents and continuity clinic preceptors and are designed to critically review a multitude of topics related to ambulatory internal medicine and pediatrics. Each resident will present 3-4 topics over the course of each academic year. All presentations will be posted on the combined training program website for local and indefinite access by all residents. Teleconferencing capabilities at the two sites allow all residents to participate in each Thursday afternoon conference regardless of where the lecture is being delivered.
Med-peds Journal Club is held monthly and focuses on the critical appraisal of the adult and pediatric literature. Journal clubs are held at resident’s homes and are led by the residents in a fun, interactive fashion that incorporates the feedback and insight of the Med-Peds faculty.
Internal Medicine Didactic Conferences
- Case Report is held at all three teaching hospitals 2-3 days per week. Attendance is mandatory for all residents on ward rotations and strongly encouraged for residents on subspecialty rotations. Program leadership and key faculty members also participate in case report.
- The core didactic curriculum is presented during a lunch-time lecture three days a week. Lectures are live broadcast to all sites, and complementary lunch is provided. The live streaming format ensures that all residents, regardless of their current site, can participate in the same high quality educational experience.
- Grand Rounds is held every Thursday and features a variety of local, national and internationally acclaimed speakers.
- Noon Conference is held daily and covers a variety of topics specific to inpatient and outpatient medicine, in addition to bioethical issues which infiltrate daily practice. Lunch is provided.
- Morbidity and Mortality conference is held monthly at all medicine teaching hospitals.
- Journal club meetings are also held regularly throughout the year and engage residents in discussions of current literature and it’s applicability to their current practice.
Pediatric Didactic Conferences
- Morning Report is held daily except Tuesdays and Thursdays when attendance is focused on Research in Progress conference and Grand Rounds, respectively.
- Morbidity and Mortality conference is the first Monday of each month throughout the academic year and is presented by the house-staff and chief medical residents with adjunctive participation of the faculty.
- Noon conference is an excellent learning opportunity and is held daily for all pediatrics and Med-Peds residents with lunch provided. This conference features lectures by general pediatric and subspecialty faculty, interesting case conferences presented by fellow residents and senior lectures prepared by pediatric PGY 3 and Med-Peds PGY 4 residents.
- Journal club meetings are also held regularly throughout the year and engage residents in discussions of current literature and it’s applicability to their current practice.
- Intern Lecture Series is held weekly on Friday during the academic year for the interns in the pediatrics and Med-Peds programs. The lectures are given by members of the intern class, key faculty and chief pediatric residents and focus on topics of high yield for new pediatric physicians.
Simulation Education
While on pediatrics, residents have opportunities to participate in simulation education in the PCMC simulation education center. Interprofessional simulation exercises with staff from nursing, pharmacy and medicine are executed with post-exercise debriefing sessions aiming to improve the communication, professionalism, systems based practice, medical knowledge, patient care and practice based learning and improvement of the residents in high stakes pediatric care scenarios. Future simulation exercises are being developed to address residents’ preparedness for disclosing medical errors.
While on internal medicine wards at the University Hospital, residents participate in similar high stakes adult care scenarios in the simulation laboratory aiming to improve residents’ competency in the care of critically ill patients.
Task trainers are also utilized to improve residents’ procedural skills when rotating in the University MICU.