Psychological safety and perceived organizational support in emergency medicine residencies.

Background: The clinical learning environment (CLE) is a key focus of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. It impacts knowledge acquisition and professional development. A previous single-center study evaluated the psychological safety and perceived organizational support of the CLE across different specialties.

Development and Validation of a Scoring Rubric for Editorial Evaluation of Peer-review Quality: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Despite the importance of peer review to publications, there is no generally accepted approach for editorial evaluation of a peer review's value to a journal editor's decision-making. The graduate medical education editors of the Special Issue in Educational Research & Practice (Special Issue) developed and studied the holistic editor's scoring rubric (HESR) with the objective of assessing the quality of a review and an emphasis on the degree to which it informs a holistic appreciation for the submission under consideration.

Methods: Using peer-review guidelines from several journals, the Special Issue's editors formulated the rubric as descriptions of peer reviews of varying degree of quality from the ideal to the unacceptable.

A Collaborative Approach to Mentored Peer Reviews Sponsored by the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine.

Introduction: Historically, there have been no systematic programs for teaching peer review, leaving trainees to learn by trial and error. Recently, a number of publications have advocated for programs where experienced reviewers mentor trainees to more efficiently acquire this knowledge.

Objective: Our goal was to develop an introductory learning experience that intentionally fosters peer-review skills.

The Impact of a Medical Education Research Faculty Development Program on Career Development, Through the Lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory.

Objectives: The Medical Education Research Certificate at the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (MERC at CORD), a specialized adaptation of the Association of American Medical Colleges MERC program, provides faculty development in education research in emergency medicine. However, its long-term influence on career development remains unknown. Our study explored the impact of MERC at CORD on career development through the lens of social cognitive career (SCC) theory.

A Social Network Analysis of the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine Special Issue in Educational Research and Practice.

Introduction: Scholarship and academic networking are essential for promotion and productivity. To develop education scholarship, the Council of Emergency Medicine Directors (CORD) and Clerkship Directors of Emergency Medicine (CDEM) created an annual Special Issue in Educational Research and Practice of the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. The objective of this study was to evaluate the network created by the special Issue, and explore changes within the network over time.

The Emergency Medicine Group Standardized Letter of Evaluation as a Workplace-based Assessment: The Validity Is in the Detail.

Introduction: Interest is growing in specialty-specific assessments of student candidates based on clinical clerkship performance to assist in the selection process for postgraduate training. The most established and extensively used is the emergency medicine (EM) Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE), serving as a substitute for the letter of recommendation. Typically developed by a program's leadership, the group SLOE strives to provide a unified institutional perspective on performance.

Effect of Interpolated Questions on Podcast Knowledge Acquisition and Retention: A Double-Blind, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Study Objective: We determine whether interpolated questions in a podcast improve knowledge acquisition and retention.

Methods: This double-blinded controlled trial randomized trainees from 6 emergency medicine programs to listen to 1 of 2 versions of a podcast, produced de novo on the history of hypertension. The versions were identical except that 1 included 5 interpolated questions to highlight educational points (intervention).

Professionalism Milestones Assessments Used by Emergency Medicine Residency Programs: A Cross-sectional Survey.

Introduction: Professionalism is a vital component of quality patient care. While competency in professionalism is Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-mandated, the methods used to evaluate professionalism are not standardized, calling into question the validity of reported measurements. We aimed to determine the type and frequency of methods used by United States (US) -based emergency medicine (EM) residencies to assess accountability (Acc) and professional values (PV), as well as how often graduating residents achieve competency in these areas.

Early Impact of the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine CDEM/CORD Special Issue in Educational Research & Practice.

Introduction: In 2015, with a stated goal of disseminating best teaching practices and developing a community of educational scholars, the Council of Emergency Medicine Directors (CORD) and the Clerkship Directors of Emergency Medicine (CDEM) created an annual Special Issue in Educational Research and Practice (Special Issue) in cooperation with the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. The intention of this study was to analyze the impact of this effort to date.

Methods: Bibliometric data was gathered on all four special issues, 2015-2019, from the Web of Science and then verified with the eScholarship website.

Use of the "Step-back" Method for Education Research Consultation at the National Level: A Pilot Study.

Background: There are a limited number of emergency medicine (EM) physicians with expertise in education research. The Harvard Macy "step-back" method is an emerging model utilized to gather group feedback. Despite its use in multiple educational settings, there are little published data demonstrating effectiveness.

Emergency Medicine Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE): Findings From the New Electronic SLOE Format.

Background: Emergency medicine (EM) uses a standardized template for residency application letters of recommendations. In 1997, the Standardized Letter of Recommendation was developed with categories for applicant comparison. Now named the Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE), it is a universal requirement in the EM residency application process.

Time to Reevaluate the Away Rotation: Improving Return on Investment for Students and Schools.

Away rotations are common among senior medical students preparing to apply for residency. For competitive specialties, multiple away rotations may be viewed as a de facto requirement for a strong application. Although away rotations are often valuable learning experiences, a variety of noneducational factors motivate students to enroll, including the need for letters of recommendation, students' uncertainty regarding their strength as applicants, perceived competitiveness of residency applications, and conflicting guidance from advisors.

Epidemiologic Risk Factors for In Situ and Invasive Breast Cancers Among Postmenopausal Women in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study.

Comparing risk factor associations between invasive breast cancers and possible precursors may further our understanding of factors related to initiation versus progression. Accordingly, among 190,325 postmenopausal participants in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study (1995-2011), we compared the association between risk factors and incident ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS; n = 1,453) with that of risk factors and invasive ductal carcinomas (n = 7,525); in addition, we compared the association between risk factors and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS; n = 186) with that of risk factors and invasive lobular carcinomas (n = 1,191). Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated from multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Surgical Residency Recruitment-Opportunities for Improvement.

Introduction: The Association of Program Directors in Surgery convened a panel during Surgical Education Week 2016 to discuss the current state of the general surgery residency application process and to review alternative ways to evaluate the suitability of each applicant to a residency program.

Methods/results: Over 40,000 applicants registered for the National Resident Matching Program's 2016 Main Residency Match. General Surgery had 2345 applicants for 1241 categorical postgraduate year (PGY)-1 positions, and 1239 of those positions were filled when the matching algorithm was processed.

The Standardized Letter of Evaluation for Postgraduate Training: A Concept Whose Time Has Come?

A medical student's letter of recommendation for postgraduate training applications should provide a fair and accurate assessment of academic and clinical performance, as well as define character attributes pertinent to the practice of medicine. Since its inception in 1997, the emergency medicine (EM) standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE) has evolved into an instrument that provides just such an assessment. Concise, standardized, and discriminating in its assessment of performance relevant to the practice of EM, the SLOE is judged by program directors in EM as the most valuable component of a potential resident's application.

Do Emergency Medicine Residency Graduates Feel Prepared to Manage Closed Fractures After Training?

Objectives: Fractures comprise 3% of all emergency department (ED) visits. Although emergency physicians are often responsible for managing most of the initial care of these patients, many report a lack of proficiency and comfort with these skills. The primary objective was to assess how prepared recent emergency medicine (EM) residency graduates felt managing closed fractures upon completion of residency.

A Novel Specialty-Specific, Collaborative Faculty Development Opportunity in Education Research: Program Evaluation at Five Years.

Purpose: For the busy clinician-educator, accessing opportunities that develop the skills and knowledge necessary to perform education research can be problematic. The Medical Education Research Certification at Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (MERC at CORD) Scholars' Program is a potential alternative. The current study evaluates the program's outcomes after five years.

Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors' standardized letter of recommendation: the program director's perspective.

Objectives: The standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE) was created in 1997 to provide residency program directors (PDs) with a summative evaluation that incorporates normative grading (i.e., comparisons to peers applying to emergency medicine [EM] training).

Council of emergency medicine residency directors standardized letter of recommendation writers' questionnaire.

Background: The Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) Standardized Letter of Recommendation (SLOR) has become the primary tool used by emergency medicine (EM) faculty to evaluate residency candidates. A survey was created to describe the training, beliefs, and usage patterns of SLOR writers.

Methods: The SLOR Task Force created the survey, which was circulated to the CORD listserv in 2012.

Characterization of the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors' standardized letter of recommendation in 2011-2012.

Objectives: The Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) introduced the standardized letter of recommendation (SLOR) in 1997, and it has become a critical tool for assessing candidates for emergency medicine (EM) training. It has not itself been evaluated since the initial studies associated with its introduction. This study characterizes current SLOR use to evaluate whether it serves its intended purpose of being standardized, concise, and discriminating.