Abstract: SA-PO197
Use of a Standardized Curriculum to Increase Resident Interest in Nephrology
Session Information
- Educational Research
October 27, 2018 | Location: Exhibit Hall, San Diego Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Educational Research
- 800 Educational Research
Author
- Kumar, Srikar, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Background
Interest in nephrology fellowship continues to be low among current internal medicine residents. While there are many reasons for this decline, several studies have suggested that residents develop negative perceptions of the field during their training. Given that most residents only spend a little time during their training working with the nephrology service, it is possible that they have minimal exposure to areas such as transplant, nephropathology, critical care nephrology, and interventional nephrology. This quality improvement project aims to increase resident interest in nephrology by implementing a curriculum for residents rotating on the nephrology consult service, increasing exposure to different aspects of the field, and facilitating mentorship. At our institution, residents have an opportunity to rotate through with the nephrology inpatient consult service during elective time. Currently, there are no guidelines for the residents while on the nephrology elective; they generally see 1-2 consults per day with guidance from a fellow or attending. Without any recommended guidelines, many residents finish their elective with no exposure to the breadth of the field.
Methods
A preliminary ten question survey was sent to the internal medicine residents. This survey was simple, with yes or no questions, determining what residents had exposure to during their elective. The final question assessed their interest in nephrology. Based on these findings, a curriculum was given to residents at the beginning of their rotation. Every six months, the survey will be resent and the curriculum revised based on the findings.
Results
A majority of residents received basic didactic lectures for topics such as acute kidney injury and fluids/electrolytes. But, most did not have exposure to dialysis catheter placement or renal biopsies, had no bedside teaching regarding how dialysis or CRRT machines work, and did not review renal pathology with the in-house renal pathologists. These are among the regular activities performed at our institution.
Conclusion
Without any guidelines, the survey confirmed that many residents were missing out on unique opportunities in nephrology. While the project is ongoing with changes to come, the preliminary findings suggest that a standardized curriculum with focus on mentorship can potentially improve resident experiences in our field.