Continued impact of COVID-19 pandemic on clinical and translational science early-career researchers.

The COVID-19 pandemic had an immediate impact on the lives and work of early-career researchers. We leveraged a cluster-randomized trial and compared survey data collected over two timepoints to explore whether these impacts persisted. Although more than a year had passed, 74% of participants reported that their research was affected in multiple ways in both 2020 and 2021. These data suggest that the effects of the pandemic on early-career researchers may be prolonged. Our findings additionally serve as an impetus to identify and implement solutions to early-career challenges that undoubtedly existed before the pandemic, but which COVID-19 brought into the spotlight.

Establishing a Novel Group-based Litigation Peer Support Program to Promote Wellness for Physicians Involved in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits.

Introduction: Being named as a defendant in a malpractice lawsuit is known to be a particularly high-stress and vulnerable time for a physician. Medical malpractice stress syndrome (MMSS) is a consequence of being named as a physician defendant in a malpractice lawsuit. Symptoms include depression, anxiety, and insomnia, which may lead to burnout, loss of confidence in clinical decision-making, substance abuse, strain on personal and professional relationships, and suicidal ideation. Although the legal process requires strict confidentiality regarding the specific details of the legal case, discussing the emotional impact of the case is not prohibited. Given that physicians often do not choose formalized therapy with a licensed professional, there is a recognized need to provide physicians with options to support their wellness during a lawsuit. Methods: The peer support model is a promising option to address the negative impacts to wellness that physician defendants face during medical malpractice lawsuits. We developed and implemented a peer support program to provide a safe, protected space for discussion of the personal impact of a lawsuit and to normalize this experience among peer physicians. Results: Physicians were receptive to joining a peer support group to discuss the personal impacts of being named in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Participants in this novel group-based program found it helpful and would unanimously recommend it to others who are being sued. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this pilot study is the first to implement and assess a facilitated, group-based peer support model for emergency physicians who are named as defendants in malpractice lawsuits. While group discussions demonstrated that symptoms of acute distress and MMSS were prevalent among physicians who were being sued, in this study physicians were receptive to and felt better after peer support sessions. Despite increasing burnout in the specialty of emergency medicine (EM) during the study time frame, burnout did not worsen in participants. Extrapolating from this pilot program, we hypothesize that formal peer support offered by EM groups can be an effective option to normalize the experience of being sued, promote wellness, and benefit physicians who endure the often long and stressful process of a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Customized Career Development Platform (CCDP) for clinical and translational researchers: A pragmatic cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Early-stage clinical and translational researchers who set and track career goals, milestones, and progress are successful in career development. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Customized Career Development Platform (CCDP), an online individual development plan (IDP), versus the traditional IDP template in improving research success and career satisfaction. Methods: We conducted a pragmatic cluster-randomized controlled trial of 340 scholars and trainees at 27 US academic healthcare institutions. The primary outcome was number of published manuscripts 24 months post-intervention. Secondary outcomes included the number of grant proposals submitted and funded, job satisfaction, and level of communication with mentors. An analysis of CCDP participants assessed proficiency level for the 14 Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) competencies. Data were analyzed using intention-to-treat. Results: Participants were mostly female (60.3%) and Caucasian (67.2%); mean age was 34 years. Twenty-four months following the intervention, the CCDP versus traditional IDP groups showed a similar number of publications (9.4 vs 8.6), grants submitted (4.1 vs 4.4) and funded (1.3 vs 2.0), and job satisfaction score (3.6 vs 3.7). The CCDP group had higher odds of discussing communication (OR = 2.08) and leadership skills (OR = 2.62) and broadening their network (2.31) than the traditional IDP group. The CCDP arm reported improvements in 9 of the 14 CTSA competencies. Conclusion: The CCDP offers CTSA hubs an innovative alternative to traditional IDP tools. Future studies are needed to elucidate why the CCDP users did not fully appreciate or adopt the functionality of the online platform.

Flexibility in Faculty Work-Life Policies at Medical Schools in the Big Ten Conference: A Ten-Year Follow-up Study.

Background: Flexible work-life policies for medical school faculty are necessary to support career progress, advancement, retention, and job satisfaction. Objective: Our objective was to perform a 10-year follow-up descriptive assessment of the availability of flexible work-life policies for faculty in medical schools in the Big Ten Conference. Design: In this descriptive study, a modified objective scoring system was used to evaluate the flexibility of faculty work-life policies at 13 medical schools in the Big Ten Conference. Policy information was obtained from institutional websites and verified with the human resources offices. Scores from the 2011 study and 2020 were compared. Results: Michigan State and Ohio State Universities offered the most flexible policies (score 17.75/22) with the Universities of Maryland and Minnesota following (score 16/22). The largest delta scores, indicating more flexible policies in the past decade, were at University of Minnesota (5.25) and University of Michigan (5). Policies for parental leave and part-time faculty varied widely. Most schools earned an additional point in the newly added category of "flexible scheduling and return-to-work policies." Nearly every institution reported dedicated lactation spaces and improved childcare options. Limitations : Limitations included missing policy data and interpretation bias in reviewing the policy websites, unavailable baseline data for schools that joined the Big Ten after the 2011 study, and unavailable baseline data for the additional category of return-to-work policies. Conclusions: While progress has been made, every institution should challenge themselves to review flexibility in work-life policies for faculty. It is important to advance a healthy competition with the goal to achieve more forward-thinking policies that improve retention, recruitment, and advancement of faculty. Big Ten institutions can continue to advance their policies by providing greater ease of access to options, further expansion of parental leave and childcare support, and offering more flexible policies for part-time faculty.

Teaching Seasoned Doctors New Technology: An Intervention to Reduce Barriers and Improve Comfort With Clinical Ultrasound.

Introduction Although clinical ultrasound (CUS) is a core skill that is a requirement for emergency medicine (EM) residency graduation, only a fraction of EM practitioners who trained prior to this requirement are certified in CUS. The objective of the study was to implement a CUS workshop for practicing EM physicians, identify barriers to utilization, and assess comfort with the machine, obtaining and interpreting images, and incorporating CUS into clinical practice. Methods This was a prospective descriptive cohort study of EM physician faculty who participated in an interactive 5-hour CUS workshop intervention that introduced four core CUS modalities via didactics and hands-on scanning stations. Pre- and post-surveys were administered to identify barriers to utilization and assess perceived comfort with CUS using a 5-point Likert scale. Results were analyzed using Fisher's exact and paired t-tests. Results Thirty-five EM physicians participated with a 100% survey response rate. Only five of the physicians were ultrasound certified at the time of the workshop. On average, physicians were 16 years post-residency. Prior to the workshop, 29% had minimal ultrasound experience and 43% had not performed more than 50 ultrasounds. In the pre-course survey, every physician expressed at least one barrier to CUS utilization. Post-workshop, physicians felt significantly more comfortable using the ultrasound machine (p=0.0008), obtaining and interpreting images (p=0.0009 and p=0.0004), and incorporating CUS into clinical practice (p=0.002). Conclusion This workshop is an effective tool to expose practicing physicians to core concepts of CUS, improve their comfort level, and reduce barriers to ultrasound utilization.

Flexible Scheduling Policy for Pregnant and New Parent Residents: A Descriptive Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: Many physicians complete residency training during optimal childbearing years. The literature shows that working nights or on call can lead to pregnancy complications including miscarriage, preterm labor, and preeclampsia. In addition, infant-parent bonding in the postpartum period is crucial for breastfeeding, health, and well-being. No national standards exist for flexible scheduling options for pregnant or new parent residents. Our project objectives are 1) to describe a policy for scheduling pregnant and new parent residents in an emergency medicine (EM) residency and 2) to report pilot outcomes to assess feasibility of implementation, resident satisfaction, and pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: An EM residency task force developed a proposal of scheduling options for pregnant and new parent residents based on best practice recommendations and resident input. The policy included prenatal scheduling options for pregnant residents and postpartum scheduling options for all new resident parents. Resident support for the policy was evaluated via an anonymous survey. It was piloted for 2 months in an EM residency program. RESULTS: Policy development resulted in 1) an opt-out prenatal pregnancy work hour option policy with no nights or call during the first and third trimesters, 2) a 6-week new parent flexible scheduling policy, and 3) clarified sick call options. A majority of residents approved the new policy. During the 2-month pilot period, four residents (of 73 total) utilized the policy. The chief residents reported no added burden in scheduling. Of the residents who utilized the policy, all reported high satisfaction. There were no reported pregnancy or postpartum complications. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully adopted a new scheduling policy for pregnant residents and new parents in one of the largest EM residency training programs in the country. This policy can serve as a national model for other graduate medical education programs.

Longitudinal Prospective Study of Emergency Medicine Provider Wellness Across Ten Academic and Community Hospitals During the Initial Surge of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: While the coronavirus (COVID-19) has had far-reaching consequences on society and health care providers, there is a paucity of research exploring emergency medicine (EM) provider wellness over the course of a pandemic. The objective of this study was to assess the well-being, resilience, burnout, and wellness factors and needs of EM physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A longitudinal, descriptive, prospective cohort survey study of 213 EM physicians and APPs was performed across ten emergency departments in a single state, including academic and community settings. Participants were recruited via email to complete four weekly, voluntary, anonymous questionnaires comprised of customized and validated tools for assessing wellness (Well Being Index), burnout (Physician Work Life Study item), and resilience (Brief Resilience Scale) during the initial acceleration phase of COVID-19. Univariate and multivariate analysis with Chi-squared, Fisher’s Exact, and logistic regression was performed. Results: Of 213 eligible participants, response rates ranged from 31 to 53% over four weeks. Women comprised 54 to 60% of responses. Nonrespondent characteristics were similar to respondents. Concern for personal safety decreased from 85% to 61% (p<0.001). Impact on basic self-care declined from 66% to 32% (p<0.001). Symptoms of stress, anxiety or fear was initially 83% and reduced to 66% (p=0.009). Reported strain on relationships and feelings of isolation affected >50% of respondents initially without significant change (p=0.05 and p=0.30 respectively). Women were nearly twice as likely to report feelings of isolation as men (OR 1.95; 95%CI 1.82-5.88). Working part-time carried twice the risk of burnout (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.10-5.47). Baseline resilience was normal to high. Provider well-being improved over the four-weeks (30% to 14%; p=0.01), but burnout did not significantly change (30% to 22%; p=0.39). Conclusion: This survey of frontline EM providers during the initial surge of COVID-19 found that despite being a resilient group, the majority experienced stress, anxiety, fear, and concerns about personal safety due to COVID-19, with many at risk for burnout. The sustained impact of the pandemic on EM provider wellness deserves further investigation to guide targeted interventions.

Independent investigator incubator (I3): a comprehensive mentorship program to jumpstart productive research careers for junior faculty.

BACKGROUND: In the highly competitive environment of academic medicine, junior faculty investigators face high attrition rates due to challenges in finding effective mentorship, securing grant funding, and obtaining resources to support their career development and research productivity. The purpose of this study was to describe the centralized, cost-sharing design of the Independent Investigator Incubator (I3) program as a novel approach to junior faculty mentoring and to evaluate quantitative outcomes for program improvement. METHODS: In September 2014, the I3 pilot program, a comprehensive mentorship program targeting junior faculty pursuing research careers, was launched. Participants included junior faculty during the crucial first three years of their research careers or during their transition from career development awards to more independent research. Following initial screening, the I3 mentees were paired with a senior faculty "super-mentor" with expertise in either basic science or clinical research. Mentees were provided with robust traditional one-on-one mentoring, targeted feedback from a super-mentor review committee, as well as biostatistician and grant writing support. To assess the effectiveness of the I3 program, we tracked outcome measures via baseline and 12-month mentee surveys. Data collected assessed program diversity, mentee self-assessments, evaluation of the mentoring relationship, scholarship and productivity metrics. Raw data were analyzed using a paired t-test in Excel (P < 0.05). RESULTS: Results of the baseline mentee self-assessment survey found that the I3 mentees indicated common "perceive deficits" including navigating the organizational and institutional culture, clear direction in achieving promotion and tenure, among others. When baseline mentee survey responses were compared to 12-month responses, we identified strong "perceived growth" in categories, such as Research and Interpersonal Skills and Career Development Skills. Further, productivity metrics at 12-months revealed that roughly 80% of I3 mentees successfully published a manuscript(s). The I3 program has helped generate roughly $12.1 million dollars in investigator-initiated funding after two years in the program. CONCLUSION: The I3 program allows for shared costs between institutions and increased availability of successful subject matter experts. Study results imply that the I3 mentoring program provides transformative mentorship for junior faculty. Using our findings, we developed courses and an annual "snapshot" of mentee performance for mentors.

Physician Time Management.

Introduction: Time management is an essential skill set for physicians. The importance of time management is not routinely emphasized in undergraduate or graduate medical education curricula, often resulting in the development of poor time-management practices early in training. Improving time-management practices may lead to decreased stress, increased productivity, and improved well-being for physicians. Methods: This interactive workshop targeted trainees and junior faculty. It aimed to highlight common physician knowledge gaps with respect to cognitive limitations and to teach effective time-management strategies. It also aimed to educate learners about how time management may increase physician career satisfaction. The workshop included a detailed presentation with structured resources to reinforce skill development. Results: This workshop was given four times to 54 residents in two different training paradigms. Evaluations were based on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 4 = Strongly Agree). Overall, participants indicated that the workshop addressed an educational need (M = 3.72) and would recommend this workshop to a colleague (M = 3.83). Follow-up survey results at 4 months indicated that most workshop participants had noticed some degree of improved productivity and well-being, that only a small minority had not incorporated new elements of time management into routine practices. Discussion: This workshop offers an effective way to teach time-management strategies to physicians. Our results imply that this workshop meets an early career physician need by addressing a necessary skill set. Effective time-management skills may promote physician career sustainability.

Fundamentals of Mentoring: Three Steps to a Mentee-Driven Relationship.

INTRODUCTION: Mentoring in academia is considered a fundamental element of career choice, satisfaction, and productivity. While there is an expectation that trainees and junior faculty will have a mentor, there is no standard practice for training or establishing mentoring relationships. This mentoring workshop is designed to help leaders in academic medicine train mentees. This workshop is built around the fundamental belief that training the mentee to be proactive, take ownership, and drive the relationship will not only jump-start the mentoring process but also cultivate a more sustainable mentoring relationship. METHODS: The materials for this workshop include instructor and participant resources to facilitate self-reflection and group discussion. Tools include a mentee needs self-assessment and a mentoring network map. RESULTS: Implementation of the workshop was successfully carried out in a residency program with 21 interns in their first year of training. Participants believed the workshop was appropriate for their needs and provided useful knowledge and tools to enhance their mentoring relationships. DISCUSSION: This workshop is the first session in a mentoring training series designed to provide ongoing mentoring training, resources, and tools to encourage both the mentor and the mentee to cultivate a productive relationship.