Managing One's Age in Age-Dissimilar Mentoring Relationships.

The aging of the workforce creates opportunities for experienced employees to share expertise with newer employees, via mentoring relationships. Age-dissimilar interactions, however, like those between mentor and protégé, can engender challenging interpersonal dynamics such as concern about how others view and respond to them. The current study examines the unique challenges and opportunities of age-dissimilar mentoring relationships, using a sample of doctor and lawyer protégés. Findings suggest that age dissimilarity does not play as large of a role in mentoring relationship outcomes as age-related behaviors. How one manages their age seems to be more important, such that managing one's age in a positive way by redefining age-related stereotypes rather than switching attention away from stereotypes is better for mentoring relationship outcomes no matter the age difference between mentor and protégé. Implications, inferences, and limitations are discussed.

Don't go barking up the wrong tree: Thinking beyond infection in a toddler with stridor.

A toddler presented to the emergency department with persistent stridor and barky cough for 4 weeks and progressive dysphagia for 1 week. During this time, he had sought medical attention 6 additional times and had been treated for pneumonia, wheezing and croup, receiving antibiotics and several courses of steroids without improvement. On the final presentation, airway imaging did not reveal a foreign body. However, bedside laryngoscopy demonstrated bilateral vocal cord paralysis. Further imaging revealed an intracranial posterior fossa mass which provided the unifying diagnosis for his persistent symptoms.

An educational intervention to facilitate appropriate subspecialty referrals: a study assessing resident communication skills.

BACKGROUND: Our goal was to improve pediatric residents' advanced communication skills in the setting of referral to address the entrustable professional activity of subspecialty referral identified by the American Board of Pediatrics. To accomplish this aim, we created a referral and consultation curriculum to teach and assess core communication skills in subspecialty referral involving an adolescent with syncope, an anxiety-provoking symptom that is rarely associated with serious pathology. METHODS: We utilized blended multimodal educational interventions to improve resident communication skills in referral of patients. Trainees participated in 1) an interactive online module on syncope focusing on "red-flag" symptoms that would warrant a subspecialty cardiology referral and 2) a 4-h intervention with Standardized Parents (SPs), focusing on the case-based application of communication skills. Communication skills were assessed by two pre- and post- Objective Structured Clinical Examination encounters of patients with syncope, with an SP evaluation using a 20-item checklist. Analysis was performed with Sign test and McNemar's test. Trainees provided feedback on a Critical Incident Questionnaire, which was analyzed qualitatively. RESULTS: Sixty-four residents participated. There was an overall improvement in communication skills based on SP scores (82.7 ± 10.9% to 91.7 ± 5.0%, p < 0.001), and 13/20 items demonstrated significant improvement post-intervention. Residents' improved performance enabled them to address patient/family emotions, explain referral logistics, and clarify concerns to agree on a plan. CONCLUSIONS: By participating in this curriculum, residents' communication skills improved immediately post-intervention. Further research is needed to assess if this intervention improves patient care by providing residents with enduring skills to judiciously manage the referral process.

Increasing Pediatric Residency Class Diversity to Improve Patient Outcomes and Address Structural Racism.

PROBLEM: The racial and ethnic makeup of physicians in the United States does not reflect that of the communities they serve. Addressing this disparity may improve patient outcomes and combat structural racism. APPROACH: Starting in 2014, the pediatric residency program at Children's National Hospital deliberately worked to assemble residency classes with racial and ethnic diversity that was similar to that of the Washington, DC, community it served. This work consisted of 3 initiatives: the Minority Senior Scholarship Program (MSSP), a pipeline program for rising fourth-year underrepresented in medicine (UIM) medical students to expose them to careers in academic pediatrics; an enhanced applicant recruitment process for UIM applicants; and mechanisms like a diversity dinner series for UIM residents to find the support they need to succeed. OUTCOMES: Since its inception in 2015, 73 participants have completed the MSSP, with 26% (19/73) going on to match at Children's National Hospital. An additional 12 participants are completing the program during the 2022 Match cycle. The MSSP has also increased participants' self-reported interest in pursuing a career in academic pediatrics, from 70% (14/20) before participation to 95% (19/20) after participation. In addition, the enhanced recruitment efforts have proven fruitful. The percentage of UIM interns at Children's National Hospital has increased from 5% (2/40) in 2014 to 51% (21/41) in 2021. NEXT STEPS: The dimensions of diversity included in these initiatives will be expanded to include individuals from other marginalized populations, such as certain individuals of Southeast Asian descent, those who identify as LGBTQ+, and those with disabilities. An antiracism initiative has also been implemented in the residency program in collaboration with the hospital and partner medical schools.

The Enhanced Brief Structured Observation Model: Efficiently Assess Trainee Competence and Provide Feedback.

Introduction: The regular observation of trainees is essential to ascertain trainee proficiency in competency-based assessments. Unfortunately, observation of residents is not frequent enough to facilitate entrustment decisions, and the busy clinician-educator may not have the tools or time to conduct effective and efficient observations. Methods: We created a hands-on faculty development workshop utilizing an enhanced variation of the brief structured observation (BSO) technique to train both primary care and subspecialty pediatric faculty on how to effectively and efficiently observe trainees. The workshop has provided faculty a practical approach to observing trainees in a focused fashion and providing effective feedback on clinical skills based on their observation. In the workshop, faculty had an opportunity to observe residents taking an unrehearsed history from a medical student simulating an acutely ill patient, culminating in feedback on the residents' performance using the subjective, objective, assessment, and plan (SOAP) format. Results: This faculty development workshop has been presented to more than 100 faculty both locally and nationally, and feedback has been uniformly positive, with three institutions incorporating this model into their programs to date. Discussion: This enhanced BSO workshop promotes a model that streamlines the observations of trainees and provides faculty with the tools to encourage more observations.

Entrustable Professional Activities: Correlation of Entrustment Assessments of Pediatric Residents With Concurrent Subcompetency Milestones Ratings.

BACKGROUND: In competency-based medical education, subcompetency milestones represent a theoretical stepwise description for a resident to move from the level of novice to expert. Despite their ubiquitous use in the assessment of residents, they were not designed for that purpose. Because entrustable professional activities (EPAs) require observable behaviors, they could serve as a potential link between clinical observation of residents and competency-based assessment. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that global faculty-of-resident entrustment ratings would correlate with concurrent subcompetency milestones-based assessments. METHODS: This prospective study evaluated the correlation between concurrent entrustment assessments and subcompetency milestones ratings. Pediatric residents were assessed in 4 core rotations (pediatric intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, general inpatient, and continuity clinic) at 3 different residency training programs during the 2014-2015 academic year. Subcompetencies were mapped to rotation-specific EPAs, and shared assessments were utilized across the 3 programs. RESULTS: We compared 29 143 pairs of entrustment levels and corresponding subcompetency levels from 630 completed assessments. Pearson correlation coefficients demonstrated statistical significance for all pairs (P < .001). Multivariate linear regression models produced R-squared values that demonstrated strong correlation between mapped EPA levels and corresponding subcompetency milestones ratings (median R 2 = 0.81; interquartile range 0.73-0.83; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a strong association between assessment of EPAs and subcompetency milestones assessment, providing a link between entrustment decisions and assessment of competence. Our data support creating resident assessment tools where multiple subcompetencies can be mapped and assessed by a smaller set of rotation-specific EPAs.

Successful Implementation of a Novel Collaborative Interprofessional Educational Curriculum for Nurses and Residents in a Pediatric Acute Care Setting.

Interprofessional collaboration is vital to maintain a successful healthcare team. We describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of an interprofessional educational curriculum on a large inpatient, acute care pediatric unit. Our objective was to improve attitudes towards collaborative care and collegial relations between staff nurses and pediatric medical residents. Nurses and residents participated in several interventions including a video for the nurses, a video for the residents, a team-building exercise, and three interprofessional clinical simulations. Participants' attitudes toward collaborative care were evaluated by a self-reported questionnaire, adapted from several validated survey instruments, before and after the intervention. Each question was mapped to one of the four domains of interprofessional practice: Teams and Teamwork, Interprofessional Communication, Values and Ethics for Interprofessional Practice, and Roles and Responsibilities. The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators - Practice Environment Scale (NDNQI-PES) question on collegial nurse and physician relations was also queried to corroborate these findings. There was a statistically significant improvement in the nurses' response to 7/24 (29%) survey questions, of which 4 were within the domain of Teams and Teamwork. There was a statistically significant improvement in the residents' response to 5/24 (21%) questions, of which 3 fell within the domain of Interprofessional Communication. None of the survey questions demonstrated a statistically significant decrease. There was also an improvement on NDNQI-PES scores for the target unit, both during and immediately following the intervention. In conclusion, this educational curriculum involving nurses and residents led to improved participants' attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration.

Tools for Learning About the Referral and Consultation Process for Pediatric Residents.

Management of referral and consultation is an entrustable professional activity for pediatric residents; however, few tools exist to teach these skills. We designed and implemented tools to prompt discussion, feedback, and reflection about the process of referral, notably including the family's perspective.

Children With Medical Complexity: A Web-Based Multimedia Curriculum Assessing Pediatric Residents Across North America.

OBJECTIVE: No standardized curricula exist for training residents in the special needs of children with medical complexity. We assessed resident satisfaction, knowledge, and behavior after implementing a novel online curriculum composed of multimedia modules on care of children with medical complexity utilizing virtual simulation. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of residents across North America. A Web-based curriculum of 6 self-paced, interactive, multimedia modules was developed. Readings for each topic served as the control curriculum. Residents were randomized to 1 of 2 groups, each completing 3 modules and 3 sets of readings that were mutually exclusive. Outcomes included resident scores on satisfaction, knowledge-based assessments, and virtual simulation activities. RESULTS: Four hundred forty-two residents from 56 training programs enrolled in the curriculum, 229 of whom completed it and were included in the analysis. Subjects were more likely to report comfort with all topics if they reviewed modules compared to readings (P ≤ .01 for all 6 topics). Posttest knowledge scores were significantly higher than pretest scores overall (mean increase in score 17.7%; 95% confidence interval 16.0, 19.4), and the mean pre-post score increase for modules was significantly higher than readings (20.9% vs 15.4%, P < .001). Mean scores on the verbal handoff virtual simulation increased by 1.1 points (95% confidence interval 0.2, 2.0, P = .02). There were no significant differences found in pre-post performance for the device-related emergency virtual simulation. CONCLUSIONS: There was high satisfaction, significant knowledge acquisition, and specific behavior change after participating in this innovative online curriculum. This is the first multisite, randomized trial assessing satisfaction, knowledge impact, and behavior change in a virtually simulated environment with pediatric trainees.

Is There a Return on a Children's Hospital's Investment in a Pediatric Residency's Community Health Track? A Cost Analysis.

Academic Medical Centers incur significant expenses associated with training residents and caring for underserved populations. No previous studies have analyzed hospital-level graduate medical education economics for pediatric residency training. Using data from the 2010-2011 academic year, we quantified total direct costs per year for training 12 community health track (CHT) residents. Utilizing sensitivity analyses, we estimated revenues generated by residents in inpatient and outpatient settings. The total yearly direct cost of training 12 CHT residents was $922,640 including salaries, benefits, and administrative costs. The estimated additional yearly inpatient net revenue from attending-resident clinical teams compared to attendingonly service was $109,452. For primary care clinics, the estimated yearly revenue differential of resident-preceptor teams was $455,940, compared to attending-only clinics. The replacement cost of 12 CHT residents with advanced practitioners was $457,596 per year.This study suggests there is positive return on a children's hospital's investment in a CHT.

Personal Digital Assistant-Based Self-Work Sampling Study of Pediatric Interns Quantifies Workday and Educational Value.

OBJECTIVE: Optimizing clinical proficiency and education of residents has become more important with restricted residency duty hours. Our objective was to investigate how interns spend their time on inpatient rotations and the perceived educational value of workday activities. METHODS: We performed a descriptive self-work sampling study using a personal digital assistant (PDA) to randomly query interns on inpatient rotations in real time regarding their activity and the perceived educational value of that activity on a 4-point Likert scale. RESULTS: A total of 31 interns participated on 88 workdays over a 5-month period, generating 2082 samples from which the average workday was modeled. Time spent using the electronic health record (EHR) accounted for 33% of intern time, communicating with the health care team 23%, educational activities 17%, and time with patients and families 12%. Time with patients and families was perceived to be the most educational part of clinical service. Time spent using the EHR was perceived as the least educational. Interns perceived clinical service as excellent or good 37% of the time, while planned educational activities were perceived as excellent or good 81% of the time. CONCLUSIONS: Interns spend the majority of their time using the EHR and communicating with the health care team. Interns perceive time spent in planned educational activities has more educational value than time spent in clinical service. The distribution of daily activities is discordant with the perceived educational value of those activities.

Comparison of Febrile Infants With Enterococcal and Gram-negative Urinary Tract Infections.

BACKGROUND: Few data exist on the presentations and clinical courses of infants with enterococcal urinary tract infections (UTI). The objective of this study was to compare the clinical presentation, sensitivity of urinalysis (UA) and Gram's stain, radiological abnormalities and adverse events of febrile infants with enterococcal UTIs to those with Gram-negative UTIs. METHODS: Retrospective study of febrile (≥38.0°C) infants 29-60 days of age with UTIs at 20 emergency departments. UTI was defined as growth of (1) ≥50,000 colony forming units (CFUs)/mL of a single pathogen; or (2) either 10,000 to <50,000 CFUs/mL or 10,000-100,000 CFUs/mL (depending on laboratory reporting) with a positive UA or Gram's stain. RESULTS: Thirty-seven (2.0%) of 1870 infants with febrile UTIs had enterococcal UTIs. On bivariable analysis, infants with enterococcal UTIs more frequently had histories of prematurity, previous hospitalizations, histories of genitourinary abnormalities, previous UTIs and ill-appearance in the emergency department compared with infants with Gram-negative UTIs (all P <0.05). On multivariable analysis, ≥ grade 3 vesicoureteral reflux (adjusted odds ratio 3.2, 95% confidence interval: 1.4, 7.6) and hydronephrosis (adjusted odds ratio 3.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.4, 7.9) were associated with enterococcal UTIs. Both groups had similar low risks of adverse events or severe clinical courses. The urine white blood cell count alone or in combination with leukocyte esterase was more sensitive for Gram-negative than enterococcal UTIs (range 80.4%-93.9% vs. 50.0%-75.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Febrile infants with enterococcal UTIs had a low likelihood of adverse events or severe clinical course, similar to those with Gram-negative UTIs. Infants with enterococcal UTIs frequently had underlying hydronephrosis and/or vesicoureteral reflux. The preliminary diagnosis of enterococcal UTIs may be inaccurate if based on UA.

Written and Online Residency Guidebook to Improve Resident Efficiency and Knowledge of Best Patient Care Practices.

INTRODUCTION: Residents at most institutions change rotations every 2 to 4 weeks. It often takes significant time for residents to become acclimated to the different protocols, expectations, and environments of each unique rotation. As a result, residents often spend time searching for answers, time that could be spent in outside learning and direct patient care. The goal of this resource is to provide a novel guidebook that improves residents' efficiency and knowledge of best patient care practices. METHODS: The guidebook begins with an introductory chapter with key contact information that can be filled in for the user's institution, which is followed by 16 rotation-specific chapters. A rotation-based approach was chosen as it focuses the content on the most pertinent information. Thus, trainees can quickly read a chapter to cover the most pertinent content for their current rotation. As a surrogate marker for efficiency, noon-conference attendance logs were queried to assess improvement in on-time attendance after introduction of the guidebook. RESULTS: After introduction of the learning resources, on-time arrival to noon conference improved for all residents and interns. Guidebook survey results were universally favorable; however, around half of respondents stated that they used the guidebook once or less per rotation. DISCUSSION: Underutilization of these resources potentially contributed to the lack of a statistically significant improvement overall. Future directions should focus on augmenting the quality and utilization of the guidebook and then reevaluating if, once well adopted, there is a sustained benefit.

Empathy, Sense of Power, and Personality: Do They Change During Pediatric Residency?

OBJECTIVES: Empathy is a critical competency in medicine. Prior studies demonstrate a longitudinal decrease in empathy during residency; however, they have not included pediatric residents. The relations among the expression of empathy, sense of power (ability to influence other's behavior), and personality traits in residents also have not been addressed. Lastly, there are no data on how residents compare with the general nonmedical population in their expression of empathy. The purposes of our study were to assess whether empathy, sense of power, and personality type were statistically correlated; if resident empathy declines over time; and how resident empathy compares with that of nonmedical peers. METHODS: In 2010, a cohort of individuals entering pediatric residency were given three validated survey instruments at the beginning of their first and third years of training to explore longitudinal changes in empathy, sense of power, and major personality traits. RESULTS: We found no decrease in resident empathy in 2 years of pediatric training, no changes in their sense of power, and no statistically significant correlation between empathetic tendencies and sense of power. When compared with the general nonmedical population, pediatric residents rated themselves higher in empathy. As expected, the two components of empathy (empathic concern and perspective taking) were moderately correlated. Of the major personality traits, only agreeableness showed significant correlation with empathy. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric resident empathy did not decrease longitudinally, unlike studies in other residents. There was no inverse relation between self-perceptions of sense of power and empathy as is present in the business literature. Finally, pediatric resident empathy was significantly higher when compared with a general nonmedical population.

Outpatient management of young febrile infants with urinary tract infections.

OBJECTIVE: Controversy exists regarding the disposition of young febrile infants who present to emergency departments (EDs) with urinary tract infections (UTIs). In a large multicenter cohort of such patients, we aimed to determine the variation in patient disposition and clinical factors independently associated with outpatient management. METHODS: Secondary analysis of a retrospective study of infants 29 to 60 days with fever (≥38.0°C), urinalysis finding, and culture-proven UTIs presenting to 20 North American EDs belonging to the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics. We determined independent factors associated with outpatient management. RESULTS: Of 1764 infants with UTIs, 132 (7.5%) were discharged home from the ED. The proportion of infants managed as outpatients varied among sites (0%-20.0%). Of the 132 infants, 29 (22.0%) were subsequently hospitalized after culture results were known, including 5 patients with bacteremia. None of the 107 patients initially discharged from the ED for whom outcomes were known had adverse events (0%; 95% CI, 0%-2.7%). On multivariable regression and generalized estimated equations analyses, only clinical site, presence of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, absence of vomiting, and having fewer than 10 white blood cells per microliter on cerebrospinal fluid examination were independently associated with discharge from the ED. Clinical site was the factor most highly associated with outpatient management (odds ratio, 8.8; 95% confidence interval, 5.2-15.0). CONCLUSIONS: There is substantial practice variation regarding the disposition of febrile infants 29 to 60 days of age with UTIs. Institutional practice is the strongest predictor of outpatient management. Further evidence is needed to guide the management of non-toxic-appearing young febrile infants with UTIs.