Effects of an Academic Half Day in a Residency Program on Perceived Educational Value, Resident Satisfaction and Wellness.

BACKGROUND

The academic half day (AHD) has emerged in recent years as an alternative to the traditional noon conference model of didactic teaching in graduate medical education. However, the effects of this change on learners are not fully understood. This study aimed to assess the effects of the AHD on attendance, satisfaction, perceived value and wellness of resident physicians.

METHODS

A survey aimed to assess housestaff satisfaction, perceived value and relevance to medical literature of the core educational curriculum was developed and validated. This, along with a wellness assessment survey, was distributed to residents electronically prior to the implementation of the AHD and again at the end of the academic year. Attendance was tracked for all conferences.

RESULTS

The survey was administered to residents before and after implementation of the AHD (response rates were 100% and 83%, respectively at these time points [n = 95]). Implementation of the AHD lead to a significant increase in average time spent in the core conference series per week (29.7 versus 64.8 minutes). It additionally led to a statistically significant improvement of resident satisfaction with the core curriculum, perceived value of the core conference series, understanding of medical literature and promotion of reading outside of work.

CONCLUSIONS

The AHD significantly improved resident time in conference, resident satisfaction and perceived educational value of the core conference series compared to a noon conference model. While challenges will exist with any educational conference model, the AHD appears to be a highly attractive approach to medical resident education.