Curriculum Innovation: A Standardized Experiential Simulation Curriculum Equips Residents to Face the Challenges of Chief Year.

INTRODUCTION AND PROBLEM STATEMENT

A chief resident's role incorporates administrative, academic, and interpersonal responsibilities essential to managing a successful residency program. However, rising chief residents receive little formal exposure to leadership training.

OBJECTIVES

To (1) define leadership styles; (2) understand the effect of cultural competence on leadership styles; (3) learn effective methods to advocate as the chief resident; (4) provide effective peer feedback; (5) provide effective supervisor feedback; (6) learn effective conflict management; (7) ensure psychological safety.

METHODS AND CURRICULUM DESCRIPTION

We developed a 1-day curriculum combining didactics and simulation activities for our program's rising chief residents. Implementation of our curricular design included a morning session focusing on small groups and didactic-based lectures on specific topics pertinent to leadership, along with a debriefing of a psychometric evaluation tool administered before the curriculum day. The simulation activity consisted of 3 group objective structured clinical examination (G-OSCE) scenarios: (1) providing a struggling junior trainee with feedback; (2) debriefing an adverse clinical outcome as the team leader; (3) navigating a challenging situation with a supervising physician. Standardized participants were surveyed for specific objectives. Learners completed precurricular and postcurricular surveys on their familiarity and preparedness for their chief year.

RESULTS AND ASSESSMENT DATA

Comparison of preintervention (n = 16) and postintervention (n = 10) data shows improvements in familiarity with leadership models ( = 0.006), cultural competence in leadership ( = 0.027), and team organizational structure ( = 0.010) with notable improvement in report of advocating for the team to 100% of participants in the postcurricular survey. In addition, although not statistically significant, familiarity with specific strategies for feedback delivery improved ( = 0.053), as did learner comfort levels with feedback delivery (comparing 51% of learners were either very or somewhat comfortable precurriculum to 90% postcurriculum). This is further supported by standardized participant data after the G-OSCEs. Although familiarity with wellness resources did improve across learners ( = 0.421), learner-reported use of wellness resources was noted to be reduced after the curricular intervention and remains a result of further interest for exploration.

DISCUSSION AND LESSONS LEARNED

A 1-day leadership development curriculum combining didactics and simulation is an effective means of preparing rising chief residents to succeed in their transition to this leadership role.