Resident Performance on the Obstetrics and Gynecology In-Training Examination After Implementation of a New Academic Curriculum.

Background The goals of the annual Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology In-Training Examination (CREOG-ITE) are to provide residents with an assessment of their knowledge and program directors an assessment of their residency programs. Research has shown that a score greater than 200 is correlated with passing the qualifying board examination. We observed a substantial number of our residents were not performing well on the exam, which prompted the implementation of a new academic program aimed at determining the impact of an academic curriculum addition on CREOG-ITE scores in an American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residency program. Methods We performed a prospective cohort study of residents at a single institution to evaluate the effect of a remediation course for residents identified as "at risk." Residents with CREOG-ITE scores of <180 were placed into the experimental group who underwent a year-long remediation program and were compared to the control group (those with scores >180 who did not undergo remediation). Each resident in the experimental group served as their internal control by comparing their pre-intervention score to their post-remediation score. Results The mean improvement of the experimental group of the remediation program was 23.2 points. After controlling for post-graduate year (PGY), their score improvement remained significant and was not simply a by-product of the inherent academic knowledge of a resident further along in training. Conclusions This scholastic remediation program was associated with a statistically significant improvement in CREOG-ITE scores, even when accounting for PGY level. This program may serve as a model for improving OB/GYN resident education.