Education Priority Setting: A Multi-stakeholder Survey Study of the Didactic Curriculum of an Adult Neurology Residency Program
Sanem Uysal1, Carol Swetlik1, Maryann Mays1, Payal Soni1, Robert Marquardt1, A. Blake Buletko1, Lindsay Ross1
1Cleveland Clinic
Objective:
To create a dedicated, multi-stakeholder feedback survey focused on residency didactic education and utilize corresponding results to prioritize educational initiatives
Background:
The didactic curriculum constitutes a significant component of trainee education, but existing program performance measures provide very little focused feedback on this element of learning.
Design/Methods:
We designed three overlapping online surveys targeting residents, teaching faculty, and alumni of the adult neurology residency program at the our institution following best practice survey development recommendations. Surveys were sent out over email in the spring of 2023. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses.
Results:
Survey response rate for the current residents was 78% (39/50), 29% (28/98) for teaching faculty, and
7% for alumni (27/386). Residents and faculty differed on their views of the ideal overall goal of the didactic curriculum with 62% of residents selecting “review of foundational knowledge” and 54% of faculty selecting “application of concepts to practice.” However, residents and faculty aligned on their most desired and most used interactive teaching strategies respectively, with both groups selecting case-based learning, questioning, and discussions as their top three strategies.
Alumni reported the three most important areas to cover in didactics were cerebrovascular diseases, neurological exam skills, and epilepsy. Residents reported the three strongest areas of our current curriculum were cerebrovascular diseases, neuroimmunology and neuromuscular medicine. Faculty and residents agreed the weakest areas of resident performance were in EMG and neuro-ophthalmology. Faculty additionally reported weakness in the business of medicine, while residents reported additional weakness in neuroanatomy.
Conclusions:
The unique perspectives of residents, faculty, and alumni may allow us to bridge gaps between teachers and learners and ensure our residents are well-equipped for practice in a variety of settings and
locations. Periodic surveying of the stakeholders can provide a pulse measurement of didactic curriculum as it pertains to both groups.