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. 2018 Jun 26:5:2374289518781575.
doi: 10.1177/2374289518781575. eCollection 2018 Jan-Dec.

Quantification of the Effectiveness of a Residency Program Using the Resident In-Service Examination

Claudiu V Cotta  1 , Deborah J Chute  1 , Karl S Theil  1
Affiliations

Quantification of the Effectiveness of a Residency Program Using the Resident In-Service Examination

Claudiu V Cotta et al. Acad Pathol. .

Abstract

This study describes a quantitative tool in the assessment of residency programs, in which national ranking of residents after the resident in-service examination in postgraduate year 4 is compared to that in postgraduate year 1. The relationship between training and changes in ranking, resident in-service examination results before and after training in specific areas are also compared. To illustrate the use of this novel approach, data from a large residency program were analyzed. The 70 residents were ranked as a postgraduate year 1 group at the 50th national percentile. As postgraduate year 4 residents, they were ranked at the 59th percentile, a significant (P < .003) improvement. There was moderate correlation between performance in postgraduate year 1 and that in postgraduate year 4 (0.61); however, initial ranking was no indication of the final (R2 = .34), with the exception of high performers. Training in specific areas improved ranking, demonstrating association between training and performance. In conclusion, the effectiveness of training provided by a residency program can be quantified using the resident in-service examination. This should provide a quantitative tool in the assessment of postgraduate programs.

Keywords: RISE Exam; education; effectiveness; measurement; residency.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A, Average resident in-service examination (RISE) percentile. The increase of 9.3% in resident rank between postgraduate year (PGY1 and 4) is statistically significant (P = .003). B, Number of residents by quintile ranking. Postgraduate year 1 had a normal distribution, while PGY4 has a skew toward high performers.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Individual resident in-service examination (RISE) percentile in postgraduate year (PGY) 1 and 4.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Correlation between ranking as postgraduate year (PGY) 1 and PGY4. There is a moderate correlation between ranking as PGY1 and PGY4 (slope 0.61); however, the coefficient of determination is low at 0.34. Dotted line = line of best fit.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Changes in percentile ranking between postgraduate year (PGY) 4 and PGY1. Overall, a normal distribution “bell curve.”
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
The impact of training in specific areas on national ranking. Training in these disciplines was offered at the beginning of postgraduate year (PGY) 2. Ranking was performed based on the performance on the resident in-service examination (RISE) administrated in the second half of PGY2. The differences in ranking before and after training are significant in both disciplines (P < .001 for both). HP indicates hematopathology; TM, transfusion medicine.
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References

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    1. The American Board of Pathology Newsletters. http://www.abpath.org/index.php/newsletters. Accessed May 30, 2018.
    1. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. http://www.acgme.org/What-We-Do/Accreditation/Milestones/Overview. Accessed May 30, 2018.
    1. American Society for Clinical Pathology. http://pathologylearning.org/residents/rise. Accessed May 30, 2018.
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