Learning by Doing: Practical Strategies to Integrate Resident Education and Quality Improvement Initiatives

A Leadership Pathway in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement for Trainees

Training house staff in patient safety and quality improvement (PSQI) requires multidisciplinary collaboration between program directors, graduate medical education, and hospital safety and quality leadership. A heavy clinical workload and limited protected time hinder trainees from engaging in a meaningful PSQI experience during their years of post-graduate training. This is further exacerbated by the lack of subject experts who are available to mentor young physicians. For pulmonary and critical care trainees who are actively involved in the management and care coordination of high-acuity patients, this lack of experience adds undue burden. The role of house officer for patient safety and quality improvement was implemented to engage those currently in training who have an interest in PSQI. Under the supervision of the hospital PSQI leaders, they are given optimal, purposeful immersion without impacting their primary training specialty. This skill set can then be incorporated into their future careers. In this review, we provide perspective on how this can be accomplished and provide a framework that can be expanded.

'Learning by doing', a model for improving the promotion of healthy lifestyles by student nurses

BACKGROUND

'Learning by doing' is a learning model based on performing actions and gaining experience. The 'nursing process' is a systematic, rational method for providing nursing care. During their university education, nursing students need to acquire the ability to promote healthy lifestyles.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effectiveness of a learning strategy based on learning by doing and grounded in the use of the nursing process, on the lifestyle of nursing students.

METHODS

This quasi-experimental intervention (before-after), performed over 2011-2022, involved 2300 nursing students at a university nursing school in Spain. The risk factors for chronic diseases-being a smoker, being overweight, or having high blood pressure-to which each student was exposed were recorded. Those positive for at least one risk factor selected companion students as 'support nursing students' who became responsible for designing an individualised care plan to reduce the risk(s) faced. To ensure the correct use of the nursing process, teachers approved and monitored the implementation of the care plans. Whether risk-reduction objectives were met was determined three months later.

RESULTS

The students with risk factors largely improved their lifestyles (targets for reducing smoking/body weight were met) with the help of their supporting peers.

CONCLUSIONS

The learning by doing method demonstrated its effectiveness, improving the lifestyle of at-risk students via the use of the nursing process.

Scholarship in anesthesiology: the role of critical appraisal, literature review, quality improvement, journal club, and presentation skills

If asked to describe the term "anesthesiologist scholar", one may receive a variety of definitions depending on the individual's area of practice, location in the world, and the generation in which they trained. In this article, we review the roles of five core elements that make an anesthesiologist a "scholar": skills in critical appraisal, literature review, quality improvement, journal club participation, and presentation delivery. Although this list of scholarly components is not comprehensive, review of each element's role in the everyday practice and training of physicians will offer insight into their evolution and may offer a glimpse into the future of anesthesiologist scholars. Overall, through the dissemination, recognition, and support of scholarship through these practices, we will continue to achieve meaningful outcomes for our patients and promote a culture of collaboration worldwide. We should ensure that these topic areas become a bedrock of medical education globally, and we must foster opportunities for those who have already completed training to develop and master these skills as a part of their clinical and academic practice.