The National Institute for Program Director Development
The National Institute for Program Director Development
Background: The role of residency program director is unique in medicine and medical education. Most program directors learn the job through trial and error, with a fortunate few benefiting from the wisdom and experience of their predecessors and mentors. In 1994, the Association of Family Practice Residency Directors (AFPRD) made the development of training and support resources for program directors a top priority.
Methods: With the support of the strategic plan of the AFPRD, the focus on excellence in residency education by the ABFP, and a survey documenting need, the National Institute for Program Director Development (NIPDD) was formed, with its sentinel product, a school for family practice residency directors.
Results: A fellowship-format 9-month training program was constructed using a multidimensional educational model. To date, there have been more than 300 participants. The curriculum emphasizes leadership development, resource allocation, a thorough familiarity with regulations and standards, educational options, and personnel management skills. A follow-up survey in 1999 documented an increase in program director tenure and an overall positive impact on family practice residency programs.
Conclusions: Enhanced preparation for the job of residency program director results in a positive impact on both the director and the program.
Central to the founding of the Association of Family Practice Residency Directors (AFPRD) in 1990 was the recognition that the role of the residency program director is unique in medicine and medical education. Within that role, residency directors must be professional administrators, pragmatic teachers, clinician role models, political activists, and standard bearers for academe in their institutions. Consequently, many directors, especially those conducting sole programs in community hospitals, have few peers in their own institutions with whom to work and learn.
The role of program director carries with it appreciable job-related stress, professional isolation, and the threat of a high rate of burnout. Seminars on burnout, offered at the annual Workshop for Directors of Family Practice Residencies, were noted to be routinely oversubscribed and characterized by emotionally laden discourses on the stresses of the job, which were aggravated by a sense of inadequate preparation for the associated demands and responsibilities. It was with this background in mind that in January 1994, at a strategic planning retreat, the AFPRD Board of Directors recognized the need for greater support for and preparation of program directors as a top priority.
Specifically, what was missing was an educational resource, tailored to the unique needs of program directors, that went beyond the typical presentation material available at annual conferences for family medicine educators, including those sponsored by the Residency Assistance Program (RAP Workshop), the American Academy of Family Physicians and Association of Family Practice Residency Directors (Program Directors Workshop), and Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM Spring Conference).
Other educational models were considered. For example, the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) offers the Physician in Management series, and several academic institutions offer masters-level programs in management, finance, teaching skills, and other aspects of medical education. None, however, could meet the broad-based needs and especially the unique challenges of the residency program director. Consequently, the AFPRD board decided to pursue the development of a school for program directors designed with their particular knowledge and skill needs in mind. This project received unanimous and enthusiastic support from the membership at the all-member meeting of June 1994.
Background: The role of residency program director is unique in medicine and medical education. Most program directors learn the job through trial and error, with a fortunate few benefiting from the wisdom and experience of their predecessors and mentors. In 1994, the Association of Family Practice Residency Directors (AFPRD) made the development of training and support resources for program directors a top priority.
Methods: With the support of the strategic plan of the AFPRD, the focus on excellence in residency education by the ABFP, and a survey documenting need, the National Institute for Program Director Development (NIPDD) was formed, with its sentinel product, a school for family practice residency directors.
Results: A fellowship-format 9-month training program was constructed using a multidimensional educational model. To date, there have been more than 300 participants. The curriculum emphasizes leadership development, resource allocation, a thorough familiarity with regulations and standards, educational options, and personnel management skills. A follow-up survey in 1999 documented an increase in program director tenure and an overall positive impact on family practice residency programs.
Conclusions: Enhanced preparation for the job of residency program director results in a positive impact on both the director and the program.
Central to the founding of the Association of Family Practice Residency Directors (AFPRD) in 1990 was the recognition that the role of the residency program director is unique in medicine and medical education. Within that role, residency directors must be professional administrators, pragmatic teachers, clinician role models, political activists, and standard bearers for academe in their institutions. Consequently, many directors, especially those conducting sole programs in community hospitals, have few peers in their own institutions with whom to work and learn.
The role of program director carries with it appreciable job-related stress, professional isolation, and the threat of a high rate of burnout. Seminars on burnout, offered at the annual Workshop for Directors of Family Practice Residencies, were noted to be routinely oversubscribed and characterized by emotionally laden discourses on the stresses of the job, which were aggravated by a sense of inadequate preparation for the associated demands and responsibilities. It was with this background in mind that in January 1994, at a strategic planning retreat, the AFPRD Board of Directors recognized the need for greater support for and preparation of program directors as a top priority.
Specifically, what was missing was an educational resource, tailored to the unique needs of program directors, that went beyond the typical presentation material available at annual conferences for family medicine educators, including those sponsored by the Residency Assistance Program (RAP Workshop), the American Academy of Family Physicians and Association of Family Practice Residency Directors (Program Directors Workshop), and Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM Spring Conference).
Other educational models were considered. For example, the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) offers the Physician in Management series, and several academic institutions offer masters-level programs in management, finance, teaching skills, and other aspects of medical education. None, however, could meet the broad-based needs and especially the unique challenges of the residency program director. Consequently, the AFPRD board decided to pursue the development of a school for program directors designed with their particular knowledge and skill needs in mind. This project received unanimous and enthusiastic support from the membership at the all-member meeting of June 1994.
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