Archive for: August, 2008
Funding to expand and add new programs
As you all know from my last “From the Pages of RPA” post, I recently completed an article about how to request funding for new programs and residency positions from hospital administration. In addition to the DIO I mentioned in my last post, I also interviewed Vicki Hamm, GME manager at University of Nebraska Medical Center and author of The Graduate Medical Education Committee Handbook (published by HCPro, Inc).
In the article she talks about how the GME leadership at her institution formed a joint planning committee with their largest participating institution. Together, they developed a business plan model for requesting funding for additional programs and residency positions. Program directors fill out one of two funding requests that the committee then evaluates and decides if they want to fund or not.
The September 2008 RPA article included a template for funding requests based on educational arguments for expanding the GME program. I didn’t have room in the newsletter to include the template that calculates the anticipated revenue the additional program or position would generate for the hospital, so I posted it on ResidencyManager. You can find it in the Forms and Documents section.
Present your ideas at national conferences
I just received a reminder that the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine is accepting workshops/abstracts proposals for their 2009 Spring Conference. The ACGME is also accepting proposals for their 2009 Annual Educational Conference as well.
It’s not just program directors and faculty submitting abstracts. I love walking around at these conferences and seeing all of the abstracts done by coordinators!
If you stop to think about all of the input we have as coordinators and the perspective we have after several years in the job, we definitely have insight and experience to share.
Take a look around at things you do well in your program and whip up an abstract for submission! You just might surprise yourself.
Quick tips for site visit and PIF success
Site visit and program information form (PIF) preparation is no easy task. With so much to do, it’s easy for the smallest details to fall through the cracks. Check for the following when getting ready for a site visit:
- Use the most current version of your PIF. Before submitting the PIF, check one last time to see if your specialty’s has been updated. If your PIF has changed, talk to your specialty executive director to see if you need to use the new PIF, or if you can submit the outdated, form. Some say yes, some say no.
- Check your WebADS information. Be sure all your additions and deletions have been recorded correctly. If something is amiss, contact your application and data coordinator for help. They are very nice to work with and quite timely in their responses.
What other little tips and hints do you readers have for those preparing for a site visit?
Intern insights
Although many interns are starting to lose their deer-in-the-headlights look, this interview with an intern from Wall Street Journal Health Blog is worth checking out.
Reading this interview gave me a greater understanding of what’s going through an intern’s head as he or she walks through the doors on day one. I think it’s really cool this emergency medicine resident feels comfortable talking about how he made mistakes, doubted his own skills, and felt overwhelmed during his first week. I’m glad to hear he’s developed a few strategies for clearing his head too. I think that’s important to develop early on because the training only gets harder.
I’m curious. . . how do the residents in your program blow off steam?
Fellowship funding
Does this title strike fear into your hearts?
This year was my first foray into the labyrinth that is funding for fellows. Training grants? Stipends? F&A? I now have a whole new list of acronyms to add to my dictionary.
That being said, I’m curious how many fellowship coordinators out there “own” this process from start to finish. Do you process the paperwork? Notify your GME about funding allocations? Does anyone have a great time line, or a tracking tool that they want to share for this? Any great tips for the newbies?
I would love to have a little feedback from the field. . .
Monday’s Poll: Hotel accomodations for applicants
Hello All!
Sorry for the lack of posts last week. I was on vacation, soaking up the sun in beautiful Newport, RI. The good news is, Diane, Ruth, and I are back in full swing this week, so keep checking back for updates.
Each residency program handles interview logistics a little differently, especially when it comes to things like providing meals, accommodations, and entertainment for applicants. Today’s poll looks at how many programs provide hotel rooms for their applicants.
The results are in: 2008 Residency Coordinator Salary Survey
For those of you who missed it, the results of our 2008 Residency Program Coordinator Salary Survey are in! ResidencyManager.com’s blogger, Ruth Nawotniak, provides some commentary on the results.
Residency Coordinator Salary Survey Summary
In the July issue of HCPro’s monthly newsletter, Residency Program Alert, we reported our annual salary survey to find out how much residency program coordinators are making. We had 102 respondents from all over the country. We know you’re curious for the results, so have a look.
The following is the breakdown of respondent salaries:
- 8% earn less than $30,000
- 40% earn $31,000-$40,000
- 30% earn $41,000-$50,000
- 20% earn $51,000-$60,000
- 3% earn $61,000-$70,000
According to Ruth Nawotniak, MS, C-TAGME, surgery residency program coordinator at University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, there are many factors that influence coordinators’ salaries, including:
- Institution type
- Whether the coordinator position is viewed as administrative or administrator role
- Location or region
- Education level
The type of institution you work at—public or private—has the biggest impact on your paycheck. Private institutions have control over salary distribution, where public facility incomes may be dictated by the state, explains Nawotniak.
Here is a breakdown of where residency coordinators are working:
- 64% work at academic or university-affiliated facilities
- 27% work at community-based facilities in rural, urban, and suburban areas
- 4% work at military medical facilities
- 2% work at specialty hospital, such as children’s hospitals or psychiatric facilities
- 3% listed other
Job location has a big impact on coordinator salaries. About one-quarter of survey respondents reported salaries more than $51,000, and data indicates that may be attributed to location. For example, thirty-four percent of coordinators in the Northeast—the largest number compared to other regions—reported salaries in the $51,000-$60,000 range. The lowest can be found in the West where 0% of respondents earn $51,000-$60,000, and the most (50%) are in the $31,000-$40,000 category.
If you’re looking for a raise, you are likely to expect it within the first 12 months of your start date. Residency coordinators most often earn a pay raise within the first year of employment, at a 3%-4% increase. Here are the official numbers:
How long did it take you to get a raise?
- Six months:12%
- One year: 63%
- Two years: 14%
- Never: 11%
How much was your raise?
- 2% or less raise: 25%
- 3%-4% raise: 56%
- 5%-6% raise: 7%
- 7%-8% raise: 0%
- 9%-10% raise: 1%
- 10% or more raise: 1%
- None: 11%
With as many factors that contribute to varying salaries, these are few that did not appear to affect income:
- Gender
- Age
- Medical specialty
- Title
- Number of residents overseen
- Term of employment
Although our data do not suggest that certification by the National Board for Certification of Training Administrators of Graduate Medical Education Programs (TAGME) directly affects salary pay, eight percent of respondents reported that they are certified, and 26% said they’re not certified but would like to be if it were available in their specialty.
The coordinator’s role is constantly evolving and expanding. To get the salary you want and deserve, don’t be afraid to show off your hard work and let your facility know that you’re a crucial part of the team. Do not be afraid to speak up, ask questions, and contribute ideas, says Nawotniak.
Note: Our data round up to the nearest whole percentage.
Finding your voice at the budgeting table
I just completed an article for the September issue of RPA covering different strategies GME and program leadership can employ when approaching hospital administration for funding. I interviewed a designated institutional official (DIO), who used to be a program director. She brought up a great point about program directors’ responsibility for budgeting that I think is really interesting.
She says that although program directors are largely held accountable for their program’s budgets, they typically do not sit in on departmental or hospital budget meetings. If a program director has a close working relationship with the department’s finance person or if he or she also serves as the chair of the department, then this really isn’t a problem. But, many program directors are not in that position.
Bottom line: In many institutions, program directors are responsible for budgets, but they do not have a voice at hospital/departmental budgeting meetings.
Departments get a lot out of residents, so it’s not unreasonable to request a seat at the table so that the program’s needs can be addressed.
The DIO I spoke with also says program directors need to become more aware of what their programs are spending. Figure out how much your program spends annually and what you’re spending it on. Because it is the start of the academic year, it’s a great time to start keeping a list of expenditures. This way, if you do have to go to the budgeting committee to request more funding, you have some cold hard data to rely on.
Does anyone have some unique ideas for finding funding for GME programs? Please share them!
Workshop for coordinators and program directors
Hi All-
This year, I am speaking at HCPro’s 3rd Annual Residency Program Management Workshop September 25-26 in Chicago, IL. It is going to be two days packed with essential information for program coordinators and directors.
I’m presenting several sessions. To find out more about what the topics I’m going to cover, listen to my interview with Julie below.
What’s in store for attendees of the 3rd Annual Residency Program Management Workshop
As many of you may be aware, our 3rd Annual Residency Program Management Workshop is coming up in Chicago September 25 and 26th.
Listen to what Franklin Medio, PhD, GME consultant, former DIO, and speaker at our seminar has to say about the sessions he is presenting on resident remediation and curriculum development. Look out for more sound clips from our other speakers coming soon.
To learn more about the seminar, visit the Seminar page.
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