Time saving strategy: Give residents a head start on orientation

By: Diane Farineau March 30th, 2009

Editor’s Note: You can now find sample issues of the e-newsletter by clicking here.

The period of time between Match Day and orientation is a flurry of activity for residency program coordinators. Not only are you credentialing newly matched trainees, you’re organizing orientation, re-credentialing your current housestaff, planning for their rising year orientation, overseeing exit procedures for graduates, and arranging all end-of-the-year evaluations. Oh, and did I mention you’re also orienting a new batch of chief residents?

This can be dizzying to say the least!  “In all things….efficiency” is my motto as I try to keep all of these balls in the air each spring. As the coordinator of a large program (95 residents with 38 new interns each year), I have discovered a system that helps me communicate with the interns in an effective and organized manner, and pre-orient them a bit, saving myself some time on the back end.

Two years ago I pulled together an e-newsletter to send to the interns collectively. In the past, I had used mail for some information, e-mail for others. But, the GME office was also sending them mail, and the new residents seemed confused about which information came from us (the program), and which came from the GME office. I was always behind on the questions they had, and I was e-mailing each of them individually with answers.  Needless to say, I quickly realized this was a huge time waster.

I sat down and thought about the flow of information and all of the topics that I needed to communicate between March and June. I put it in order of need-to-know importance. For example, first on the list was orientation dates, pre-arrival requirements (ACLS certification, passing USMLE Step II), and how we handled schedule and vacation requests. Second on the list were salary verifications, realtor and housing information, and employment resources for spouses/significant others. Third was introducing them to each other and beginning to orient them to the program, etc.

I decided e-mail was the way to go. Many travel during these months, and no matter what far corner of the earth they’re visiting, they still check e-mail. My initial e-mail confirmed their e-mail addresses. It also outlined the use of the newsletter as “the” communication vehicle and our expectation that they would not only read, but respond to requests contained therein for information. I then sent an issue about every week until  orientation.

The format of the newsletter is quite simple. Each one has a date and contains a bulleted list of the topics covered. I try to keep it as succinct as possible. Each issue has on to-do item, such as an advisor survey request, personal survey request, assignment of an online teaching module, etc. I also try to have one fun or funny item, like a quick about their new chief residents.

I know what you’re thinking: When in the world am I going to find the time to create an e-newsletter when I can barely get tech support down when my computer crashes?

The good news is that creating the actual document doesn’t require hours of programming. I simply write mine in Microsoft Word, and then I paste it into the body of an e-mail to the group. Each issue has a few small graphics and only one or two attachments. These e-mails are small enough so even those sitting in a cyber café halfway around the world can access them easily.

Using the newsletter as the collective venue for addressing questions is substantially more time efficient than responding to e-mails individually. While they still send me questions, I don’t get nearly as many as I used to.

In each newsletter, I try to introduce a couple of the new interns, including fun facts about them, where they’re from, and where they went to medical school. This has helped them communicate and bond as a group before they arrive. For the second year in a row, one of the recipients has set up a Facebook page for the group, and they keep each other posted on when they are coming to town, where they are buying or renting houses, who has spouses, children, etc.

The feedback on the newsletter has been extremely positive from the residents. It has also gotten kudos from my GME office, who has copied the idea for their own use. This is also a great tool for fellowship programs. In fact, a monthly newsletter is a great way to keep matched fellows in the loop with your program. Because there is more time between when the fellows match and when they start, I’ve suggested that our programs use this format to highlight their programs, their research initiatives, and training opportunities.

Using a communication tool such as the weekly newsletter not only helps the coordinator manage the flow of information more effectively, it also helps to create and reinforce the tone of your program’s administration. Residents will come to expect efficient and useful information from your office and will learn to not only rely but also respect your role in guiding their training administratively. It is also a great way to share the culture of your office, your program, and your institution before they ever arrive. It allows you to pre-orient them, take care of those training pieces that can indeed be done long distance, so that you don’t have to waste valuable face-to-face training time on them. With so many tasks on the list each spring, developing an e-newsletter can be a huge time saver.

Editor’s Note: To see sample e-newsletters, click here.

What do you do to communicate with new residents prior to orientation?

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• 

Diane Farineau



Diane W. Farineau is the director of administration for graduate medical educational and faculty affairs at the University of Virginia Health System in the Department of Medicine.

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Diane has written 35 posts.

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