Author Archive for: Diane Farineau
Residency recruitment requirement reminder
November 11th, 2009 
Recruitment season is such a busy time for program administrators. There are so many things to tell the applicants, like who we are, where we are, why you should come here, how to get here, what to do here. . . the list goes on and on.
Plan a program leadership retreat
July 20th, 2009
We’re all off and running! The new chiefs have started, new trainees have started, and schedules are generally stable. Recruitment is on the horizon, but it feels suddenly, albeit briefly, like a little bit of a reprieve.
Bring spouses/signficiant others into the loop on residency program events
June 22nd, 2009
I took my dog to the veterinarian this morning, and the vet happens to be the wife of one of my interns. (It’s not a big town here)
While examining my dog, she said, “Hey, isn’t there some sort of intern dinner next week? I think so, but I’m not sure because my husband NEVER TELLS ME ANYTHING!”
Now, while I completely sympathized with her (because my husband never tells me anything either) it occurred to me that I could start an e-mail list for spouses and significant others. This would allow me to communicate with them about major program dates and events. I think bringing them into the loop will not only help their family, but it will help ensure that my residents are as successful as possible at making it to program functions.
How do you communicate with your residents’ spouses/significant others? Anyone have any experiences to share in this area? Leave a comment in the box below.
Learn your new interns’ names and faces
June 12th, 2009
Does everyone hand out a face sheet, or something similar, of their new interns or fellows each year? If not, it’s a very useful resource and service!
From APDIM: Subspecialty survival
April 30th, 2009
I have just returned from a week in Dallas, TX attending our medicine conference, and I’m experiencing the buzz that results from the wonderful information sharing that always happens at these events. (Never mind that this is followed by the crashing paralysis that happens NEXT week when I realize my newly revised “TO DO” list is 85 pages long!)
My fellowship administrator and I presented a workshop on “Subspecialty Survival” during which we shared some of the organizational tips we use to keep track of the numerous years’ worth of requirements that occur in subspecialty training. We also did a lot of “comparing” with other attendees about how they run their subspecialty programs.
It appears as if the exercise we endured this year, consolidating the coordination of our programs, which I wrote about in an earlier post, is indeed the wave of the future. Inserting a fellowship administrator at either the department or even the GME level is the most logical and manageable way manage the new accountability requirement.
The “hows” of this varied significantly, and because our fellowship administrator is also the blogger for Residency Manager’s Fellowship Forum, I won’t steal her thunder.
This is just to say that if you’re interested keep an eye out for her report on this as well!
Shadowing opportunity for new residents
April 13th, 2009
While we’re on the topic of orientation. . .
We offer a morning of optional “shadowing” for all of our incoming residents. I think a lot of places may do this, but it’s new for us in the last few years.
They are generally quite nervous before they start, and they get really antsy during orientation because all they can think is “what is it going to be like?”
We let them come in one morning and round with an inpatient team. Because they are just observers, they aren’t affecting the teacher/learner ratio. We have them fill out the requisite releases ahead of time, and then they just hover and watch. They can also stay for lunch if they want to.
I find those who take advantage of this opportunity focus better during the actual orientation as it creates a mental context. It also helps them to feel more comfortable, and it generates some questions that they would not otherwise have had.
About 30% take advantage of this opportunity.
Do you offer something similar in your programs? Tell us about it in the comment box below.
Time saving strategy: Give residents a head start on orientation
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?
Handling the logistics of semi-annual evaluations
February 4th, 2009
It’s that time of year when our program faculty members get together with residents to assess their performance thus far.
For me, this is where the rubber meets the road. How can I, as administrative staff, provide all of the pieces of the puzzle so that faculty can see the whole picture of where a resident stands?
In service training exams and board pass rates
January 13th, 2009
I am assuming that most specialties have their own version of “practice boards” similar to the In Service Training Exam (ITE) taken by my PGY2 and PGY3 residents each fall. My residents’ ITE results have just crossed my desk, and the task of preparing appropriate follow up now falls to us.
Program coordinator succession planning
January 5th, 2009
I’m on the verge of being coordinator-less. One of coordinators has taken a position in the GME office.
We have about 100 internal medicine residents, and I oversee all of the administrative functions of the department, including several coordinators. So, it’s up to me to make sure the baton gets passed from my old coordinator to the new one as smoothly as possible.
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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.
Diane has written 35 posts.
