Criteria for Excellence | Chapter 8H: Research and scholarly activity

Build a culture of research, scholarship, scientific inquiry and lifelong learning.

Build a culture of research and scholarly activity in family medicine residency

A Program of Excellence supports and develops a culture of intellectual curiosity, scientific inquiry, and advancement of new knowledge in order to train residents to be lifelong learners and contribute to scholarship in family medicine. Family medicine faculty members are integral to both patient care and the incorporation of scholarly activity in resident education. A Program of Excellence makes consistent contributions to the body of knowledge in family medicine. In addition to traditional publications and presentations, there are a variety of other ways to contribute scholarly work. For example, a Program of Excellence may participate in a learning collaborative, working with other residencies to create and share scholarly activity.

ACGME requirements for faculty scholarly activity

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Program Requirements state that program faculty must demonstrate scholarly activity in at least three of the following domains of scholarship:

  • Research in basic science, education, translational science, patient care, or population health

  • Peer-reviewed grants

  • Quality improvement (QI) and/or patient safety initiatives

  • Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, review articles, chapters in medical textbooks, or case reports

  • Creation of curricula, evaluation tools, didactic educational activities, or electronic educational materials

  • Contribution to professional committees, educational organizations, or editorial boards

  • Innovations in education

Disseminate faculty scholarly work

Additionally, faculty members must disseminate scholarly work inside and outside of the program via the following methods1:

  • Participation in grand rounds, posters, workshops, QI presentations, podium presentations, grant leadership, and webinars

  • Contribution to non–peer-reviewed print/electronic resources, articles, or publications

  • Contribution to book chapters or textbooks

  • Service on professional committees

  • Service as a journal reviewer, journal editorial board member or editor

  • Contribution to peer-reviewed publications

Strengthen residency program commitment to scholarship

In addition to meeting the ACGME Program Requirements, Programs of Excellence do the following to fully embrace a commitment to scholarship:

  1. Provide support, resources, and protected time for residents and faculty to accomplish scholarly activities (e.g., access to statistical analysis; resources to support state, regional, and national presentations)
  2. Document and track resident and faculty scholarly activity to ensure guidelines are met or exceeded
  3. Strongly encourage each core faculty member to complete at least one scholarly project every five years
  4. Provide an opportunity for all residents to participate in a QI project as team leader or co-leader and take their project through at least one Plan- Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle
  5. Strive to achieve scholarly activity that consistently includes works in the scholarship of integration and the scholarship of discovery2
  6. Assign mentors to residents, fellows, and new faculty members to develop and encourage a culture of scholarly activity and to support scholarly projects
  7. Have at least one core faculty member—in addition to the program director—who contributes to the discipline of family medicine on the national level (e.g., presenting at a national meeting, holding a leadership position in a national organization, contributing to peer-reviewed publications)
  8. Have a structured curriculum that specifically teaches principles of research design, use of statistics, and principles of evidence-based medicine to all residents
    1. The curriculum should support and encourage residents’ abilities to accomplish scholarly activities and establish habits of lifelong learning and scientific inquiry.
    2. The curriculum should include didactics, group discussions, and formal critical appraisal of appropriate literature.
  9. Provide faculty development sessions that include specific training in the following skills1:
    1. Appropriately questioning residents to stimulate use of learning resources
    2. Challenging the evidence that residents use in making medical decisions
    3. Encouraging residents to teach using a scholarly approach

References

  1. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. ACGME program requirements for graduate medical education in family medicine. July 1, 2022. Accessed January 6, 2023.
  2. Boyer EL. Scholarship Reconsidered. Priorities of the Professoriate. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; 1990.

Assess your residency program

Put what you’ve learned into practice. Complete the corresponding self-assessment to evaluate your program’s current practices, identify opportunities for improvement and help guide your next steps.
Take this section's self assessment