Kristen Bettin, MD, MEd
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center
Background: Given the duty hour restrictions, many pediatric residency programs utilize a night shift rotation for inpatient coverage overnight, which often lacks the formal, structured educational opportunities that a daytime rotation may include.
Aim: To implement and assess the effectiveness of a formal night shift curriculum for pediatric and medicine-pediatric residents on the pediatric ward night shift rotation with regard to knowledge gained and perceptions about the rotation.
Methods: Residents participated in a Pediatric Night Shift Curriculum composed of online modules and weekly faculty-facilitated case discussions. Knowledge gained from the curriculum was evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to determine significance between scores of paired online pre-tests and post-tests. Resident perceptions were also evaluated using paired pre-tests and post-tests.
Results: A Wilcoxon signed-rank test found no significant difference in pre-test and post-test scores. However, resident perceptions about the night shift rotation and curriculum were generally more positive on the post-test compared to the pre-test. Open-ended questions revealed that residents felt the curriculum was relevant to patient care, but that they did not have enough time to complete the curriculum. Many found the case discussions to be the most helpful part of the curriculum.
Conclusions: Implementation of a pediatric night shift curriculum for residents on their pediatric night shift rotation is both feasible and important for resident education. The curriculum was well received, and enhanced the overall attitude toward the night shift rotation. However, evaluating the knowledge gained from such a curriculum is difficult and will require revision of evaluation materials.
