• The MedEdge
  • Posts
  • 15 Years of Program Director Experience in 5 Tips

15 Years of Program Director Experience in 5 Tips

Plus: Boost Your Educator Cred by Ditching this Common Term

Author

Kyan Lynch
August 25, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

👋Hey, it's Ky. I'm so glad to have you in the MedEdge community.

As always, this week’s Newsletter is in SOAP note format:

  • Subjective: An expert opinion or exciting idea

  • Objective: A fact, insight, or pro-tip

  • Assessment: Call for ideas + highlights from last week's responses

  • Plan: Upcoming dates and events

Subjective: 15 Years of Program Director Experience in 5 Tips

Dr. Erin Duecy is a urogynecologist and seasoned medical educator based in Rochester, NY.

She has served as a residency program director, Assistant Designated Institutional Official, Chair of the American Urogynecological Society Fellowship Training Committee, and is now entering her 6th year as the fellowship director for Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at the University of Rochester.

🧠She knows her GME stuff.

I asked her to do the (almost) impossible: distill her experience into 5 top tips. And she delivered!

Here are Dr. Duecy’s 5 Tips from 15 Years in Graduate Medical Education Leadership:

#1 📖 Read the Common Program Requirements (at Least) Once a Year

Let’s be honest—the ACGME Common Program Requirements aren’t exactly a 🏖️ beach read. They’re long, dense, and even the subsections have subsections. But ignoring them is not an option—they’re essentially your answer key.

#2 🍽️ Serve Up the ACGME Survey

You can’t tell your faculty and trainees how to answer the annual ACGME survey, but you can (and should) ensure they understand its significance, how it’s “graded,” what the questions mean, and remind them of any relevant program resources they might suddenly forget about when they open the survey.

#3 😴 Don’t Sleep on This Email

The ACGME sends out a weekly email—make sure you read it.

#4 📢 Raise Your Voice

The ACGME occasionally sends out “Review for Comment” notices. Take advantage of these opportunities. Your unique perspective as a PD is valuable, and the ACGME needs to understand how their decisions impact your day-to-day reality.

#5 🏃 Pace Yourself

Becoming a PD is like buying a house 🏠. Maybe it’s brand new and everything needs to be set up from scratch. Maybe it’s a fixer-upper with a long list of repairs. Or perhaps it seemed perfect until you moved in and started noticing the cracks. No matter what type of house you’ve bought, you can’t rebuild it to perfection overnight. Take it one step at a time.

Objective: Boost Your Ed Cred by Ditching this Common Term

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard or read about “learning styles” I’d… probably be writing this from a beach somewhere 🏖️ (I’m definitely not).

You’ve likely come across the (in)famous concept. Honestly, it’s a compelling idea—that we each have a primary method of learning that works best for us, sort of like a superpower 🦹.

But here’s the thing: it’s just not true.

The idea that we learn best when information is tailored to our preferred learning style—whether 👁️ visual, 👂 auditory, 📖read-write or 🖐️kinesthetic—has been debunked by research. Studies show that matching instruction to learning styles doesn’t improve outcomes and can even limit potential by reinforcing a fixed mindset 🫠.

So why does this myth persist? Probably because it’s tempting to think there’s a perfect 'key' to every learner’s success, just waiting to be discovered. But education isn’t that simple. We learn best when we engage with material in multiple ways, regardless of our “style.”

Just like with foods, it’s normal to have preferences (#LessHatersMoreTaters 🥔) for how you like to learn, but instead of sticking to just one, a balanced “diet” of learning experiences is recommended.

Ready for a challenge 💪? Try incorporating all 4 “styles” in an upcoming teaching opportunity. You might be surprised at how engaging and effective the experience becomes for both you and your learners.

Bottom line: real friends don’t let friends believe in “learning styles”. Go forth and be a real friend 🙌

Assessment: The Best Study Adjustment

Last Week’s Question: How do you know when you’ve found the one?

Top Answer:

“When you tell everyone you’re going into A but you can’t stop talking about B”

This Week’s Question:

What’s the best study adjustment you’ve advised learners to make?

Reply with your thoughts, and you might be featured next week!

Plan: Upcoming Dates & Events

Want to share an upcoming event? Respond to this email directly with the date, title, and URL for more information.

How was this week's newsletter?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Did you find this helpful? Forward it to a friend!

Are you that lucky friend? Subscribe here 😄

P.S - This newsletter is free - forever. If you are enjoying it and want to help continue its growth, you can buy me a coffee ☕