Implementation and evaluation of a novel research education rotation for Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons emergency medicine residents.

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (RCPS) emergency medicine (EM) residents must complete a scholarly project; however, significant variation exists in Canadian EM resident research education and facilitation. We developed and implemented a novel mandatory research education rotation for RCPS EM residents intended to increase knowledge, faculty/resident collaborations, and, ultimately, scholarly output. This 4-week rotation took place in the fall of 2011 and consisted of 37 faculty-led didactic, critical appraisal, and workshop seminars. Exposure to faculty research and resulting opportunities and the development of resident research projects were integrated into the rotation. Twelve participating residents completed daily evaluations and took part in an exit focus group analyzed using a constant comparative method. Knowledge acquisition was assessed with a pre/post comprehensive examination instrument evaluated by a paired t-test. Evaluations indicated generally high satisfaction throughout the rotation. Focus group analysis indicated that residents felt two important but competing goals existed: developing a research project and developing critical appraisal skills. The research knowledge of all participants improved significantly (mean/SD examination change +35.4%/+10.4%, range +20.0% to +53.6%, p < 0.001), and several new resident/faculty research collaborations arose from the rotation. A rotation of this nature is an efficient and effective means to increase research and critical appraisal knowledge and faculty/resident collaborations. As a result of our positive experience, the rotation will continue annually and has been expanded to include pediatric EM fellows. Longitudinal tracking of the participating trainee cohort will remain ongoing to assess the scholarly output impact of the rotation.