The Role of the Residency Coordinator
Article Outline
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Organizational Skills
- Data Collection and Reporting
- Accreditation
- Resident Recruitment
- Evaluation Process
- Appointment Process and Credentialing
- Conferences and Teaching Materials
- Distribution of Schedules and Information
- Resident Research
- Budget and Payroll
- Coordination of Resident Functions
- Communications with Societies and Organizations
- Annual Residency Program Cycle
- References
- Copyright
Managing a radiology residency program is a challenging occupation. In many programs the coordinator is the only member of the residency program team whose time is devoted entirely to the program. Although coordinators at smaller programs may also have other duties, most programs now have a full-time residency coordinator due to the increasing scope and complexity of program requirements and documentation. As clinical duties have increased in recent years for most program directors, the coordinator is often the person with the most global view of the program, including resident concerns, approaching deadlines, changes in Residency Review Committee and American Board of Radiology (ABR) requirements, and upcoming changes in institutional policies.
The coordinator establishes the schedule of program office activities, sets priorities for program-related tasks, and reminds the program director of important deadlines related to program activities. As these duties imply, the rank of program coordinator is a managerial position and should be clearly described as such in the hiring documents originating in departments of human resources.
Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills are essential to being an effective program coordinator. The coordinator is the frontline representative of the program and must represent the program effectively and professionally. One of the coordinator's primary functions is to serve as a liaison: between program director and residents, between program director and chief residents, between residents and faculty, and between program director and institutional graduate medical education personnel. The coordinator is usually the first person a prospective residency applicant communicates with when requesting information about the program, and the first person to greet a residency candidate arriving for an interview.
Organizational Skills
Organizational skills are as important as communication skills for the residency coordinator. The myriad of tasks to be completed and the number of organizations and agencies requesting information require a highly developed ability to set priorities. The coordinator must identify requests that should be addressed immediately and those that are less urgent. Maintaining flexibility is important, as priorities can change daily. Organizational skills are necessary to track the ongoing activities of the program office and to maintain accurate and easily retrievable records of resident training, certification, conference attendance, and resident evaluation and review.
Data Collection and Reporting
Data collection is an integral part of the coordinator's function. Accurate records of resident rotations must be maintained indefinitely. A sophisticated database should be designed and implemented for this purpose. Many programs purchase residency program management software to assist with data collection and program administration. In addition to these internal program records, annual reports on the residency program must be compiled to satisfy the requirements of various outside organizations. GME Track, administered by the American Association of Medical Colleges and the American College of Radiology (ACR), requires annual reports of the current resident census. In addition, professional societies such as the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and the Association of Program Directors in Radiology (APDR) request information on current residents in order to offer them free or reduced memberships or subscriptions to their journals and send them other information of interest.
One important part of data collection and reporting is the process of certifying resident training for the ABR. Programs must submit detailed records of resident training to the ABR before a resident can be approved to take the ABR examinations; this information includes rotations completed, dates of rotations, and dates of all leave time taken. Generally the ABR submits certification forms to programs in December.
The coordinator should be aware that most communications from the ABR, ACR, RSNA, and other organizations regarding residency matters are addressed to the program director. These include registration materials, requests for reports, announcements of awards to residents, and requests for other information provided primarily by the coordinator. These communications frequently contain deadlines. Requests for online reporting also may contain the necessary user names and passwords for access to digital reporting databases. Therefore, if the coordinator does not have direct access to the program director's mail, a system must be implemented for appropriate and timely distribution of this information to the coordinator.
Accreditation
As part of the accreditation process for all residency programs in radiology, program site visits periodically are scheduled by the Residency Review Committee for Diagnostic Radiology. Usually the program is notified 3-4 months in advance. Preparation for these site visits is a major undertaking and is almost always managed and overseen by the residency coordinator. The coordinator should review the program information form, prepare a list of needed information and the source of that information, schedule dates for completion, and call a meeting of all personnel who will be involved in the site visit. It is critically important to allow ample time for full and accurate completion and prompt submission of the program information form. The coordinator also arranges the schedule on the day of the site visit, usually after receiving instructions from the site visitor.
Preparation for impending site visits can be minimized considerably if the coordinator regularly reviews and updates the program information forms, preferably annually. These forms are posted on the Web site of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) (www.acgme.org). Regular updating of information alleviates much of the stress of preparing for a scheduled site visit.
Resident Recruitment
Recruitment of new residents is a major activity of the residency program, and the coordinator often organizes all aspects of this process. Throughout the year prospective applicants request information about the program. All program coordinators are advised to have their program information posted on a Web site. Many have stopped producing printed materials and rely solely on Web sites to disseminate information about their programs.
Recruitment begins in earnest when the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) begins accepting applications in mid-August each year. The coordinator should check the ERAS Web site regularly and should download updated information once or twice daily, depending on the volume of applications. Procedures for the review of applications and the selection of candidates for interviews should be worked out with the program director. Many coordinators have some responsibility for initial screening.
The coordinator will be primarily responsible for scheduling candidates for interviews as well as arranging for faculty interviewers, resident hosts, and tours and other activities for the candidates. The coordinator will also oversee the preparation of information packets, CDs, or other materials given to interviewees. After the interview, the coordinator may send follow-up letters to candidates. Candidates often contact the program coordinator for additional information after their 1st visit and may request a follow-up visit. The coordinator often makes arrangements for these visits also.
The coordinator notifies the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) of changes in the quota of residents and submits the program's rank-order list of candidates to the NRMP. Additional information regarding the ERAS, the NRMP, and the recruitment process is supplied by Longmaid (1).
Evaluation Process
The resident evaluation process is complex and multifaceted. Most programs require supervising faculty to complete an evaluation form at the conclusion of each resident rotation. In addition, the Residency Review Committee for Diagnostic Radiology requires that the program director meet individually with each resident twice a year to review resident performance. Once a year the resident's procedure log must be reviewed. These reviews should be documented in the resident's file. Another aspect of resident evaluation is the annual resident in-training examination sponsored each February by the ACR. Registration materials for this examination are generally distributed to programs in the fall. Finally, the Residency Review Committee requires that residents be given the opportunity to evaluate anonymously both the program and the faculty. The coordinator is often primarily responsible for administering all of these evaluation activities.
Appointment Process and Credentialing
The selection and appointment of new residents—the focus of most springtime activity in the residency office—takes place concurrently with the termination of graduating house staff. Myriad forms must be completed for the new residents to be granted hospital privileges. The coordinator must ensure that state medical licensing board requirements are fulfilled and that payroll forms are processed for incoming house staff. There are so many functions related to processing house staff changes for the new academic year that a checklist is often helpful to ensure that nothing is overlooked. The checklist would include such duties as ordering pagers, radiation dosimeters, and lab coats; arranging orientation; and notifying all participating institutions in the program of incoming and outgoing house staff. At the same time, the coordinator is ordering certificates and arranging activities for graduating residents, such as a graduation banquet.
Credentialing of present and former residents is an ongoing task that occurs throughout the year. State medical boards, hospitals, radiology practices, and other agencies require certification of residency training for new hires. The coordinator should maintain an accurate, easily accessible database to complete these forms as expeditiously as possible. In addition, incoming residents often require completion of medical student loan deferment forms, mortgage loan forms, and other documentation of their residency status. Preparation of a few standard form letters can greatly reduce the time required to process these requests. The processing of many forms can be expedited if the coordinator is a notary public.
Conferences and Teaching Materials
Several activities related to the education of the residents normally fall within the coordinator's domain. Resident teaching conferences must be held on a regular basis, and the scheduling and coordination of these must be managed. A file of conference schedules should be maintained as part of the residency program records. Frequently, the coordinator is also responsible for organizing the resident library and teaching materials, as well as for ordering new educational materials.
Distribution of Schedules and Information
The coordinator is primarily responsible for distributing schedules generated by the program, including schedules of resident rotations and assignments, call, vacation and leave, and conferences. Other specialized schedules, such as board review schedules, may be needed occasionally. Files of all schedules should be maintained in the program office. They are used for credentialing, preparation of accreditation information forms, board examination certification, and many other purposes.
E-mail is becoming the preferred method for distributing many schedules. The generation of hard-copy schedules is declining, and residents should be strongly encouraged to check their e-mail regularly. E-mail communication can greatly reduce the time expended on these routine matters.
Resident Research
Residents involved in research may occasionally require assistance from the coordinator. Activities could include preparation of manuscripts and coordination of travel to meetings. In addition, there are two national research programs that the coordinator should take primary responsibility for administering. The first is the Introduction to Research program sponsored by the RSNA, the Association of University Radiologists, and the American Roentgen Ray Society. Nominations are submitted annually, and the coordinator should ensure that the program director nominates a resident for this program. The second program is the annual Roentgen Resident/Fellow Research Award sponsored by the RSNA. When the call for nominations is received, the coordinator should follow up to ensure that the appropriate paperwork is submitted.
Figure.
Responsibilities of the program coordinator during the annual cycle of a residency program.
Budget and Payroll
The coordinator may perform many functions related to the financial management of the residency program. In most programs a regular payroll or report of house staff assignments is submitted to the institution. This report must be accurate, as it will be used for a number of purposes by the institution, not the least of which is reimbursement from the federal government.
Many programs have a resident education fund, and the coordinator is responsible for processing expenditures from these funds. The coordinator may also be required to submit an annual budget for the program to departmental management. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology registrations and expenditures must be processed throughout the year. Finally, the coordinator may help prepare requests for additional house staff funding to institutional officials.
Coordination of Resident Functions
Many coordinators are called on to organize various functions on behalf of the program during the year. These might include a reception or other social event for medical students interested in specializing in radiology, as well as holiday parties and graduation ceremonies for the current radiology residents. Expenses for such events are often governed by strict institutional policies. Therefore, departmental guidelines should be established and a budget should be set for these activities.
Communications with Societies and Organizations
Throughout the year many organizations and agencies contact the program office for information about the residents. Some of these reports are mandatory, such as the GME Track and the Web Accreditation Data System of the ACGME. Requests from radiology organizations such as the RSNA, American Roentgen Ray Society, APDR, ACR, and ABR must also be processed. Many other requests are received from such sources as physician recruiting agencies, military recruiters, former residents in practice who are seeking new partners, firms selling products such as books and software, and other commercial agencies. The program should develop a policy for the handling of these requests and the release of information about residents to these organizations.
The Association of Program Coordinators in Radiology meets annually in conjunction with the annual meetings of the Association of University Radiologists and the APDR. Membership in this association and attendance at its annual meeting are excellent ways for coordinators to interact with fellow coordinators, learn about upcoming changes in program requirements, and expand their knowledge base regarding program administration. In addition, the National Center for the Evaluation of Residency Programs holds an annual workshop for radiology program coordinators that addresses a wide variety of topics related to the administration of a residency program.
Annual Residency Program Cycle
In a residency program, the focus is constantly changing. Every month brings new challenges. Planning ahead and knowing what is coming next eliminates surprises and last-minute crunches and reduces stress for both the coordinator and the program director (not to mention the residents). The Figure shows an approximate time line for the annual cycle of a residency program.
References
PII: S1076-6332(03)80150-2
doi:10.1016/S1076-6332(03)80150-2
© 2003 Acad Radiol. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
