Competition for top medical school graduates is intense. The match process is grueling. Filling the positions in your residency program with high quality, promising doctors requires a solid strategy and time and effort to implement. By the end of each match process you have make a large commitment and that commitment is ongoing. Residents are relying on you to provide a positive developmental experience leading to licensing and the ability to practice medicine independently. Accreditation organizations are looking for you to run a program that meets all requirements. The larger medical community and potential patients are looking to you for an increasing supply of qualified physicians. The definition of qualified continues to expand and grow. It is routinely includes providing high quality care and letting patients know that the physician and medical team care about them.
However, even when you create and expertly implement a residency program, some small number of residents will falter. They will not meet milestones, other members of your team will begin to complain about their interactions and patients will complain about their experience with the resident. You may have such a situation now. If so, you are not alone. Often poor interpersonal skills, a phenomenon that negatively impacts patients and others on the medical team, and drags down the troubled intern’s engagement, energy and performance is likely at fault. The resident is making others unhappy, but he or she may be suffering the most severe effects from this behavior.
Regardless of the profession, it is not uncommon to see some percentage of the members of the profession falter and even fail in their roles. Based on what we have seen and been told over the years, this certainly appears to be true of residency programs as well.
Once you have determined that you have a resident who has critical deficiencies that aren’t directly related to medical or clinical knowledge, consider the Javelin interpersonal skills remediation program. We can’t take over the responsibility for physician development – that requires skills that you have. However, we can support you and your program; and importantly your residents in developing stronger interpersonal skills that translate into better on the job performance that will benefit patients, their families and caregivers, other physicians and caregivers on your team; and importantly the troubled resident.
We draw on deep and expansive experience as industrial and organization psychologists, behavioral scientist and practitioners to understand why a person is faltering and how to help them make positive change. Not everyone is willing and able to change, for those we are we can help. Our goals are simple. We want your people to succeed and surpass your expectations; and if they can’t we want you to know that you have done everything possible to help them. Their will own their failures and it will be despite your best efforts.
Our remediation process is fast, straightforward and effective. It only takes a quarter to bring about positive change, or to know that change is not going to occur and begin to consider alternate strategies.
The chart below outlines our process.
The process requires commitment and effort from three unique parties; the resident, JAVELIN and the residency program director or delegate. Below is more information on each step in the process.
A resident will clearly understand what he or she needs to change and will have clear objectives to help achieve the change. Objective measures will allow all parties to evaluate performance and change; enhancing engagement and trust and minimizing arguments and conflicts. Feedback and coaching will support each resident. Javelin’s professional coaches will carry much of the day to day work, but for this to work effectively program faculty must stay engaged – in providing performance information to Javelin to be incorporated in the planning and execution phases and in continuing to coach and develop the resident.
Are you ready to address these difficult issues with a partner who will treat your team with dignity and respect and ensure the best possible support? Contact us