Curriculum for Research Rotation

Overview :

The research rotation is an experiential rotation. The rotation occurs at Memorial Hospital , the Family Medicine Center, and other locations as appropriate for the particular project. The teaching of research in the program includes this rotation as well as experiences in the Family Medicine Center, the noon conference series, and on other rotations (See other curricula.).

Goals:

1) At the completion of this rotation, the resident will have skills which will enable and encourage him or her to properly evaluate research studies found in the commonly-accessed family medicine literature.

2) At the completion of this rotation, the resident will have the basic skills to conduct primary-care research in his or her future practice setting.

Objectives:

At the completion of this rotation, the resident will:

-- Have an understanding of the role of research in the discipline of family medicine and His/her role as a consumer of other people's research ( SBP ).

-- Have an understanding of his/her role as a potential producer of research ( SBP ).

-- Know the meaning of commonly used epidemiological terms, eg., incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality (MK).

-- Be able to state the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, and the appropriate use of common statistics and tests, eg., mean, median, mode, correlation coefficient, regression equation, t-test, chi-square, and analysis of variance (MK).

-- Be able to state the difference between statistical and clinical significance (MK).

-- Be able to describe common types of research design, e.g., prospective, retrospective, cross-sectional, longitudinal, experimental (MK).

-- Recognize and state the strengths and weaknesses of the aforementioned research designs, and correctly categorize studies that use one or another of them (MK).

--Utilize the classic 2X2 decision matrix to calculate a given diagnostic test's sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values, and the prevalence of the condition which is being tested for (MK).

-- Be able to evaluate clinical research protocols for suitability involving the use of his/her office practice (PBLI).

-- Phrase a research question in testable form (PBLI).

-- Conduct a meaningful literature search on a given topic (PBLI).

-- Assess the usefulness of a given research article for his/her future practice (PBLI).

There are no specific procedural requirements for this rotation.

Implementation:

This is an experiential rotation supervised by the resident's team leader. The resident interested in research has the responsibility of contacting the supervisor prior to the start of the rotation. At this time, matters such as research topic and investigative procedures are discussed. From this discussion, the resident is expected to develop a written research proposal which is then used as the basis for the rotation's work.

Each resident on this rotation spends a minimum of 25 hours per week on rotational duties, reading and critiquing journal articles, doing one or more literature searches, and/or gathering and analyzing data, and writing a research report. Shortly after the end of the rotation, the resident is expected to give a noon conference presentation on his/her research topic. An end of rotation meeting with the supervisor may be required to assure completion of rotation requirements. In addition, residents completing a full block of research must choose to do one of the following:

* Submit a paper or chapter for publication in an appropriate journal or text
* Prepare a poster for presentation at a regional or national meeting
* Submit a written summary of their research to the supervisor

If the rotation is completed locally, the resident must continue to meet usual residency obligations to his/her Family Medicine Center population including attending scheduled clinics, caring for continuity patients admitted to Memorial Hospital, and rounding in the nursing home. The resident is expected to attend noon conferences and abide by duty hour restrictions in keeping with usual program policies. Upon completion of the rotation, the resident must complete and return the evaluation form provided by the program.

Evaluation:

The supervisor will complete an evaluation form at the end of the rotation assessing the resident's success in meeting the rotation objectives as outlined in this curriculum.

Research Rotation Evaluation

Resident Name: Date of Rotation:

Research Topic:

Evaluation (If any questions answered “NO”, please explain in narrative section):

Did the resident spend 25 hours weekly on research rotation duties?

Yes No

Does the resident:

-- Have an understanding of the role of research in the discipline of family medicine and His/her role as a consumer of other people's research ( SBP )?

Yes No

-- Have an understanding of his/her role as a potential producer of research ( SBP ).

Yes No

-- Know the meaning of commonly used epidemiological terms, eg., incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality (MK).

Yes No

Can the resident:

-- state the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, and the appropriate use of common statistics and tests, eg., mean, median, mode, correlation coefficient, regression equation, t-test, chi-square, and analysis of variance (MK).

Yes No

-- state the difference between statistical and clinical significance (MK).

Yes No

-- describe common types of research design, e.g., prospective, retrospective, cross-sectional, longitudinal, experimental (MK).

Yes No

-- Recognize and state the strengths and weaknesses of the aforementioned research designs, and correctly categorize studies that use one or another of them (MK).

Yes No

--Utilize the classic 2X2 decision matrix to calculate a given diagnostic test's sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values, and the prevalence of the condition which is being tested for (MK).

Yes No

-- evaluate clinical research protocols for suitability involving the use of his/her office practice (PBLI).

Yes No

-- Phrase a research question in testable form (PBLI).

Yes No

-- Conduct a meaningful literature search on a given topic (PBLI).

Yes No

-- Assess the usefulness of a given research article for his/her future practice (PBLI).

Yes No

Date Noon Conference Completed:

Date project (paper/poster) submitted (if full block):

Did the resident successfully complete all of the requirements of the rotation?

Yes No

Please give a brief summary of the research project and the evaluation process:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supervisor Name: Supervisor Signature: