The development of a TED-Ed online resident research training program

Abstract

Background

Pediatric health research is important for improving the health and well-being of children and their families. To foster the development of physicians’ research competencies, it is vital to integrate practical and context-specific research training into residency programs.

Purpose

To describe the development of a resident research training program at one tertiary care pediatric academic health sciences center in Ontario, Canada.

Methods

We surveyed residents and pediatricians/research staff to establish the need and content for a resident research training program.

Results

Residents and resident research supervisors agreed or strongly agreed that research training is important for residents. However, few residents and supervisors believed that their academic health sciences center provided adequate training and resources to support resident research. As such, an online resident research training program was established. Residents and supervisors agreed that the program should focus on the following topics: 1) critically evaluating research literature, 2) writing a research proposal, 3) submitting an application for research funding, and 4) writing a manuscript.

Discussion

This highly accessible, context-specific, and inexpensive online program model may be of interest and benefit to other residency programs as a means to enhance residents’ scholarly roles. A formal evaluation of the research training program is now underway.

• residents
• scholar
• e-learning
• pediatrics

Conflict of interest and funding

This study was funded by the Faculty of Medicine (Postgraduate Medical Education) at the University of Ottawa.