[Kelly Kovacs]

Follow-up Question —

Is anyone else getting a notable amount of “application update” type emails from applicants that did NOT signal your program?

• If so, how do you handle those emails?
• Do you then pull that application for further review, or leave it go because there’s no signal?

Seems they are trying to finagle an extra signal or something.. I don’t know.

[Kelly Kovacs]

I know this is probably a ‘me’ problem within my institution and reporting structure.. I submitted my comments to ACGME asking that “GME” not be in the title at all. I work for the Dept. of Ortho; not the GME Office and am currently fighting them forcing the change to make me report to GME.

I feel that if ACGME changes the terminology to include GME, there is less flexibility for the employer to determine organizational structure. My GME Office will surely use it as leverage to enforce “coordinator centralization”.

 

[Kelly Kovacs]

I’m in for this one as well!

I said the same thing as Courtney.. don’t know about expert, but have a standardized approach. Also similar to Helen, I have math going on in my Excel template so I only type the # of months.

Attached my template.. Its not perfect, but it helps me project numbers out when drafting the master schedule, etc. and then its there and ready when I login to submit the RRA forms to ABOS.

I have considered revamping it, but not sure I want to spend the time on that. I’m curious if there’s a way to translate out of New Innovations the way Helen does from MedHub…    Anyone have that taken care of already and willing to share??  Or a fancy AI process that’s faster (and reliable)?

 

-Kelly from Toledo

 

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[Kelly Kovacs]

I have one course option in VSLO – split into the various 4-week rotation blocks. So yes, could have 3-4 applications for one student if they applied for multiple blocks.
I draft a summary schedule so the visiting students work two weeks with the PD and two weeks with the Chair. Both PD and Chair spend time throughout the week at sites the students can’t go to so they’ll be assigned with other faculty onsite. That also allows opportunity to work with the group and all that, etc.  The admin chief resident manages the actual day-to-day assignments based on clinical care schedules. Students can request to work a certain case if interested, or with a specific faculty if they have a connection, etc.

No formal written exam. Yes, case presentation. For home students, our internal evaluation platform calculates final grades for me based on the completed evaluations.

For visiting students I do not need to calculate a final grade. I give the evaluation form from the host school to the PD and Chair to complete. That keeps it easy on me so I’m not tracking down evaluations all over. That’s who spends the most time with them after all.

I do ask for feedback from the whole group in the sense of interviewing and rank because we do not formally invite the visitors back for interviews as they interview while already here.

 

[Kelly Kovacs]

Hi Tyler,

We don’t have social events specifically for the visiting students, but they are invited to join the residents/faculty for journal club dinners or review dinners that take place while they are here with us (same for the home students – M4 acting interns / not M3s).

To note – we only have up to 5 acting interns per 4-week block so not many there to regale with a whole event.

 

-Kelly from Toledo

[Kelly Kovacs]

My residents test in-person / all residents on same day / a Saturday. An attending holds the pager during the exam.

As Laurie said, tradition of it.. They go celebrate as a group afterwards.

We’re doing Nov. 7th this year.    Had one or two residents ask about AAHKS… I could set them up with the test center to take the exam earlier than the group, but I haven’t discussed that with my PD. Not sure how serious the AAHKS inquiries were as I haven’t heard any more talk about it.

Side story– my previous PD would not allow split dates. Had a resident go to AAHKS and red-eye back for exam day. He arrived late and selected ‘C’ for every question then left. PD was not happy with the score report. Asked if we need to be concerned about the resident, etc. I told PD we don’t need to worry; he was being defiant against you not letting him take it separately to attend the conference. Heard about that OITE score for the next two years until that resident graduated.

 

-Kelly from Toledo

 

[Kelly Kovacs]

Hi Ginae,

We have a specialty specific LibGuide link from the university library that includes access to relevant e-books and journals. Residents and medical students (and faculty for that matter) can all access those resources free.

The residency program has an Orthobullets PASS account for the residents to use however they want/ prepare for OITE, run through the case-based curriculum, etc. We have just a couple residents on a study plan using Orthobullets; I track their progress once a month to ensure they’re actually doing questions regularly (poor OITE scores gets them on a study plan). The program’s overall percentile was notably higher this past year since we’ve had PASS.

 

As far as a survey goes… Hopefully you have better luck than we did getting responses. We sent a survey out to programs Fall 2024 asking what resources are used [Orthobullets, Clinical Classroom, ResStudy, UptoDate, AAOS Online, Textbooks, Podcasts, Other]. With 298 views, only 76 total responses received which wasn’t really enough for proper statistical analysis and halted progress on a publication.

 

In 2022 AOA/COERG published a paper about social media use to supplement ortho education.   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666262022000729

 

 

-Kelly from Toledo
kelly.kovacs@utoledo.edu

[Kelly Kovacs]

We use a paper evaluation as well; single sheet/one-sided..  I give them to the clinic manager to help distribute to the patients based on resident schedules.

[Kelly Kovacs]

Hi Marie,

AOA/CORD has example goals and objectives posted online that might help – https://www.aoassn.org/program-directors-resources/

[Kelly Kovacs]

Our 5th year ortho residents share the chief role as Cindy described; acting “admin chief” is on the trauma rotation with the PD for three-months. They have the additional administrative duties while on that rotation. No extra pay.

Our GME office only provides a “served as chief” certificate to those that truly served as chief resident for a full year (voted on by their program peers, etc.). I do not know if that comes with a stipend since it doesn’t apply to my program, but I doubt it.

I give a printed/cheaply framed “served as chief” certificate at graduation.. Its different than the official diplomas but still appreciated I think. We don’t have their diplomas available to hand over at graduation as we have the event early in June so it helps with photo opps, etc.

 

 

[Kelly Kovacs]

Okay, so I kinda like the provided guidelines.. I could follow the process/dates for this year as they do line up well with my students’ registration timeline, etc.

 

I forwarded the guidelines over to our Assoc. Dean of Clinical Education and the Sr. Assoc. Dean of Student Affairs so they are aware of what’s been posted.

I will also post this to our ortho student group so they are aware of the potential standardized process. Although, I fear this will drive stress/anxiety given the unknown of how many/which programs will follow the process. 

 

 Any consensus yet on whether or not your programs/clerkships will follow the guidelines THIS YEAR?
—this is the meticulous planning and education part of the standard process I mentioned… Sure AOA/CORD posted their recommendations, but are the medical schools prepared/ are clerkships prepared/ do the students know about it and are they prepared?

 

Looking forward to gaining some insight from the group in Jacksonville!

 

 

[Kelly Kovacs]

I’m in for this discussion! I also manage the ortho clerkship at UToledo, but as ya’ll are saying, Dept. Med. Ed. determines the medical student timelines and ours do not match up well with VSLO or other institutions.

I completed that CORD survey about a potential universal offer day for VSLO – that would be nice, but also I think difficult to implement without meticulous planning and education (to host schools as well as the students).

I fear we lose good opportunities to host a desired student due to internal registration timelines crossed against VSLO openings.  Also students don’t hear from me timely enough and withdraw.

VSLO opens next week, but my students won’t register for another month so I won’t look at VSLO apps until after they register and I know how many spots I have available to offer.

 

Its messy but we do it!

[Kelly Kovacs]

Hi Maggie,

Attached the self-evaluation I use for mid-year / included in their semi-annual evaluations. I assign it through New Innovations.

I do use these to help me track some of their scholarly activity and pt. safety/QI projects. 

-Kelly from Toledo

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[Kelly Kovacs]

This is our second year back to in-person. We do interviews Friday afternoon and Saturday morning with the social night for all candidates Friday evening. Its totally optional for the candidates. For some it would be after the interview day and for others its the night before.

Residents are expected – I’d like for faculty to come as well.

Last year we hosted at a local event venue downtown Toledo. This year we’re hosting on main campus/Savage Arena in the suite that overlooks the basketball court — had a push from administration to host events on campus so we’re trying it out. Catered with drink tickets. I’m looking forward to it; should be pretty cool venue for future orthopods/ sports and all 🙂

 

 

 

[Kelly Kovacs]

As Cindy said, same here at UToledo.. Our programs complete an Annual Program Evaluation (APE) within New Innovations.

Questions link back to accreditation status letter/ RRA decisions/ scholarly activity/ PEC meeting, etc. as Cindy listed. Sometimes they change a few questions and focus on certain requirements and how they’re met within the program (i.e. fatigue management education, health care disparities, and so on).

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