The Resident-Run Clinic in Podiatric Medical Foot and Ankle Surgery Residency Training: A Study of Resident-Perceived Benefit.

BACKGROUND: Resident-run clinics provide autonomy and skill development for resident physicians. Many residency programs have such a clinic. No study has been performed investigating the effectiveness of these clinics in podiatric medical residency training. The purpose of this study was to gauge the resident physician-perceived benefit of such a clinic.

METHODS: A survey examining aspects of a resident-run clinic and resident clinical performance was distributed to all Doctor of Podiatric Medicine residency programs recognized by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education. To be included, a program must have had a contact e-mail listed in the Central Application Service for Podiatric Residencies residency contact directory; 208 residency programs met the criteria. Statistical analysis was performed using independent-samples t tests or Mann-Whitney U tests and χ2 tests. Significance was set a priori at P < .05.

RESULTS: Of 97 residents included, 58 (59.79%) had a resident-run clinic. Of those, 89.66% of residents stated they liked having such a clinic, and 53.85% of those without a resident-run clinic stated they would like to have one. No statistically significant differences were noted between groups in how many patients each resident felt they could manage per hour or regarding their level of confidence in the following clinical scenarios: billing, coding, writing a note, placing orders, conversing with a patient, working with staff, diagnosing and treating basic pathology, and diagnosing and treating unique pathology.

CONCLUSIONS: Resident-run clinics provide autonomy and skill development for podiatric medical residents. This preliminary study found there was no difference in resident-perceived benefit of such a clinic. Further research is needed to understand the utility of a resident-run clinic in podiatric medical residency training.