Optimum number of procedures required to achieve procedural skills competency in internal medicine residents

BACKGROUND: Procedural skills training forms an essential, yet difficult to assess, component of an Internal Medicine Residency Program. We report the development of process of documentation and assessment of procedural skills training. METHOD: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was adopted where both quantitative and qualitative information was collected sequentially. A survey was conducted within the Department of Internal Medicine at The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan to determine the optimum number of procedures needed to be performed by residents at each year of residency. Respondents included both faculty and the residents in the Department. Thereafter, all responses were compiled and later scrutinized by a focus group comprising of a mix of faculty from various subspecialties and resident representatives. RESULTS: A total of 64 responses were obtained. A significant difference was found in eight procedural skills’ status between residents and faculty, though none of these were significant after accounting for multiple consecutive testing. However, the results were reviewed and a consensus for the procedures needed was developed through a focus group. A finalized procedural list was generated to determine: (a) the minimum number of times each procedure needed to be performed by the resident before deemed competent; (b) the level of competency for each procedure for respective year of residency. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the opinion of both the residents and the faculty as key stakeholders is vital to determine the number of procedures to be performed during an Internal Medicine Residency. Documentation of procedural competency development during the training would make the system more objective and hence reproducible. A log book was designed consisting of minimum number of procedures to be performed before attaining competency. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12909-015-0457-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.