Common Problematic Scholarly Activity Project Planning Expectations of Project Novices

INTRODUCTION: Scholarly Activity (SA) projects, whether using methods more traditionally associated with research and or “quality improvement” projects, have been shown to confer value to resident physicians and other project novices in multiple ways. The inclusion of community and university-based residents and faculty in spearheading SA projects has led to improved understanding of medical literature and enhanced clinical practices, arguably producing more “well-rounded” physicians. PURPOSE OF PAPER: The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of problematic expectations frequently assumed by project novices when developing and conducting SA projects. RESULTS: The authors will discuss a total of 26 problematic project-related novice expectations during five typical project phase categories. CONCLUSIONS: Learning to navigate the complexities of training to become a practicing physician, while also planning high quality SA project designs has been and will continue to be a complex challenge. The authors hope that this article can be used by supervising faculty and other graduate medical education mentors to assist the SA project novice (SAPN) plan SA projects. By establishing realistic expectations during project planning phases, the SAPN can avoid potential missteps that typically impede SA project completion.