Top 9 stories residents shouldn't miss from 2014

If you’re a busy medical resident, you might not always have time to follow the latest news for the profession. Check out the top news among medical residents this year.

• ACGME releases new expectations for residency training. Early in 2014, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) announced a new roadmap for improving residents’ professional skills. The guidance lays out six core areas, including health care quality, duty hours and fatigue management.

• Duty-hours review spotlights negative effects of restrictions. A systematic review of resident duty-hour studies found there was no overall improvement in patient outcomes as a result of resident duty hours, and some studies suggested increased complication rates in high-acuity patients.

• Study: Residents may feel less confident but aren’t less competent. Is confidence an appropriate measure of competence? In this study, only 72 percent of residents believed their ability was “level appropriate,” with many factors contributing to this lack of confidence.

• Top reasons residents leave their programs—and why they stay.
  
  A study in JAMA Surgery found more than one-half of general surgery residents have seriously considered leaving their training programs. Residents said their top three reasons for considering leaving training included sleep deprivation on a specific rotation, an undesired future lifestyle and excessive work hours on a specific rotation.

• Ways residents have found to conquer burnout. Residents are more likely to be burned out, depressed or fatigued compared to similarly aged college graduates in other careers. Residents shared what they are doing to increase their health and wellness and avoid burnout.
  

• 5 tips for managing student debt. More than 80 percent of physicians under the age of 40 still are paying off their student loans. A financial advisor explained how residents can manage medical school debt.

• How to survive residency: Advice for partners of residents. The AMA Alliance magazine Physician Family gave advice for partners of residents to navigate the difficult and stressful residency years.

• 4 ways to finish residency without falling further into debt. Residents already have significant student debt after medical school, so it’s important to avoid adding to that load. A financial planner offered tips specifically for residents to manage money on a busy schedule.

• Expert advice for getting published in a medical journal. By getting research published, new physicians can do more than just improve their CVs. Publication can help establish residents and young physicians as experts and offers a way to share experiences. The deputy editor of clinical content at JAMA offered his best advice for getting published.

Read more news for medical residents at AMA Wire®.