The Armstrong Institute Resident/Fellow Scholars: A Multispecialty Curriculum to Train Future Leaders in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement

The objective was to determine if a year-long, multispecialty resident and fellow quality improvement (QI) curriculum is feasible and leads to improvements in QI beliefs and self-reported behaviors. The Armstrong Institute Resident/Fellow Scholars (AIRS) curriculum incorporated (a) a 2-day workshop in lean sigma methodology, (b) year-long interactive weekly small-group lectures, (c) mentored QI projects, and (d) practicum-based components to observe frontline QI efforts. Pre–post evaluation was performed with the Quality Improvement Knowledge Application Tool (QIKAT) and the Systems Thinking Scale (STS) using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. Sixteen residents and fellows started the AIRS curriculum and 14 finished. Scholars’ pre and post mean scores significantly improved: STS 3.06 pre versus 3.60 post (P <.01) and QIKAT 1.24 pre versus 2.46 post (P <.01). Most scholars (92%) agreed that skills learned in the curriculum will help in their future careers. A multispecialty QI curriculum for trainees is feasible and increases QI beliefs and self-reported behaviors.