Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Feb 2024
Prevalence of Women in Medicine Programs at University-Based Internal Medicine Residency Programs.
Women physicians face various forms of inequities during their training process that inhibit them from reaching their full potential. As a response, several academic institutions have established women in medicine (WIM) programs as a support system. Our objective was to investigate the prevalence of WIM programs at university-based Internal Medicine residency programs as of December 2021. ⋯ Few university-affiliated Internal Medicine residency programs have a WIM program specific to trainees. Given the gender inequity and evidence that supports early development of leadership skills and support networks, our findings highlight a possible gap in the residency training program infrastructure.
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Letters of recommendation (LORs) are an essential component of a career in medicine. The process for obtaining certain letters, particularly those associated with scheduled periods of professional transition, often is governed by established institutional or specialty norms. The process of requesting LORs in more common scenarios-local or national awards, committee assignments, and leadership positions-many times is less clearly defined, however. ⋯ This perspective piece offers insight on how to best identify and communicate with a potential writer. These suggestions are derived from the limited relevant literature and from the authors' experience both with requesting letters themselves and writing letters as leaders in undergraduate and graduate medical education. The goal is to reduce ambiguity for applicants and ensure that writers receive the information necessary to provide an informed and effective recommendation.
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Southern medical journal · Feb 2024
Exploring Communication about Fall Risk and Prevention between Internal Medicine Residents and Geriatric Patients: A Needs Assessment.
In the United States, falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for geriatric patients. With a growing aging population, medical trainees must gain experience with geriatric assessments, including fall risk and prevention. To the authors' knowledge, no prior studies have explored who most often initiates fall discussions between Internal Medicine (IM) residents and geriatric (age 65 years and older) patients. Our objective was to determine who most often initiates fall discussions between IM residents and geriatric patients and the barriers to having these discussions. ⋯ Most patients have conversations about falling with their physicians, but discrepancies exist regarding who initiates them. Data from this study suggest that attendings may be instrumental in starting these conversations. Reminder systems and fall risk didactic curricula may increase resident-initiated fall discussions.