Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
Become a Residency Educator

As we come closer to the end of the academic year and the start of a new one, I'm compelled to climb up onto my oh so very high horse and advertise once again the multitude of benefits one derives from being involved in residency education. I've written about this topic before, but I feel it is so important that it deserves repeated attention. Previously I've written, urging the interested among you to open a residency program. Today I'm going to shoot a little lower and ask you to become a residency educator. What exactly is a residency educator and why should you be involved?

Become a Residency Educator

Let's start with the first question. What is a residency educator? This is anyone who works in any way to teach residents the practice of podiatric medicine and surgery. This can take many forms, including having a resident work in your clinic/office, having them scrub into your surgical cases, provide lectures to them, participate in a workshop, provide personal mentoring, or anything else that forwards their education. Pretty much anything that you do that advances our young colleagues' educations makes you an educator.

And that, my friends, is the answer to the second question. Why I should be involved?

Become a Residency Educator Our Young Colleagues

Need there be another reason? These trainees are the future of our profession, and it behooves us all to participate in some meaningful way to making these residents the best they can be.

Do you remember what it was like when you were a resident? Do you remember all of those surgical cases you did? If it weren't for the attending surgeons desiring to participate in some way, you would have missed those experiences. Remember those certain attendings who went the extra mile to discuss various medical issues with you? How about that one attending in whose office you spent time and started learning how to run a medical practice? I can tell you with certainty that without those doctors who took the time to participate, my training would have been much the poorer for their lack.

Let me give you a quick example. A couple of weeks ago, I asked four of my partners to help me give a clinical examination to my residents. This occurred on a Wednesday from 4 - 6 PM. They helped me without asking for reimbursement of any kind. They took time away from their regular, incredibly busy jobs, to teach residents. They took time away from their families. My residents were put through an examination that will make them better doctors. They didn't have to do this. They could have easily said no, but they're resident educators.

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Here's another example. One of my partners has been working with my residents to help get them started on their required research projects. If you've ever read or written an institutional review board application, you know it's not fun. He has spent hours reading through their materials and helping to guide them. He could be doing 17 other things, but instead takes the time to educate residents.

Here's one last example. My residents go to a local surgery center for some of their cases. This surgery center is very busy, and the attending surgeons they work with have incredibly busy private practices, but despite that, they allow the residents to come and scrub cases. They are residency educators.

Become a Residency Educator Being a residency educator is also highly self-rewarding. At the most basic level, the residents make me a better doctor. They ask questions that probe deeper into subjects that I thought I already knew enough about. They teach me things they learn things from other attendings that make me better. At no other time in our careers do we receive so much input from so many clinicians, as we do in residency. This makes the residents a deep reservoir of crossed knowledge and skills that make all of us better.

So, want to make a real difference to the podiatric profession? Want to leave a legacy after you retire? Want to do something more than punch your 9-5 clock?

Become a residency educator

Become a Residency Educator Here's how. Talk to your local residency director (there's a list of approved residencies on the CPME website) or even some of your podiatric colleagues. Ask how you can get involved. Currently doing solo cases? Let them know you'd like to have residents come and help. They'll be happy for the extra cases. The residency director will know what to do. Want to give a lecture? Just let them know, and they'll make it happen. There are so many things you can do to be an educator, and it doesn't require a giant amount of your time or effort. Create your legacy by making today's podiatry residents better.