All of our categorical residents undertake a project related to scholarly activity before graduating- whether it be in the form of independent/collaborative research, case series/reports, or performance improvement. Our house officers are well-supported by our collegial and accessible faculty at Santa Clara, but also have access to regional projects and faculty through the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.
Our program leaders and many of our clinical attendings play an invaluable role in helping residents to foster, cultivate, and hone their intellectual curiosity in developing research projects- from getting involved with existing research projects to being able to develop one more scratch. Most residents present abstracts at local or national conferences and many go on to develop manuscripts for publication. Our regional program managers also help to support IRB proposal development and the Division of Research programmers and statisticians help to support data programming and biostatistical analyses. Our research program is tailored to each resident to meet their unique individual needs according to experience and career aspirations. Dr. Seema Pursnani, a cardiologist with a background in epidemiology/ biostatistics, is the residency research director and is able to guide house staff to help meet their research goals.
Additionally, each spring, the program sponsors the Annual Resident Research Symposium which takes place over three days whereby residents have the opportunity to present their projects to the faculty, the medical group, and members of the community in a setting that showcases and celebrates their academic accomplishments. The faculty judges evaluate projects and awards are given at graduation.
Performance Improvement Projects
A vital component of our residency program is to properly prepare an individual for a career in medicine. Practicing physicians are expected to improve patient safety and to improve on processes that will enhance patient care.
Kaiser Permanente is at the forefront of quality care. We do so by having an integrated system of doctors, nurses, and ancillary services that work to provide exceptional treatment. At the same time, we are continuously looking for ways to improve healthcare delivery to our patients, at both an individual and organizational level.
Performance Improvement projects are one way of doing so. We start with identifying an area of potential improvement, then modifying and measuring a process or procedure. The end goal is quality improvement and patient safety.
Kaiser Santa Clara offers a dedicated Performance/Quality Improvement course curriculum to all of our residents. This takes place in our “Garage” located on the second floor of the Medical Office Building on campus. Each of our categorical residents is involved in multiple performance improvement project during their time in our residency program. A resident may join an existing project or create their own. As frontline physicians, medicine residents have a unique perspective on daily patient care. We encourage residents to use that viewpoint and identify area of improvement within the clinic and hospital system. If you see something that could be better, let’s do it! This is an exciting way to effect change.