Chief Resident Duties
Residents (typically 2) will be chosen during the winter of the PGY-3 year to be the Chief Residents during the next (PGY-4) academic year. Chief Residents will be selected based on merit including clinical acumen, initiative, leadership, teaching, and interpersonal skills.
The Chief Residents will assume a leadership role in the program and will work closely with the Program Director and Associate Program Directors on the management and ongoing improvement of the residency program.
Duties of the Chief Residents
Resident scheduling: block, vacation, call, clinic, holiday, RITE exam, case conference, (AAN meeting coverage)
Midday didactics
RITE/Board review
Development of additional educational tools and initiatives
Resident orientation
Tips for each class
Buddy call organization
Clinic orientation and EPIC template set-up
Coordination of BAT simulations and LP training
Work with Director of undergraduate education to coordinate and improve neurology undergraduate medical education in the department
Coordinate resident participation in clerkship learning sessions (didactic sessions, LP simulations)
Coordinate education to enhance residents’ teaching skills
Resident well-being and morale
Clinic organization and Representative to the Neurology Practice Committee
Coordinate schedules for trainees from other services rotating on Neurology
Organize resident participation in applicant interview days
SIGN – information/recruitment session
M&M conferences and Patient safety morning report – Session scheduling; organize action items from each session and liaison with faculty, nursing leadership, QI representative, risk management, etc. and help organize residency/department QI projects
Compliance training and dissemination of best practices
Team room Czar
Graduation planning
Any other logistical/educational/disciplinary issues that arise
Other initiatives to improve the program
Perks of being a Chief Resident
Gain valuable leadership and administrative skills
It is an honor that will enhance your CV and demonstrate excellence.
Supplemental Chief salary support (amount will vary from year to year; typically will raise salary from PGY4 to PGY5 level).
Thoughts on the division of labor and timeline of Chief resident duties:
In the Winter/Spring prior to the beginning of the academic year, the scheduling should be completed. Some Chief pairs have had one chief take the lead on Resident scheduling and one on Didactic session scheduling, with the other serving as a check/back-up., whereas others have worked more collaboratively on projects.
Resident schedules: Remember that patients can not be scheduled for clinic follow-up appointments until the residents’ schedules are completed and clinic templates entered into Epic. Goal is to have this completed by April 1 so that 3 month follow-up can be scheduled starting in July.
Didactic scheduling: It is easier to schedule faculty for didactic sessions the earlier you do it (get on their calendar first before it fills in with other things). Goal is to have the summer sessions scheduled by the end of May and the rest of the year largely complete by September.
Orientation for the rising PGY-2 residents occurs during their Academic Neurology blocks in May/June. Current chief residents can and should assist with this, but new chiefs should also be involved as their schedule allows.
The other leadership roles will be intermittent and ongoing throughout the year. The Chiefs should discuss with the Program Director at the beginning of the year how they plan divide other duties.
Other residents’ roles:
PGY4 residents serve as the leaders of the inpatient teams when assigned as the resident on-service. They serve as role models and educators for the junior residents and medical students. Their experience and level of training make them an invaluable resource.
The program is always looking for ways to improve, and we invite residents to submit ideas for additional roles or initiatives.
If there are residents with particular interests, they are invited to discuss with the Program Director and Chief Residents ways in which they can become more involved with the program. For example, if one of the residents is particularly interested in education, they can volunteer to be more involved in the Undergraduate education programs and teaching medical students or can help to coordinate resident education sessions or introduce new learning tools to the program. If another resident is a good social organizer, they can take the lead on putting together group activities to support wellness and camaraderie.
Chief residents should remember that while they are responsible for making sure that the duties are completed and the program runs smoothly, they DO NOT have to DO everything themselves. They should enlist their colleagues and engage the strengths of the team as a whole.
Last Updated: February 2, 2023