Five Reasons to Check Out the New Resident ICU
Residency program directors now have a new tool in helping to ensure residents are provided a cohesive, readily accessible and high-quality curriculum in critical care. The Society of Critical Care Medicine's (SCCM) Resident Intensive Care Unit (RICU) program – which contains both adult and pediatric tracks – has been revised significantly, providing comprehensive lessons on a range of critical care topics.
New and Revised Lessons in a Variety of Disciplines
Updated by leaders in the field, the RICU program Adult ICU (AICU) and Pediatric ICU (PICU) courses contain a more varied curriculum of topics important to residents regardless of primary specialty. The Society’s Graduate and Resident Education Committee has worked to ensure core topics essential to critical care are addressed, such as severe sepsis, mechanical ventilation, cardiogenic shock, renal failure, sedation and analgesia, pulmonary embolism and venous thromboembolism, and airway management. RICU also goes beyond the basics to bring unmatched breadth to the curriculum with presentations that address pregnancy, ethics, nutritional support, ultrasound and antibiotic resistance as well as advanced tutorials to complement core presentations. With 30 adult topics and 42 pediatric topics, RICU is designed to meet students’ learning needs within internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, obstetrics/gynecology and other specialties.
Pre- and Post-Tests
RICU is much more than a compilation of in-depth, quality presentations. Pre- and post-tests presented in a board exam format allow students to gauge their knowledge levels and identify those areas in need of improvement. Learners may access their scores and correct responses, while resident program directors may track the results of this learning. The accompanying examinations provide an objective measure of residents’ knowledge accrual. These aspects of RICU will help programs meet two core competencies of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME) outcomes project – the “medical knowledge” and the “practice-based learning and improvement” requirements.
Enhanced Features
All presentations offer case studies, learning objectives and searchable key words, as well as complete references and additional slide notes. Many also feature voice narration. These enhanced features play to a variety of skill levels and audio/visual learning methods.
Web-based Convenience
The independent nature of the curriculum encourages resident self-directed, self-paced learning during the rotation; learners can stop, rewind or fast-forward each presentation, ensuring convenience and flexibility. This independent learning model is especially important in the face of ACGME resident work hour restrictions and the increasingly demanding schedule of residents and their directors. Because residents are busy during their clinical practice, RICU provides the systemic, lecture-style format that is essential to comprehensive learning, noted former Graduate and Resident Education Committee chair Per Thorborg, MD, PhD, FCCM.
Worldwide, Free and Accessible to Everyone
RICU represents a novel, collaborative endeavor harnessing the power of the Internet to reach a global audience of those involved in the care of critically ill and injured patients. Anyone who wants to access this vital critical care learning tool needs only an Internet connection. While the program is designed for resident education, every member of the multiprofessional team can benefit from RICU, including fellows, nurses, emergency medicine professionals and others.
All these factors point to an overall effort to improve patient care, keeping true to the philosophy of the SCCM Graduate and Resident Education Committee. Thorborg was quick to give due credit to the committee, noting that RICU was developed by people with a passion for resident education and who realize its importance within society. “Our residents will be the ones treating us one day,” he said. “These are critically ill and injured patients who are very vulnerable, and it’s our duty and privilege to take care of them. RICU is an important tool to ensure the next generation is educated effectively with a focus on improving care quality and patient safety.”
“It has been exciting to be involved in this innovative and groundbreaking project,” added former Graduate and Resident Education Committee chair Mohan Mysore, MD, FCCM, who was instrumental in developing the fundamentals of the program. “Knowledge is power. Our approach in the medical field has always been to share that knowledge to provide more power to individuals. The medical community wants to disseminate and share [knowledge] so that everyone can do the very best for the patients we serve.”
Discover the Benefits of the New RICU
Advantages for Residents:
• Revised content in most AICU and PICU programs
• Interactive learning opportunities
• Pre-tests to gauge what you know and where you need to improve
• Instant access to the correct answers for missed test questions
• Ability to stop and resume where you left off
• Streamlined login process
• Self-paced study options
• Case study review
• 30 adult topics
• 42 pediatric topics
Advantages for Resident Program Directors:
• Quick and easy access to pre-test scores
• Ability to monitor individual student’s performance and progress
• Student self-registration
