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The Chief Resident in Quality and Patient Safety initiative:
- leads by actively engaging medical students, residents, and occasionally faculty in systems-based, interdisciplinary quality improvement activities.
- improves quality of care by performing and leading interdisciplinary patient safety and quality improvement activities.
- delivers enhancements in care achieved to the broader medical community through presentations and publications.
Selected by the Office of Academic Affiliations, the Michael E. DeBakey VA MEdical Center (MEDVAMC) is one of over 50 programs in the country that hosts the Chief Resident in Quality and Patient Safety position. Three positions are available (2 inpatient and 1 outpatient) and are mentored by a team of VA faculty from the medical care line.
Program Goals
The goal of the national program is to enhance care for Veterans by redesigning medical education and patient care to include the areas of leadership, quality improvement, and patient safety. CRQSs can assist with key components of the Clinical Learning Environment Review and create a pipeline for future faculty in quality improvement and patient safety.
Few residency programs today allow residents the time to participate fully in patient safety or quality improvement activities. After completing this year, residents will be able to go into an academic position or complete an academic fellowship and serve as champions for high-reliability organizations focused on quality improvement and patient safety.
Program Description
The Chief Resident in Quality and Patient Safety offers one year of post-graduate training focused on leadership, quality improvement and patient safety.
The CRQS role is a teaching, leadership, research, and a learning role, which distinguishes it from the more traditional administrative roles of chief residents seen in some specialties. Within this position, Chief Residents teach QI and patient safety concepts to residents and medical students, supervise internal medicine residents as an attending, and participate as leaders within the hospital. The CRQSs participate in a national longitudinal curriculum and week-long intensive training conference hosted by the VA National Center for Patient Safety.
The CRQS must have completed their primary residency training for initial board eligibility and qualify for credentialing and privileging as licensed independent practitioners in their specialty. The CRQS year provides a mentored academic training experience while also allowing for hands-on quality improvement work that directly impacts patient safety. J1 and H1-B visas are not eligible.
Site Director/Inpatient Mentor: Molly Horstman, M.D.
Assistant Site Director/Inpatient Mentor: Lindsay Vaclavik, M.D.
Outpatient Mentors: Kamal Hirani, M.D. and Wendy Podany, M.D.
