Effect of "Online MedEd" Intern Boot Camp Training on First Year Residents' Well-being: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
Summary
This single-center, parallel-group randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether a seven-week, web-based "Online MedEd Intern Boot Camp" (OME-IB) program reduces burnout in incoming first-year residents at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. Eligible participants are PGY-1 physicians starting in July 2025 in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry, Infectious Disease, or Nephrology who have not previously completed U.S. postgraduate training. After consent and baseline surveys, approximately 26 interns will be randomized 1:1 (stratified by sex and specialty) to either (1) immediate access to the OME-IB platform plus 14 peer-facilitated, one-hour Zoom sessions on mental health, time management, documentation, and oral presentation over May-June 2025, or (2) usual residency orientation without Boot Camp access until study completion. The primary outcome is mean Maslach Burnout Inventory-Emotional Exhaustion (MBI-EE) score six months into residency. Secondary outcomes at six months include mean Copenhagen Burnout Inventory personal-burnout subscale, Mini ReZ supportive-work-environment/work-pace/resident-experience subscales, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) depression score. Surveys are administered via REDCap at baseline (pre-intervention), three months, and six months; analyses follow an intention-to-treat approach with linear mixed models. Qualitative interviews will explore participants' experiences four months into residency. Findings will inform refinement of the OME-IB curriculum and future multi-site trials aimed at improving resident well-being.
Description
Scientific Rationale: Burnout in early postgraduate physicians has been linked to elevated emotional-exhaustion scores, major medical errors, and a 370 % rise in suicidal ideation during the first three months of training. Guided by the Job-Demands/Resources framework, OME-IB is designed to enhance job control (time-management, documentation efficiency) and personal resources (peer support, resilience skills) to offset the high demands of residency. Prior pilot work with web-based cognitive-behavioral programs in interns has shown clinically meaningful reductions in depressive symptoms, but no…
Eligibility
- Age range
- Not specified
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: -incoming first year residents Exclusion Criteria: * Previous United States accredited postgraduate training * House Officers * Physician Assistant
Interventions
- BehavioralOnline MedEd Intern Bootcamp
7 weeks, online training program
Location
- Harlem Hospital CenterManhattan, New York