Introduction: The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education require resident skills in Evidence-Based Medicine and participation in research activities. Our first-year pediatric residents (PGY1s) were required to attend a novel, call-protected, 4-week Academic Skills and Knowledge (ASK) rotation to improve their skills as consumers of medical literature. Objectives of the study were to describe this curriculum and summarize its mixed-methods evaluation. Methods: After 14 months of curriculum development, three annual cohorts of PGY1s wrote identical pre- and post-ASK quizzes (2017-19). In 2018 and 2019, we assessed knowledge retention with PGY1s re-writing the quiz after 6 months. Mean test scores were compared using paired t-tests. In 2017, pre- and post-ASK focus groups assessed resident feelings about the rotation. Results: All eligible PGY1s (n=32) participated. Mean exam scores demonstrated increased knowledge (time0 mean plus/minus SD 52.6 plus/minus 11.0%; vs. time1 80.2 plus/minus 9.0%, p <0.001). Knowledge retention at 6 months was intermediate (time2 70.2 plus/minus12.0%; time0 vs time2 p<0.001). In the pre-rotation focus group, residents looked forward to ASK; goals centered around growing from learner to expert. Post-ASK, residents were very satisfied. Resident participation in our annual Research Institute poster competition increased linearly from 0% in 2014 to 8% in 2020 (r=0.74, p=0.01). Discussion: The ASK curriculum was successfully implemented, and increased knowledge persisted over time. Residents were satisfied with ASK and appreciated the structured curriculum building on core knowledge that they could immediately apply to their clinical work.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study did not receive any funding

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Ethics approval was obtained from the University of Manitoba Research Ethics Board (HS20909: H2016:219- Date August 27, 2016).

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