Enhancing capacity for intern training in the emergency department: The MoLIE project

Objective: To evaluate an intern educational project, the More Learning for Interns in Emergency (MoLIE) project, designed to increase intern placements in the emergency department (ED). Design, setting and participants: The study was conducted in the ED of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland, in 2008. As well as the usual direct contact with patients, interns had 8 hours per week of "off the floor" structured learning time supervised by consultants. This allowed for an increased number of interns to complete a term in the ED over a 1-year period. The study was evaluated by an intern exit feedback survey and a senior staff survey. Main outcome measures: Numbers of intern placements in the ED; intern satisfaction with the project; senior medical staff satisfaction with interns' skills and performance assessments. Results: The number of interns completing a term in the ED increased from 65 in 2007 to 90 in 2008. Overall, the 90 interns surveyed were highly satisfied with their training. Most agreed or strongly agreed that the sessions were relevant and covered the right mix of clinical and professional issues. Most of the 12 senior staff surveyed felt that the participating interns performed slightly or much better than interns in previous years, and that their experience as supervisors and overall patient care were improved. Conclusions: The project successfully combined increased intern numbers with educational outcomes that were well perceived by interns and senior staff, without adversely affecting service delivery or supervision workload in the ED.