Leveraging Residency Program Mentoring Methods to Improve Transdisciplinary Professional Development, Engagement, and Retention
Purpose:
The purpose of this platform is to describe the novel and effective strategy of leveraging residency-derived mentoring methods to improve transdisciplinary professional development, engagement, and retention.
Description:
Employee turnover is anticipated to cost United States companies more than $600 billion annually, with lack of Career Development consistently cited as a top reason people quit jobs.1 When employees perceive their organization supports their growth, engagement and satisfaction improve, resulting in decreased turnover.2,3 Specifically, mentoring and developmental support have been associated with decreased turnover.4 The literature supports mentoring as a value-adding professional development tool; however, existing mentoring program formats are notably varied.5 The literature is not robust on using a defined residency or fellowship mentoring model, as outlined by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE), with non-resident staff within an acute care physical medicine and rehabilitation department . The purpose of this quality improvement study was to examine the effectiveness of providing residency program-derived Advanced Practice Mentoring (APM) to all hospital therapists defined by ABPTRE as one on one mentoring, with the patient present and participating in their care.6 The mentor and mentee interaction not only teaches advanced clinical skills and decision-making, but also facilitates the development of advanced professional behaviors, proficiency in communications, and consultation skills. The APM pilot study occurred in two phases. Phase 1 began by surveying all full-time clinicians to establish baseline data on professional development, engagement, and collaboration attitudes. The physical therapists were then assigned to complete 1 prearranged and 1 unarranged APM session. Participants were surveyed following the APM sessions to assess Phase 1 effectiveness and attributes. The authors then conducted a transdisciplinary semi-structured focus group discussion to collect feedback on each therapists’ interest in expanding APM to all three disciplines and APM structure options. The transdisciplinary APM model was implemented in Phase 2.
Summary of Use:
For this platform, the transdisciplinary APM program leveraging ABPTRFE-derived residency mentoring for all hospital therapists will be discussed along with survey and focus group findings examining effectiveness. Outcomes include improved transdisciplinary mentoring for intellectual resource sharing and advancing professional knowledge, and a higher likelihood of therapist retention. Our findings indicate that the $16200 APM program cost for 60 full-time therapists is covered by retaining just 1 therapist.
Importance to Members:
This platform is designed to demonstrate how applying a residency-derived mentoring program, within an acute care PMR department can improve transdisciplinary professional development, engagement, and retention. The operational cost of expanding this APM program is more than offset by mitigating employee turnover costs.