RESIDENT LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE RETENTION FROM RESIDENT-PREPARED CHEST RADIOLOGY CONFERENCES

Rationale and Objectives. The authors assessed resident learning and r etention and knowledge from resident-prepared chest radiology conferen ces. Materials and Methods. Radiology residents presented five chest c onferences to their peers during a 5-month interval; the conferences w ere modeled on a case presentation format. Tests were given 5 minutes before each conference (pretest) and immediately after each conference (posttest). The tests were readministered as a final examination 6 mo nths later, at which time the residents were asked to evaluate the con ference format. Results. Conference attendance ranged from six to 11 r esidents. Mean posttest scores were statistically significantly higher than mean pretest scores (P < .0001). Six-month retention scores were higher than pretest scores (P < .05) but lower than posttest scores ( P < .05). On a scale of 1-6, with 1 representing strongly disagree and 6 strongly agree, residents strongly agreed that the conferences prov ided an excellent learning experience (mean score, 5.27). Conclusion. Resident-prepared conferences are effective for teaching residents che st radiology. Resident testing at 6 months demonstrated retention of k nowledge above pretest levels but lower than posttest levels.