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Focus On: Resident Assistants
At the Ready
Resident assistants help medical residents provide meaningful patient care

Global REACHResident assistants handle clerical duties so medical residents can focus on patient care. From left: patient Nevaeh Stephen, her mother Amy Beaudrie, RA Kim Harding, RA Kim Sherwood and Rachel Sawaya, M.D.When the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education set guidelines that limited medical residents to working 80 hours per week, the Health System developed an initiative to improve the residents' educational experiences with inpatient services. To make the most of their 80 hours, the resident assistants program was created. UMHS employs 10 RAs at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and others at University Hospital.

The Mott RAs handle clerical duties previously performed by pediatric residents during the care of their patients, such as obtaining patient records, scheduling tests and assisting with discharge. RAs allow residents to spend more time with patients and families, in meaningful patient care activities, and to have more time for conference-based and self-directed learning. RA Kim Harding, Department of Pediatrics, explains, "Things are just a lot smoother with the assistance of an RA. Residents are able to spend more time with patients and less time completing paperwork."

Patients and families alike have benefited from the RA program. Patients are discharged more quickly because residents have more time for patient care while RAs expedite paperwork. This enables the resident to focus on a diagnosis and treatment plan. RA Deborah Lahidji, Department of Pediatrics, says, "The RA program has refined the entire discharge process, making it both faster and more efficient." Since it is not uncommon for residents to work 24-hour shifts, Lahidji says, "When the doctors see us (RAs), there is a sense of relief and appreciation."

The RA program can be described as a quality improvement project. The ability of residents to delegate work to others in the benefit of patients has lead to higher patient satisfaction and overall better care. "Knowing we have made a difference in doctors', patients' and families lives is the most rewarding part of this job," says Lahidji. -CF

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