Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health

Learning Objectives: We piloted a structured learning model for residents on night shift (“Night School”) and assessed learners’ perceptions of Night School’s value to their EM education.

Introduction: For many residencies, Morning Report is a cornerstone of their educational model. At the same time, junior residents may spend significant portions of their EM rotations on evening or night shifts, meaning they often go without daily, structured education during their formative training years. Despite this fact, to date there exists no reports of EM residencies instituting a didactic equivalent to morning report for residents on night shift.

Objective: We piloted a structured learning model for residents on night shift (termed “Night School”) and assessed learners’ perceptions of Night School’s value to their EM education.

Curricular Design: Night School is a case-based learning model covering subjects from the EM Model of Clinical Practice. Depending on the material covered, sessions may be entirely oral, multimedia, simulated, or procedurally-based. Unlike Morning Report, Night School is attending-facilitated and kept under 30 minutes to decrease learners’ extraneous load and fatigue. As part of the initial rollout, a core group of nocturnists were recruited to develop Night School cases and to ensure a uniform approach to sessions. On average, this team has conducted approximately 3 to 4 sessions a week since inception.

Impact: To date, learners’ perceptions of Night School have been extremely positive. Despite the fact that 36% (N=72) of participants were “Tired” or “Very Tired” at the time of Night School, 89.5% (N=57) of respondents felt “Very Engaged” by the sessions. 86% (N=72) gave the didactic sessions highest marks for quality, and 98% (N=59) of participants felt that Night School was a valuable addition to their night shifts. Our pilot suggests there is a need and appreciation for structured, educational experiences among residents on night shift and that Night School merits continued curricular development.