Number
529
Name
From Reaction to Resilience: Adaptive Strategies from the Reimagining Residency Initiative During COVID-19
Date & Time
Monday, June 8, 2026, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Location Name
Oglethorpe Ballroom
Speakers
Authors
Joyeeta Dutta, American Medical Association
Judee Richardson, American Medical Association
Sally Santen, American Medical Association
John Andrews, American Medical Association
Presentation Topic(s)
Other
Description
PURPOSE
Long-standing obstacles that hinder continuous innovation in graduate
medical education (GME) include a lack of faculty time, shifting
institutional priorities, and regulatory complexity, were exacerbated by the
COVID-19 pandemic compelling organizations to quickly adjust while still
meeting the needs of trainees, staff, and patients. This analysis
investigates the ways in which 11 GME programs funded by AMA’s Reimagining
Residency (RR) initiative handled stress and the lessons learned for
resilience.
METHODS
We analyzed final report narratives, coding each project’s adaptations
using a framework of relational infrastructure, operational flexibility,
learning mindset, and an emergent category: durable outcomes.
RESULTS
Curriculum and project start delays, faculty redeployment, institutional
bandwidth limitations, financial constraints, disruptions to resident
assessment and rotation patterns were among the reported challenges. Other
common obstacles included the need to shift to virtual platforms,
psychological stress among professors and residents, and reduced partner
engagement as a result of pandemic induced clinical demands. Projects
responded with a wide range of strategies reflecting adaptability and
innovation. These included enhanced peer networks (n=8), rapid shifts to
virtual platforms(n=11), reflective adjustments in implementation(n=9), and
dissemination of scholarly insights(n=4), long-term structural shifts such as
embedded telemedicine(n=2), institutionalized inclusion and belonging (n=5),
and sustained coaching programs(n=1). These findings reveal how the pandemic,
while disruptive, also acted as a catalyst for innovation and prompted
persisting structural or curricular changes.
CONCLUSIONS
This preliminary analysis suggests that there were delays and resources
pressures during the pandemic, but there is also evidence of creative
problem-solving which has sustained and became part of long-term strategies
in some cases. The changes implemented, which are based on solid connections,
operational adaptability, and a dedication to learning, provide insightful
advice for creating future medical education systems that are more
responsive, equitable, and robust.
Long-standing obstacles that hinder continuous innovation in graduate
medical education (GME) include a lack of faculty time, shifting
institutional priorities, and regulatory complexity, were exacerbated by the
COVID-19 pandemic compelling organizations to quickly adjust while still
meeting the needs of trainees, staff, and patients. This analysis
investigates the ways in which 11 GME programs funded by AMA’s Reimagining
Residency (RR) initiative handled stress and the lessons learned for
resilience.
METHODS
We analyzed final report narratives, coding each project’s adaptations
using a framework of relational infrastructure, operational flexibility,
learning mindset, and an emergent category: durable outcomes.
RESULTS
Curriculum and project start delays, faculty redeployment, institutional
bandwidth limitations, financial constraints, disruptions to resident
assessment and rotation patterns were among the reported challenges. Other
common obstacles included the need to shift to virtual platforms,
psychological stress among professors and residents, and reduced partner
engagement as a result of pandemic induced clinical demands. Projects
responded with a wide range of strategies reflecting adaptability and
innovation. These included enhanced peer networks (n=8), rapid shifts to
virtual platforms(n=11), reflective adjustments in implementation(n=9), and
dissemination of scholarly insights(n=4), long-term structural shifts such as
embedded telemedicine(n=2), institutionalized inclusion and belonging (n=5),
and sustained coaching programs(n=1). These findings reveal how the pandemic,
while disruptive, also acted as a catalyst for innovation and prompted
persisting structural or curricular changes.
CONCLUSIONS
This preliminary analysis suggests that there were delays and resources
pressures during the pandemic, but there is also evidence of creative
problem-solving which has sustained and became part of long-term strategies
in some cases. The changes implemented, which are based on solid connections,
operational adaptability, and a dedication to learning, provide insightful
advice for creating future medical education systems that are more
responsive, equitable, and robust.