Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency (PIMR): Description of a New Online Educational Curriculum

• Main Authors: Hilary McClafferty, Sally Dodds, Audrey J. Brooks, Michelle G. Brenner, Melanie L. Brown, Paige Frazer, John D. Mark, Joy A. Weydert, Graciela M. G. Wilcox, Patricia Lebensohn, Victoria Maizes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2015-03-01
• Series: Children
• Subjects: integrative medicine; pediatric integrative medicine; residency education; online education; complementary medicine
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/2/1/98

Use of integrative medicine (IM) is prevalent in children, yet availability of training opportunities is limited. The Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency (PIMR) program was designed to address this training gap. The PIMR program is a 100-hour online educational curriculum, modeled on the successful Integrative Medicine in Residency program in family medicine. Preliminary data on site characteristics, resident experience with and interest in IM, and residents’ self-assessments of perceived knowledge and skills in IM are presented. The embedded multimodal evaluation is described. Less than one-third of residents had IM coursework in medical school or personal experience with IM. Yet most (66%) were interested in learning IM, and 71% were interested in applying IM after graduation. Less than half of the residents endorsed pre-existing IM knowledge/skills. Average score on IM medical knowledge exam was 51%. Sites endorsed 1–8 of 11 site characteristics, with most (80%) indicating they had an IM practitioner onsite and IM trained faculty. Preliminary results indicate that the PIMR online curriculum targets identified knowledge gaps. Residents had minimal prior IM exposure, yet expressed strong interest in IM education. PIMR training site surveys identified both strengths and areas needing further development to support successful PIMR program implementation.