BACKGROUND: Despite the identification of transfer of patient responsibility as a Core Entrustable Professional Activity for Entering Residency, rigorous methods to evaluate incoming residents' ability to give a verbal handoff of multiple patients are lacking. AIM: Our purpose was to implement a multi-patient, simulation-based curriculum to assess verbal handoff performance. SETTING: Graduate Medical Education (GME) orientation at an urban, academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-four incoming residents from four residency programs participated in the study. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The curriculum featured an online training module and a multi-patient observed simulated handoff experience (M-OSHE). Participants verbally Bhanded off^three mock patients of varying acuity and were evaluated by a trained Breceiver^using an expertinformed, five-item checklist. PROGRAM EVALUATION: Prior handoff experience in medical school was associated with higher checklist scores (23 % none vs. 33 % either third OR fourth year vs. 58 % third AND fourth year, p = 0.021). Prior training was associated with prioritization of patients based on acuity (12 % no training vs. 38 % prior training, p = 0.014). All participants agreed that the M-OSHE realistically portrayed a clinical setting. CONCLUSIONS: The M-OSHE is a promising strategy for teaching and evaluating entering residents' ability to give verbal handoffs of multiple patients. Prior training and more handoff experience was associated with higher performance, which suggests that additional handoff training in medical school may be of benefit.KEY WORDS: medical education; medical student and residency education; communication skills.

The impact of an SC program on change in career plans during medical school was analyzed. Program satisfaction, publication, and female gender were associated with increased intent to participate in career-long research depending on baseline interest in career-long research. Two ways to bolster the physician-scientist workforce are to improve satisfaction with existing SC programs and to formally support student publication. Future work to track outcomes of SC program graduates is warranted.

Physician trainees were surveyed to assess intention to perform hand hygiene (HH). Compared with preclinical medical students (MS), clinical MS and residents reported less confidence that HH prevents carrying home microorganisms (P = .006, P = .003) or protects oneself from antibiotic-resistant microorganisms (P = .01, P = .006). Clinical trainees may need targeted interventions focusing on intention to perform HH.

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