Resident Pulse Check Survey

Residents’ experience with Competence by Design (CBD) education has been a key focus of RDoC since the first cohort of residents began training in Royal College accredited CBD programs in 2017.

In 2020, in collaboration with the Royal College, RDoC launched the first CBD Resident Pulse Check Survey. The survey aimed to understand resident physicians’ experience with the implementation of CBD.

To date, there have been two iterations of the survey, one in 2021 and a second in 2023. The primary goal of the survey is to use the information gathered to inform adaptations and improvements.

Based on the results of the CBD Resident Pulse Check Surveys we know that CBD is negatively impacting residents’ well-being. In 2021 73% of residents surveyed indicated that CBD was having a negative impact on their well-being, this number was 77% in 2023. A key driver of that negative impact is the burden of assessment and EPAs.

The Royal College is working to address these negative impacts through the development of CBD adaptations.

It is RDoC’s position that CBD needs to focus more on the provision of training, and be less about assessment. Specifically, there needs to be a meaningful decrease of the burden of assessment on residents.

Residency training must prioritize education over assessment.