# Pediatrics Residents’ Conference Attendance Does Not Predict Their In-Training Exam Scores

## TL;DR

Pediatrics residents attending didactic conferences does not seem to improve their exam scores, suggesting a need to rethink how these sessions are designed.

## Contribution

This study is the first to examine the link between conference attendance and exam performance in the post-COVID-19 learning environment.

## Key findings

- No significant correlation was found between conference attendance and In-Training Exam scores.
- Residents at different training levels showed similar results regardless of attendance.
- The study suggests that conference attendance may not enhance medical knowledge as measured by standardized exams.

## Abstract

Objective

Residents work hard both at their clinical duties and at their learning, and they have limited time in which to balance the two. Existing evidence on the value of didactic conferences is mixed, and prior studies predate the increases in virtual and asynchronous learning since COVID-19. To address that gap, we explored the relationship between residents’ attendance at didactic conferences and their medical knowledge as measured on annual standardized exams.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective national study assessing the relationships between pediatrics residents’ attendance at didactic conferences and their scores on the American Board of Pediatrics In-Training Exam (ITE) from July 2022 through July 2023, adjusting for residents’ level of training and prior exam scores.

Results

We analyzed data from 383 residents from 10 programs, and we found no significant correlation between conference attendance and ITE scores.

Conclusions

Didactic sessions are a required component of residency training, but we found that attendance at these sessions does not correlate with residents’ performance on standardized exams. This highlights the need for future research exploring how didactic sessions can be made more effective and whether conference attendance might impact other outcomes such as clinical skills more than exam performance.