# Residency Preparation Courses: What Is the Durable Impact Beyond Medical School?

## TL;DR

This study shows that residency preparation courses significantly improve medical graduates' readiness and patient care during their first months of residency.

## Contribution

This study is one of the few to track the long-term impact of residency preparation courses on medical graduates beyond medical school.

## Key findings

- Residents rated their preparedness for residency as 3.8/5.0 and felt more prepared than co-residents.
- 94% of residents reported that course content made a difference in patient care.
- Inpatient paging, simulated mock codes, and procedural practice were most valued by residents.

## Abstract

An increasing number of medical schools are implementing Residency Preparation Courses. Our objective was to examine learners’ perceptions of course impact 3 months into residency training—specifically, whether participation impacted patient care.

An anonymous survey was sent electronically to individuals who completed a Residency Preparation Course at a single institution from 2020 to 2023. Participants rated their preparedness to start residency, their perceived preparedness compared to co-residents, and the perceived usefulness of various course components. Residents were asked if course content made a difference in patient care with the option to provide a free-text example.

Of 423 eligible individuals, 207 (48.9%) completed the survey. Overall, respondents rated their mean preparedness for residency as 3.8/5.0, and 4.0/5.0 when compared to their co-residents. Residents reported that inpatient paging, simulated mock codes, and procedural practice were the most useful curricular experiences. Overall, 94% of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that something they learned in a Residency Preparation Course had already made a difference in patient care.

This is one of the few studies that followed medical school graduates into residency, with 4 years of graduates who had a stable Residency Preparation Course curriculum, which was a graduation requirement. Notably, nearly all respondents reported that the course content improved their delivery of patient care. The historical chasm between medical school and residency must be bridged to improve this important educational transition for future physicians. This work highlights important learner perspectives on value added from Residency Preparation Courses.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-025-02453-1.