MITs Gain Leadership Opportunities

In 2009, the APA Board of Trustees sunsetted several councils and committees in an effort to reorganize APA into a leaner, smarter, more efficient, and more effective machine.

One of the committees that was sunsetted was the Committee of Residents and Fellows. Since that time, an interim residents' work group has been working to develop a new member-in-training (MIT)-led committee that would exemplify smart organization and innovation. I am happy to report that the Board of Trustees voted at its March meeting to approve the creation of the Corresponding Committee of Members-in-Training (CoMIT), which will report to the Council on Medical Education and Lifelong Learning. It will also submit a report to the Board of Trustees at least once a year, at the president's discretion.

The CoMIT will be composed of the member-in-training trustee, who will also chair the committee, the member-in-training trustee-elect, an Assembly Committee of Members in Training (ACOM) representative from each of APA's seven geographic areas, the Residency Review Committee MIT liaison, APA's MIT liaison to the AMA, and one MIT representative from each of APA's nine councils.

This new committee will facilitate communication and collaboration among MIT representatives to the APA councils, Board of Trustees, and Assembly and residents involved in the Residency Review Committee and AMA. It will meet monthly via conference call or Skype and was scheduled to meet for the first time at APA's 2010 annual meeting in New Orleans at press time. The price tag for such a large collaborative group, you ask? Under $750 a year. Amazing. Efficient. Brilliant.

Among the many tasks that this committee will be spearheading is the initiation of a resident leadership program that will enable MITs to develop leadership skills in their field of interest, with the assistance and guidance of APA.

Many of the ideas for this leadership initiative came from a residents forum in March at the 2010 annual meeting of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training, where residents suggested the development of several Powerpoint presentations on common mental health topics, such as diagnosing and treating depression or OCD, for example. These presentations could be accessed easily by members on the APA Web site; this would facilitate chief residents or faculty “teaching on the fly” while on rounds, thus benefiting both the teacher and those being taught. Others suggested creating modules, again accessible on the APA Web site, on topics particularly relevant to residents and early career psychiatrists, such as learning to teach to colleagues at different levels of training, from medical students to faculty; starting a private practice; picking the best electronic medical record system; and tips on mental health coding.

Another suggestion was the revamping of the current APA resident communication engine, which has been described by some residents as antiquated, redundant, and inefficient. Steve Koh, a current resident leader on ACOM, has developed a communication proposal that calls for the creation of a more Web-like system of communication; it would immediately assess every new or renewing member's interests, level of involvement, areas of research, and demographics and develop an individualized profile, much as social-networking sites do. At a glance, residents would be able to see where they fit in to APA, the district branch of which they are a member, and the names of national leaders and gain access to instant communication with those leaders. Seamless. Effortless. Exciting.

Other endeavors include the development of a formalized mentoring program and collaborating with the APA Elections Committee on the development of a policy for the use of social-networking sites as a campaigning tool.

I want to thank you very much for affording me the opportunity to serve as your representative on the Board of Trustees over the last two years. The experience was invaluable, and I consider myself fortunate to have been able to meet and work with the many talented and diligent resident leaders in whose hands I leave you. Stay tuned, as many more trailblazing MIT ideas are about to come to life.