Patient Safety and Quality Improvement

U-M PS/QI Program, Dr. Nathan Houchens
Nathan Houchens, MD, Director, PS/QI Program

The Department of Internal Medicine's Clinical Experience and Quality partners with the Graduate Medical Education program to expose residents to patient safety and quality improvement (PS/QI) across all three years of residency.

Year one focuses on exposure and awareness, with several foundational PS/QI seminars. During the second year, teams of four to five residents apply their PS/QI knowledge to a month-long quality improvement project. The teams are led by the department’s PS/QI faculty mentors and the Q&I Program’s performance improvement coaches who facilitate topic selection, introduce quality improvement tools, and provide support for data needs and the presentation of project outcomes. In year three, residents can choose to deepen their understanding by leading or participating in additional QI projects, serving on a variety of QI committees, or pursuing an elective with a faculty mentor. Seven faculty from a variety of divisions serve as faculty mentors to residents during their second year PS/QI projects.

Award & Recognition Opportunities

Resident PS/QI Project Challenge

The Resident PS/QI Project Challenge was created to recognize outstanding resident teams during their Patient Safety and Quality Improvement project rotation.

Resident Travel Award

Residents who plan to present original clinical quality improvement work (usually in the form of an oral presentation or poster) at a regional, national, or international meeting may apply for a travel grant from the Department of Internal Medicine