Quality Improvement, Patient Safety & Leadership
The Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, and Leadership Distinction Pathway aims to provide a focused and hands-on experience to internal medicine residents to help them (1) understand the practical application of improvement science in health care, (2) engage in safety event reporting and analysis and 3) learn to lead teams through change effectively. This skill building is accomplished through interactive educational sessions, participation in a mentored longitudinal quality improvement project, and independent self-study.
QI and patient safety skills are highly sought-after in healthcare. The ability to execute successful change initiatives, lead teams, understand and improve from adverse events or patient safety concerns are desirable and translatable skills that can be applied across a career. These skills are valuable whether they are utilized at the bedside or in any number of leadership positions. During residency , there is often limited structured time for longitudinal training in quality improvement (QI) and patient safety. It can therefore be challenging to independently navigate QI opportunities to find projects of interest or pursue well-thought-out project ideas that are designed for successful launch and navigation. Similarly, limited opportunities to consistently engage residents in safety event reporting and analysis can contribute to limited skills in this important area of education. Furthermore, there is often a lack of structured mentorship in process improvement, which may increase frustration, and reduce engagement with QI activities.
This distinction pathway is hence designed to improve access to effective and experiential learning needed to grow a trainee’s skills in QI and patient safety. Participants will become part of an inclusive, supportive community that is reflective of the environment in which QI is practiced. The goal is for QIPSL pathway graduates to feel confident in their abilities to lead effective teams and change initiatives at any level, from a single site to the entire health system. Residents are encouraged to apply during PGY-1 and PGY-2 years.
Distinction Domains
Copy Link
Education
QI education sets the knowledge base for a practical journey in health system improvement science. The residents participate in an annual GME Health Equity, Patient Safety, and Quality Improvement (HEPSQI) Boot Camp and QIPSL distinction-specific monthly evening educational sessions that are offered in-person and through virtual formats. The HEPSQI Boot Camp covers the foundational concepts in process improvement while the distinction specific educational sessions provide additional skill building opportunities in the realm of QI, safety, and team leadership. Additionally, there are makeup options for asynchronous self-study of Boot Camp sessions and assigned modules from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School in the event where attendance at a live session is not feasible.
Engagement in QI Activities
In this experiential educational component of the distinction, residents apply the improvement methodology they learned by participating in a mentored long term QI project during the residency. Frequent mentor check-ins and project feedback in real-time help solidify the key principles of implementing change.
Requirements
Copy Link
Requirements for this distinction fall under two categories.
Education in QI/Patient Safety and Leadership:
Participation in the HEPSQI, 5-session fall QI Boot Camp hosted by Yale GME office, which runs annually between fall-winter. Asynchronous Self-study options offer an alternative for make up when attendance at the live session is not feasible.
Participation in the monthly evening distinction specific educational sessions
Submission of patient safety events through the health systems reporting process.
Participation in a simulated or actual safety event review.
The fall HEPSQI Boot Camp and asynchronous and didactic content together set the knowledge foundation for the residents to start their longitudinal QI work. The evening sessions provide additional knowledge that they can apply to their QI project and develop skills in safety event reporting and analysis. Residents have the option to log their distinction requirements in shared online folders.
Longitudinal QI Project
This constitutes the experiential part of the distinction in which residents learn to select and progress through a mentored QI project using a combination of IHI and Lean methodology. While the applications to the distinction are accepted on a rolling basis, residents are expected to explore potential projects and mentors by the fall of PGY-2 year to allow them sufficient time to launch their project by late winter-early spring of the PGY-2 year and conduct tests of change. Residents receive guidance to help them reach their project milestones and stay on track.
PGY-3 residents are expected to submit their QI project as an abstract to the annual spring GME-wide QI night and any other health system wide process improvement conference. Presentation at local, regional, or national meetings or manuscript writing is encouraged but not required.
Additional Skill Building Opportunities
Residents interested in additional QI and patient safety activities beyond the QIPSL distinction requirements are encouraged to reach out to their QIPSL faculty advisor. These activities may include, for example, participation in health system committees or work groups, shadowing health system leaders, or other opportunities of interest.
Resources
All resources, including project work templates, QI tools, PowerPoint presentations, and other helpful tools, are shared via online folders.
Calendar of Events (AY 2025-2026)
Copy Link
Monthly Evening Sessions
Welcome night and introduction to the distinction
Work in progress presentations. Scoping out potential QI project ideas
Work in progress presentations. Designing effective questions when building surveys in QI
Work in progress presentations. Addressing bias and equity when reviewing safety events
Work in progress presentations. Establishing psychological safety as a critical leadership skill
Work in progress presentations. Building effective clinical teams through application of safety behaviors- Lessons from Team Stepps 1
Work in progress presentations. Building effective clinical teams through the application of safety behaviors- Lessons from Team Stepps 2
Work in progress presentations. Scholarship in QI: Utilizing SQUIRE guidelines to appraise and publish QI projects
Graduating resident QI project presentations
Graduation
Other Events and Presentation Venues
Residents are encouraged to participate in and present at local, regional, and national conferences that focus on quality improvement and patient safety. Below is a list of conferences that frequently feature content in this area and are also potential venues for abstract submissions.
2025-2026 Conferences
Connecticut Chapter ACP
October 10, 2025
Aqua Turf Club, Southington, CT
Northeast Region SGIM
November 8, 2025
Boston, MA
Innovations in Medical Education Conference
February 11-12, 2026
Virtual Conference
National ACP Annual Conference
April 16-18, 2026
San Francisco, CA
National SGIM
May 7-9, 2026
National Harbor, MD