Partners Physician Academy: Effectiveness of a Program to Address Gaps in Hemostasis Training for Early Career Hematologists

Introduction: Hematology/oncology fellows perceive gaps in training for bleeding disorder management, understanding of hemophilia treatment center (HTC) function, and mentorship from classical hematologists. Recent fellowship graduates often feel unprepared to manage complex bleeding disorder patients, contributing to a deficit of classical hematologists, particularly those treating adult patients.

The Partners Physician Academy is a U.S.-based 5-day hemostasis-focused educational program delivered by hematology experts to enhance the education and career development of fellows, early career physicians, and new HTC leaders. The program includes didactic lectures, case studies, hands-on activities, and group discussions. Evening program social events promote community building among participants and faculty. Post-program, regular live webinars to further enrich the educational experience and foster collaborative connections are conducted. This study aimed to evaluate program effectiveness by measuring participants’ objective post-program knowledge gains.

Methods: Participants completed pre- and post-tests 2 months before and 1-7 days after attending the academy. Test construction, performed by a medical education specialist, followed Kirkpatrick’s pyramid construct and National Board of Medical Examiners guidelines. Questions were piloted by senior hematology fellows and early career hematologists to establish response process validity and reviewed by an expert panel for face and content validity. Each question aligned with program learning objectives and the number of questions for each content domain was proportional to units of instruction. Construct validity was established using aggregate participant scores compared to expert scores. In 2022 and 2023, 23 and 31 questions were analyzed respectively; 18 questions were identical across both tests and the remaining covered similar content domains. Based on individual test scores, participants in the 2023 class received a personalized report with supplemental resources covering areas requiring improvement. Demographic data was collected at application and feedback was obtained by anonymous post-program survey (satisfaction, content ratings, perceived benefits). The study was deemed exempt by the IRB.

Results: Thirty-two participants from 30 institutions across 25 states have attended the Partners Physician Academy since 2022 (2022 n=14; 2023 n=18). The mean participant age was 34.4 years (range: 31-56). 65.6% of participants identified as female and 34.3% as male. Participants included fellows (n=13), early career faculty (n=14), mid-late career faculty (n=4), and current or soon-to-be HTC directors (n=6). Half of participants (n=16) treated pediatric patients and half (n=16) treated adult patients.

Both pre- and post-tests were completed by 96.7% of participants. Mean test scores significantly improved after the Partners Physician Academy (pre-test: 65%, post-test: 86%, score gain: 21, p<0.001). Significant differences were also noted within content domains: hemophilia (score gain: 14, p=0.001), von Willebrand disease (score gain: 14, p=0.002), national landscape & HTC administration (score gain: 32, p<0.001), and research and career development (score gain: 52, p<0.001). Mean post-test scores were ≥ 80% for each content domain.

Of the 32 participants, 27 completed a satisfaction survey, with 96% strongly agreeing that the program increased their knowledge and confidence in treating patients with bleeding disorders and 100% stating they would recommend the program to their peers. In response to a new question in 2023, 100% of respondents reported that the program increased their level of connection and networking support within the bleeding disorders community.

Conclusions: The Partners Physician Academy enhanced participant knowledge across all measured content domains and increased participants’ perceived degree of support. Program enrollment has grown since inception with applicant numbers exceeding current capacity. The program has expanded to include prep work, centralized web-based resources, personalized education reports, more interactive content, and rare bleeding disorder material. Future studies will determine if the program has contributed to the retention of participants within the field of classical hematology.