U of M Pediatric Residency Program

This site will serve as a landing page for your quality improvement projects. Please review expectations carefully. Projects will run from July to May of your 2nd year. Please store assignments and related documents in your shared project drive, with the exception of any secure data that must be stored elsewhere.

• All 2nd year pediatric residents will participate in a quality improvement project.

• Residents will sign up for a project in June 2026, with ~ 3-5 residents per team.

• Residents will attend the QI Bootcamp session on Friday, July 24, 2026 from 2 - 5 pm.

• Your team will meet with your mentor once a month to review progress, assignments, questions, and next steps. The program will assist with arranging these meetings. A minimum of 1 resident team member must attend. 

• Residents will complete all the listed assignments for the project.

• Dedicated time to work on your projects is as follows:

  • • During electives: You are allowed to use 2 half days during all elective rotations to work on your QI Project. Please use this time. 

    • Administrative time prior to block education sessions.

    • Block Ed session on Friday, September 25, 2026

• At a minimum, groups should obtain baseline data, plan and implement at least 1 intervention, and obtain post intervention data.

• Groups are expected to present updates at the following times:

  • • Minimum of once during each block - to your project mentor.

    • At a Lunch & Learn in January or February, exact date TBD.

• Groups will present a final poster at the annual MMCGME Quality Forum which is at the end of May. Residents are required to attend this event. The submission date for the final projects is typically in late April.

• Submit for MOC Part 4 credit at the end of your project.

• • Faculty mentor will participate in the QI Bootcamp session on Friday, July 24, 2026 from 2 - 5 pm.

  • Faculty mentor will assist/direct any needed IRB submissions. Residents can complete much of this but will need direct support and guidance.

  • Faculty mentor will meet with the residents once during each block. The program can assist with setting up these meetings.

  • At these meetings, the faculty mentor will be expected to: review progress and completed assignments, help troubleshoot barriers, clarify next steps. Faculty will not take primary responsibility for tasks but will assist residents and provide guidance and support. 

  • Faculty will complete an evaluation of each resident on the team 2 times during the course of the project. This will be done in October and April.

  • Attend the annual MMCGME Quality Forum at the end of May.

  • Assist with MOC Part 4 credit application and ensure inclusion of all involved.

For site-specific IRB and data-related resources, see below:

UMN

• UMN IRB Site: https://research.umn.edu/units/irb

• HRP-503 Research Determination Form: https://research.umn.edu/units/irb/toolkit-library/templates-forms

• IT Consult: https://fairview.service-now.com/sp?id=sc_cat_item&sys_id=42f6ae1bdb493b443ad6ef92ca9619b5

• Best Practices Integrated Informatics Core (BPIC) - data resource through UMN, can request a consult: https://ctsi.umn.edu/services/data-informatics/find-access-data

Children's Minnesota

• QI project group + mentor should email Katie Brunsberg (Katie.Brunsberg@childrensmn.org) and Amanda Nickel (Amanda.Nickel@childrensmn.org) to arrange an initial meeting to discuss IRB, data, etc. requirements.

Hennepin Healthcare

• Human Research Protection Office: https://www.hhrinstitute.org/researcher-resources/ohsr/

• Manual for Conducting Human Research: https://www.hhrinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/501-MANUAL-Conducting-Human-Research.pdf

  • Refer specifically to page 16 - "If you need a determination letter from the IRB that the research is not human research (e.g., to obtain or access data from a source; to publish results; to confirm a complicated project), you may complete an initial submission in Cause HE to request: not human research determination."

• QA/QI Guidance: https://www.hhrinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/199-GUIDANCE-QA-QI-activities.pdf

• QI Bootcamp slides: 

  • QI Bootcamp 2026 Introduction

• Tools to consider:

  • Instructions to add data analysis toolkit in Excel

  • YouTube has many helpful videos on how to do data analysis in Excel including calculating values such as median, standard deviation and creating charts such as run charts, process control charts, etc. Just search what you want, such as "Excel Pareto Chart"

  • You can also use Excel Data Analysis Tools - histogram, pareto, etc. (Download as Microsoft Excel version to best use tools). YouTube videos are overall easier to understand than this document.

  • M Health Toolkit - includes A3, process mapping, timeline, process control charts, etc. - very comprehensive tool but likely more than is needed/necessary for these projects. Ok to use other simplified tools listed below or your own templates.

• Project Feasibility and Assessment

  • Project Feasibility Checklist

  • QIPER Tool - Project Evaluation

• SQUIRE Guidelines: https://www.squire-statement.org/ 

• Meetings to consider:

Included below are the Drive folders for the AY 2026-2027 QI Projects. Be sure to upload all completed items into your project folders, so that you can easily keep track of your progress.

Block 2 (7/27 - 8/23)

Identify your problem, AIM, stakeholders, and metrics.

• Worksheet link, examples

• Complete Background and Literature Review

How will you get your data?

• Options to consider include: manual collection, EHR tools such as SlicerDicer, Power BI, IT request for data. See site specific info related to data in "Factors to Consider" section above.

How might you display your data?

• Options to consider: run chart, process control chart

Complete a Key Driver Diagram for your project.

• Example

• Create one for your project (use this template or create your own)

Complete a Process Map for your project.

• Examples

• Create one for your project (use this template or create your own)

Optional: Complete a project A3.

• Template and How To

Block 3 (8/24 - 9/20)

Continue to work on assignments listed in Block 2. These should be completed by the end of Block 3.

Collect and review pre-intervention data. If you need an IRB determination, please ensure a designation is complete BEFORE you collect any data.

• Start project Run Chart (How to Video)

• Run Chart downloadable template

  • • Please note that for the Run Chart to work properly, open the document and download it as a (.xls) file!

Complete "Plan" section of PDSA Worksheet, with a minimum expectation of 1 PDSA cycle over the course of the project.

• Link to PDSA worksheet

Blocks 4 - 6 (9/21 - 12/13)

Please note that there will be project time and informal sharing updates during Block Education on Friday, September 25, 2026!

Implement an initial change/intervention.

Complete “Do” section of PDSA Worksheet.

Begin to measure and collect data.

Block 7 (12/14 - 1/10)

Continue to collect data.

Complete “Study” and "Act" section of PDSA Worksheet.

Complete one of the following tools:

• Failure Modes Effect Analysis (FMEA)

• FMEA Template 

• Pareto Chart

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk1LvUGpvUc

Prepare to present an update at Lunch & Learn in January.

Block 8 (1/11 - 2/7)

Continue to work on your first change/intervention. If you have completed this, consider a 2nd change/intervention. 

Present at Friday Forum (January 15, 2027; 12:30pm - 1:30pm) - Please add your slides to this shared slide deck, prior to the session.

• Mentors are encouraged but not required to be at this presentation.  

Blocks 9 - 10 (2/8 - 4/4)

Ongoing intervention and data collection.

Begin formatting abstract/slides for final presentation at MMCGME QI Forum.

• Link to site with instructions (TBA)

• MMCGME QI Forum Presentation Template

Block 11 (4/5 - 5/2)

Finalize data collection.

Complete abstract/slides and submit to MMCGME QI Forum.

• Due date for submissions: TBA

Complete the Assignment Checklist.

Block 12 (5/3 - 5/30)

Complete and submit MOC Part 4 paperwork

• See specific links in the "Factors to Consider" section above.

🎉Present your project at MMCGME QI Forum.🎉

• Event: TBA

• Due date for submissions: TBA

Website with further info/details: TBA

Dr. Bullock will review projects and give feedback through the QIPER Tool.