Resident-led Board Review-focused Didactics Improve Physiatry Self-assessment Examination Scores

Abstract

We implemented an educational intervention centered on resident-led, board review-focused didactics to improve Self-Assessment Exam for Residents (SAE-R) scores at our institution, carried out over two academic years (2024-2025 and 2025-2026). As a result, mean percentile scores increased from 48.4±25.6 (2024) to 77.4±26.9 (2025) and 82.3±24.0 (2026), reflecting significantly higher percentile scores in both 2025 and 2026 compared with 2024. There were also significantly greater proportions of residents exceeding the 50th percentile in 2025 (86.4%, 95% CI 66.7%-95.3%) and 2026 (83.3%, 95% CI 64.1%-93.3%) compared with 2024 (31.8%, 95% CI 16.4%-52.7%). Similar trend was observed for proportions of residents exceeding the 90th percentile (2024: 4.5%, 95% CI 0.8%-21.8%; 2025: 45.5%, 95% CI 26.9%-65.3%; 2026: 58.3%, 95% CI 38.8%-75.5%). There were no significant differences in mean percentile scores and proportions of residents exceeding the 50th and 90th percentiles between 2025 and 2026. Our educational intervention was associated with improved resident SAE-R performance over a two-year follow-up period, supporting its effectiveness and sustainability.