Model for implementation of a modern journal club in medical physics residency programs

Abstract

Journal clubs are a common educational experience for medical physics residents as a forum to discuss current research within the field. While journal clubs are valued by educational programs and accrediting bodies, there are a wide variety of ways in which these sessions are conducted. Unfortunately, there are currently few studies that have assessed the effectiveness of this educational method. This review defines journal club in the context of a medical physics residency and provides historical background for the meetings. Reasons why journal clubs are valued are presented, and several methods are described for conducting journal clubs. The format of journal clubs and scaffolding methods for guiding residents in gaining independence in critical reading skills are discussed. While the traditional journal club is a meeting, an alternative online virtual journal club is also described. Finally, a model of how a journal club can be applied in a medical physics residency is presented.