Effects of a Reward System on Resident Academic Productivity

Abstract

Objective: 1) Implement a reward system that positively promotes academic productivity amongst otolaryngology residents. 2) Evaluate outcomes of the reward system with regards to resident academic output.

Method: Residents earn points for completing various steps of a research project. Points may be redeemed for academic endeavors, including books, equipment, and travel expenses. Resident publications submitted between 7/1/1997 and 6/30/2011 were reviewed. This timeframe included equal periods before and after implementation of the reward system, which occurred in 2004.

Results: The reward system was well-utilized, with median annual points earned per resident of 850 (range 0-3670). Forty-nine resident authors on 40 unique publications were identified. Mean resident publications per year increased from 1.67 prior to the reward system to 5.57 after implementation of the reward system, P = .01. After implementation of the reward system, a significantly higher percentage of resident publications were of the case report type (10% before and 85% after, P < .001).

Conclusion: The reward system is well-utilized by otolaryngology residents at our institution. One measure of academic achievement—number of publications—increased after implementing the reward system. These data suggest that this system may be effectively encouraging resident research, but may have the unintended effect of skewing publication output toward case reports.