Resident Academic Project (RAP)

The UCSD Pediatric Residency Program seeks to prepare physicians to become leaders in their field.  The Resident Academic Project (RAP) provides a framework and protected time toward achieving this goal.

The RAP can be tailored to each resident’s career interests, whether they be in:

• Pediatric subspecialties or primary care
• Inpatient or outpatient settings
• Academia or community-based
• Local or global health
• Clinical or research focus
• Teaching or private model

Project Categories

There are 6 major categories of RAP projects, allowing residents the freedom to individualize their projects to match their interests:

• Scientific research
• Medical Education
• Quality Improvement
• Community Service/Advocacy/Leadership
• Global Health
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

For residents interested in an academic career, the RAP project criteria mirror the “scholarly activity” component of the promotion process for faculty.  As a result, residents will be familiar with the system and well-prepared to be successful in the next phase of their careers.

The RAP project augments residents’ CVs by showing evidence of a skill set valued by both fellowship and primary care leaders.  Residents should list their RAP project, Pediatric Research Symposium presentation, RAP awards, and any other project output forums (publications, posters, etc.) on their curriculum vitae.

The RAP project will serve to prepare physicians who are clinically astute, scientifically knowledgeable, responsive to community problems, and compassionate toward clinical needs.

What is a Resident Academic Project?

The project should involve original, independent, creative, and scholarly activity by the resident.

• The project may address a specific scientific question, or involve the creation of a new methodology in medical teaching or patient care. The project must address a specific issue or question. The project itself, the rationale, and the goal(s) must be clearly defined. The definition of specific goals at the outset will facilitate the development of an appropriate strategy for completing the project. 
• The project should attempt something new. A project can be considered new by asking a novel question, proposing an innovative method for answering an old question, developing and/or testing a new tool for medical instruction or patient care, or developing a new community or global health service for patient care or instruction.
• While there is nearly no restriction on the subject matter contained in the Resident Academic Project, there must be some relevance to medicine, health care delivery, or other area of medical inquiry. With a little creativity, the possibilities are virtually limitless.

RAP Exemptions:

Due to their limited time in Pediatrics, Med/Peds & Child Neurology Residents are exempt from the RAP program. Those wishing to participate must first receive approval from their respective Program Directors.

RAP Productivity:

Since the initiation of the RAP projects, there has been a significant increase in resident engagement in scholarly activities, with a 153% rise in poster publications and a 57% increase in overall publications.