Quality in Psychiatric Training: Development of a Resident Satisfaction Questionnaire

The authors describe the development of an instrument to measure resident satisfaction with training, the Resident Satisfaction Questionnaire (RSQ). A national sample of 180 residents rated 41 items regarding the relative importance of each item in determining resident satisfaction with training. The five items rated most important in determining resident satisfaction with psychiatric training were 1) quality of supervision; 2) respect of faculty for residents; 3) responsiveness of the program to feedback from residents; 4) balance of training between psychosocial and biomedical aspects of psychiatry; and 5) departmental morale. Authors discuss differences among resident subgroups. The 10-item RSQ included items rated most important by the overall group of residents and by resident subgroups. Authors present recommendations for use of the questionnaire.