THE DOCTORS COMPANY FOUNDATION YOUNG PHYSICIANS PATIENT SAFETY AWARD Conferred in Partnership With The Lucian Leape Institute at The National Safety Patient Safety Foundation

Young Physicians Award Criteria:

The Doctors Company Foundation in partnership with the Lucian Leape Institute at the National Patient Safety Foundation presents The Doctors Company Foundation Young Physicians Patient Safety Award — an award to recognize young physicians for their deep personal insight into the significance of patient safety work. Individuals are invited to submit essays that will be judged by NPSF. Six winners of this prestigious award will be selected and will receive $5,000 + registration and travel expenses to the NPSF Annual Congress.

Eligibility:

• As of June 2011 applicants must be either a 3rd or 4th year medical student or a 1st year resident in hospital setting
• Award is for the best essay on the most instructional patient safety event that was a personal transformational experience during the 3rd or 4th clinical year in medical school or 1st year in residency
• Award will be conferred by The Doctors Company Foundation in partnership with the Lucian Leape Institute at the National Patient Safety Foundation
• Essays will be judged and winners selected by the NPSF review committee, all review committee decisions are final
• Award recipients will be announced at the annual NPSF Patient Safety Congress, May 23-25, 2012, Gaylord National, Washington, DC
• Congress registration and travel expenses will be covered for award recipients

Submission Requirements:

In 500-1,000 words describe the most instructional patient safety event you experienced, one that resulted in a personal transformation. The essay should have an emotional impact on the reader and provide a lesson that is transferable to other medical students and medical professionals. Please explain how the event impacted your learning and growth and how the experience will help you to provide the safest care to your current and future patients. Please also include examples of how to improve any processes that led up to the patient safety event and how you will work to ensure that the changes are implemented.

Description of relevant events for the essay includes any patient safety event. A patient safety event is a process or an act of omission or commission that results in hazardous health care conditions and/or unintended harm to the patient. The event is often a consequence of a systems failure or error. Examples include medication-related errors, communications errors, health care – associated infections, medical record errors, identification errors and delays in responding to critical diagnostics.

Essays must maintain the confidentiality and integrity of the patient and location of the event. Please use fictitious names and locations in your essay.

Deadline:

Nominations must be submitted by 5:00pm ET, Friday, February 10, 2012.

No phone submissions or mailed submissions will be accepted.

Please note:

The Award will be presented at the NPSF Annual Congress, May 23-25, in National Harbor, MD (Washington, DC). It is anticipated that the recipient will be able to attend.