This interview is one in a series of interviews with recipients of the 2021 ACGME Awards. The awardees join an outstanding group of previous honorees whose work and contributions to graduate medical education (GME) represent the best in the field. They will be honored at the ACGME Annual Educational Conference, taking place virtually February 24-26, 2021.
2021 David C. Leach Awardee Bryce Montané, MD is a third-year resident in internal medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.
ACGME: Why did you want to become a physician?
Montané: I wanted to become a physician because I have always been interested in the field of medicine. I was lucky enough to find that doctors are, in many ways, teachers. I believe teaching is my true passion in life.
ACGME: What, so far, has been the most rewarding part of your residency?
Montané: The most rewarding part of residency has been being able to work with medical students and first-year residents to help them develop their clinical skills. I enjoy teaching second-year students the basics of a history and physical as much as I enjoy being a physician.
ACGME: What innovation/improvement did you implement in your program?
Montané: Our innovation was to create a structured system for encouraging residents to teach medical students and for helping residents become better clinician-educators. Several of the members of our team were part of the inaugural class of the Clinician Educator Track in the internal medicine residency program at Cleveland Clinic. We wanted to provide our house staff with more opportunities to engage and help grow the skills for those who come after us.
ACGME: What does it mean to you to receive this award?
Montané: This award is a wonderful representation of what we try to do as residents. As educators, we try to better ourselves and others every day.
ACGME: What advice would you give to other residents/fellows who are looking to either replicate your improvement or implement an original idea of their own in their own program?
Montané: My advice to others would be to reach out to faculty members and students individually to garner interest in medical education. We are lucky enough to work in a field where there are always learners who are ready for our help and guidance. Never underestimate what you can accomplish as a resident with the right mentorship, plenty of time, and perseverance. The first time we applied for this award we were not selected, but we worked hard the subsequent year to improve our project and application.