The goal isn’t to manufacture busy work; it’s to recognize that clinical training produces publishable scholarship as a byproduct, if residents (and faculty) learn to see it.

Time Management for Shift Workers

Block scheduling is a hidden advantage if used intentionally. The residents who are most productive in scholarship batch their research work into focused sessions rather than scattering it across post-shift half-hours. Two four-hour writing sessions during a lighter rotation block will outperform 10 fragmented 45-minute attempts.⁴

External deadlines create natural accountability. Abstract submission windows for Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, ACEP Scientific Assembly, and regional conferences provide structure that self-imposed deadlines rarely match. Working backward from a submission date to set milestones is one of the simplest productivity interventions available.

Build a Team

Time-limited researchers may benefit from collaborators. Pairing with a biostatistician before data collection begins, not after, can prevent months of unusable work. Co-authoring with co-residents distributes the labor: one person manages the literature search, another handles the dataset, a third drafts the methods. Shared projects finish faster than solo ones.⁵

Mentor selection matters here too. The faculty member with the highest H-index isn’t necessarily the best fit. Residents on a training timeline need a mentor who returns feedback within days, not a month. Responsiveness beats prestige.

Traps to Avoid

Three patterns reliably waste resident research time. First, the forever project: a study that has been “almost ready” for two IRB cycles and may never finish during training. Sunk cost is real, and recognizing it early preserves time for projects that will reach completion. Second, saying yes to every faculty member’s pet project without asking whether it leads to an authorship position aligned with specific career goals. Third, waiting to feel ready. The imperfect case report submitted today teaches more than the perfect study designed tomorrow.

Start This Week

Pick one project. Make it a Tier 1 or Tier 2, something that can be completed within a few months. Open the document, draft the first section, and send it to someone who will hold you accountable. A research portfolio isn’t built in protected time you were never given. It’s built in the hours you choose to protect yourself and further your career.

Check out the Research Forum at ACEP26

The ACEP Research Forum is where new ideas become better outcomes. Explore the latest studies, challenge assumptions with top researchers, and see how emerging evidence is redefining clinical standards across emergency medicine.