"So, what is it you do here?"

When I worked at a Level I trauma center to manage the trauma research program, I inherited a program with low engagement, low productivity, and a general sentiment that research was just something they "had to do." At the time, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) required 20 published research papers every 3 years, a standard that cannot be met without intention at trauma centers not affiliated with universities.

The first time I sat in the break room with the new trauma medical director, I asked him a few questions about himself. After telling me where he trained, where else he worked, and a little about his family, he offered me an unsolicited opinion: he hated research. When it came time for him to reciprocate questions, he started with: "So, what do you do here?"

"Me? I do research."

Fast forward a few years. This same trauma medical director became my biggest research advocate, constantly stopping by my office with new ideas, willing to write and revise, and even willing to dive into the charts and do data collection. Why the about face? Because I made it easy and fun for him to participate in research.

Trauma surgeons are busy. If they do not have dedicated research time, they are participating in research in their free time or during a break between patients. Many trauma surgeons did not go into medicine to do research and often chose their practicing facility because it was not a Level I trauma center and they weren't required to do research. But they are smart. They know how to care for trauma patients. They know what they may do differently than other hospitals that seems to make a difference in patient outcomes.

So my job? Handle the boring stuff and get them involved in the fun stuff. Let them generate ideas, read and mark up papers, provide insight and opinions orally so I could write a cogent discussion section, present to their peers, and ultimately see their name in a place of authorship eminence on the final publication.

As a consultant, I have the same philosophy. I help hospitals build a trauma research infrastructure that includes the staff and support to handle the "boring" stuff (IRB proposals, data collection, statistical analysis, technical writing, journal submissions) so that busy surgeons want to be involved. I help identify publishable papers to avoid the discouragement of putting in months and years of work only to end up with an unpublishable manuscript. I help surgeons identify niche topics based on their unique patient populations, geography, or areas of interest. And I'm there to celebrate when the first paper gets accepted for publication and the entire team realizes that research is possible.

Diligent Consulting provides research consulting services to two types of clients:

• Level II trauma programs that want to elevate to Level I

• Level I trauma programs that received a research deficiency or otherwise failed to establish a sustainable research infrastructure

Contact us today to learn more about how Diligent Consulting can assist your trauma program and make research fun (or at least manageable!).