Competencies
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Outcome Project is a long-term initiative by which the ACGME is increasing emphasis on educational outcomes in the accreditation of your residency education program (http://www.acgme.org). The impetus for this project is a system of medical education that relies heavily on public funding and is therefore accountable to the public to meet public needs and prepare well-qualified new physicians as cost effectively as possible.
Accreditation of your training program focuses on the program’s actual accomplishments, through assessment of program outcomes i.e.:
- whether you, the resident achieve the stated learning objectives
- whether the program provides evidence of this achievement
- whether your program demonstrates continuous improvement in its educational process
The ACGME Outcome Project Advisory Committee identified six general competencies:
- patient care
- medical knowledge
- practice-based learning and improvement
- interpersonal and communication skills
- professionalism
- systems-based practice
You want to review these competency areas frequently throughout your training program (ACGME Competencies). It is your responsibility to demonstrate competence in these six areas before you complete your residency training. You will work with your Program Director to identify how you will be assessed in each competency area. It is also your responsibility to maintain adequate records that document your achievement throughout your program.
