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ACGME: Six General Competencies

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is the
national accrediting body for residency training programs. The ACGME
promulgates requirements for all aspects of training programs, including
content, assessment methods, and program evaluation procedures. The
ACGME has mandated that all training programs define and incorporate
educational experiences that will demonstrate that graduates are competent in six general areas of expertise. To review the program standards of the Residency Review Committee for PM&R, or to view further information about the ACGME, click on the link below:

http://www.acgme.org

Our program has launched a curriculum renewal process that will enable our faculty to:

• Define specific objectives for residents to demonstrate learning in the
  competencies
• Begin integrating the competencies into residents' didactic & clinical
  experiences
• Review our current assessment methods to reflect the competencies

We will depend heavily on the definition of the six competencies provided by the American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Definitions of
the six competencies are shown by section below:

• Patient Care: general skills (obtaining patient history, performing physical exam); physiatric skills (functional evaluation, exercise/modality prescription, therapeutic/diagnostic injections, electrodiagnosis, medical equipment prescriptions); clinical judgment (regular integration of medical knowledge with clinical data/judicious use of diagnostic & therapeutic procedures, prioritization of rehabilitation goals/forming a management plan at various levels, formulating a differential diagnosis); and patient care (clinical problem solving, patient advocacy, patient care planning/monitoring, promoting health/function & preventing disease/injury, responding to psychosocial aspects of illness/functional limitations).
• Medical Knowledge: general knowledge (knowledge base,
  integrating knowledge with practice, management of complex medical problems); physiatric knowledge (knowledge base, integrating knowledge with physiatric practice).
• Practice-Based Learning and Improvement: ability to self-analyze
  practice for improvement; use of evidence-based medicine; application of research methods; use of information technology; education of students/other professionals; accepting feedback on performance.
• Interpersonal and Communication Skills: communication with
  patients/families/other professionals; timely/accurate completion of medical records; working effectively with others; listening skills.
• Professionalism: attitudes (reliable, punctual, integrity, initiative,
  leadership, cooperation, mutual respect, accepting responsibility);
  humanistic qualities (ethical relationships with patients, compassionate, sensitive, respecting dignity of patients/family/colleagues, respecting differences in age/culture/disability/ethnicity/gender/sexual orientation,
  respecting patient confidentiality).
• System-Based Practice: knowledge of practice/delivery systems,
  ability to evaluate risks/benefits/limitations/costs of resources, integration of practice within larger system.

Successfully complying with these and other requirements ensures that our residency program operates at the highest level of educational achievement and remains accredited by the ACGME. Residents and faculty work together to reach these goals.