Residency Program
6 Core Competencies
At its February 1999 meeting, the ACGME endorsed general
competencies for residents in the areas of:
PATIENT CARE
Residents must be able to provide patient care that is compassionate,
appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems
and the promotion of health. Residents are expected to:
- communicate effectively and demonstrate caring and respectful
behaviors when interacting with patients and their families
- gather essential and accurate information about their
patients
- make informed decisions about diagnostic and therapeutic
interventions based on patient information and preferences,
up-to-date scientific evidence, and clinical judgment
- develop and carry out patient management plans
- counsel and educate patients and their families
- use information technology to support patient care decisions
and patient education
- perform competently all medical and invasive procedures
considered essential for the area of practice
- provide health care services aimed at preventing health
problems or maintaining health
- work with health care professionals, including those
from other disciplines, to provide patient-focused care
MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE
Residents must demonstrate knowledge about established and
evolving biomedical, clinical, and cognate (e.g. epidemiological
and social-behavioral) sciences and the application of this
knowledge to patient care. Residents are expected to:
- demonstrate an investigatory and analytic thinking approach
to clinical situations
- know and apply the basic and clinically supportive sciences
which are appropriate to their discipline
PRACTICE-BASED LEARNING AND IMPROVEMENT
Residents must be able to investigate and evaluate their
patient care practices, appraise and assimilate scientific
evidence, and improve their patient care practices. Residents
are expected to:
- analyze practice experience and perform practice-based
improvement activities using a systematic methodology
- locate, appraise, and assimilate evidence from scientific
studies related to their patients’ health problems
- obtain and use information about their own population
of patients and the larger population from which their
patients are drawn
- apply knowledge of study designs and statistical methods
to the appraisal of clinical studies and other information
on diagnostic and therapeutic effectiveness
- use information technology to manage information, access
on-line medical information; and support their own education
- facilitate the learning of students and other health
care professionals
INTERPERSONAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Residents must be able to demonstrate interpersonal and communication
skills that result in effective information exchange and
teaming with patients, their patients families, and professional
associates. Residents are expected to:
- create and sustain a therapeutic and ethically sound
relationship with patients
- use effective listening skills and elicit and provide
information using effective nonverbal, explanatory, questioning,
and writing skills
- work effectively with others as a member or leader of
a health care team or other professional group
PROFESSIONALISM
Residents must demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional
responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity
to a diverse patient population. Residents are expected to:
- demonstrate respect, compassion, and integrity; a responsiveness
to the needs of patients and society that supercedes
self-interest; accountability to patients, society, and
the profession; and a commitment to excellence and on-going
professional development
- demonstrate a commitment to ethical principles pertaining
to provision or withholding of clinical care, confidentiality
of patient information, informed consent, and business
practices
- demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to patients’ culture,
age, gender, and disabilities
SYSTEMS-BASED PRACTICE
Residents must demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness
to the larger context and system of health care and the ability
to effectively call on system resources to provide care that
is of optimal value. Residents are expected to:
- understand how their patient care and other professional
practices affect other health care professionals, the
health care organization, and the larger society and
how these elements of the system affect their own practice
- know how types of medical practice and delivery systems
differ from one another, including methods of controlling
health care costs and allocating resources
- practice cost-effective health care and resource allocation
that does not compromise quality of care
- advocate for quality patient care and assist patients
in dealing with system complexities
- know how to partner with health care managers and health
care providers to assess, coordinate, and improve health
care and know how these activities can affect system
performance
