The ACGME is now offering a virtual faculty development course, replacing the longstanding in-person Developing Faculty Competencies in Assessment until in-person courses are possible. The virtual program provides the basic content of the live course through a series of interactive workshops and small group activities designed to help faculty members and leaders achieve the goals of competency-based assessment in graduate medical education (GME).

Outcomes and competency-based education practices, as well as the ACGME's accreditation model that includes the Milestones, have created a growing and important need for effective assessment in GME programs. While the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented live professional development opportunities for faculty members and leaders to learn best practices in assessment, the pandemic has only reinforced the need for robust assessment programs to ensure effective professional development of medical students, residents, and fellows.

To help build a community of learning, educational materials will be made available to participants after they complete the course through the ACGME's online learning portal, Learn at ACGME.

A Systems Approach to Developing Faculty Competencies in Assessment

The course is designed to help participants build effective assessment programs for their residency or fellowship. Sessions are highly interactive and use multiple learning approaches, including virtual simulations, to provide participants with approaches and tools for effective assessment. The course also provides a roadmap for developing a system of assessment to assist participants in implementing changes within their own institution.

This course is ideal for:

• Program directors
• Associate program directors
• Chairs and members of Clinical Competency Committees (CCCs)
• Designated institutional officials
• Faculty members with major responsibility for the assessment of residents/fellows

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Apply key principles of outcomes-based education in GME
• Optimize the use of developmental assessment based on goals and principles of competency-based medical education
• Understand and apply key issues in rater cognition, as well as understand their implications for effective assessment
• Build an effective assessment program by choosing and applying appropriate tools
• Develop effective group process for assessment in their CCC
• Improve approaches to use of multi-faceted longitudinal assessment data for professional development
• Employ effective practices in work-based assessment
• Develop a personal action plan and a program-specific improvement project for change in their own program

Format

The course will be delivered in interactive workshops that include theory bursts covering essential assessment content mixed with small group application exercises. It is being offered in two formats: one for individual learners; and a second in a new, team-based format.

This course will be led by ACGME senior staff members and selected expert instructors from around the country. Virtual live sessions will be highly interactive and use multiple learning approaches, including simulations, to provide participants with practical, immediately useable approaches and tools for effective assessment.

Educational materials will be available in Learn at ACGME, where they will remain available to participants after completing the course. During the course, participants will also engage and contribute to an ongoing discussion board and other content in Learn at ACGME.

Course Offerings (Note: All sessions are noted in Central Time)

The course beginning October 7 will be completely online. Sessions will be held every Friday from 1:00-5:30 p.m., except October 28.

Register for Courses

Virtual Regional Courses

Developing Faculty Competencies in Assessment

In addition to the course described above, the ACGME’s Regional Faculty Development Hub initiative, with content modeled after the Chicago course, is also transitioning to a virtual format.

Regional Faculty Development Hub courses are presented by leading GME institutions that have collaborated with the ACGME to develop a curriculum focusing on building assessment skills of individual faculty members or others at the front lines of resident and fellow education. These highly interactive courses are taught by expert faculty members; at least three instructors in each offering have attended the Chicago-based ACGME course.

Course Dates

The Stanford Developing Competencies in Assessment course will be held online August 19-20, 2022. Please visit the Stanford University registration page for details and to register.

Hub Locations
Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio and Abu Dhabi
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii
Karolinska Institute Stockholm
Maine Medical Center
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
National Health Group Singapore
Oman Medical Specialty Board
Pacific-Northwest Consortium
Philadelphia Consortium: Sidney Kimmel School of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson, Penn State Hershey, and Geisinger Commonwealth
Stanford University
Taiwan Societies of Anesthesia and Emergency Medicine
University of California at Los Angeles
UT Health San Antonio and Dell School of Medicine Consortium
Vanderbilt University
Weill Cornell Qatar
Yale University

Additional Faculty Development Resources

In addition to the above courses, the ACGME has developed a wide range of resources to provide educators with tools to assist them in their efforts to improve GME outcomes through assessment, including:

• The Direct Observation of Clinical Care (DOCC) smartphone app, which assists faculty members and other evaluators complete on-the-spot or scheduled direct observation assessments of residents and fellows caring for patients and performing other clinical activities. Download the app from the App Store for iPhone and Google Play for Android.
• Teamwork Effectiveness Assessment Module (TEAM) is a web-based tool for collecting multisource feedback on residents' and fellows' professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, competence in interprofessional teamwork, and aspects of systems-based practice.
• The ACGME’s Milestones Resources web page, which features several guidebooks to assist with a range of assessment implementation situations.

Additional online assessment training for GME educators is also available in the ACGME’s online learning portal, Learn at ACGME.