Engaging Residents for Lifelong Learning and Continuous Improvement of Certification Standards

ABMS Insights (07/05/22) Co, John Patrick T.

The COVID-19 pandemic's disruption of resident experience highlights the vital role of lifelong learning, writes John Patrick T. Co, MD, MPH, director of Graduate Medical Education at Mass General Brigham and medical director for Equity at Massachusetts General Hospital. "In response to the pandemic, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) emphasized the importance of competency-based medical education in assessing the clinical competence of residents and fellows, including the role individual learning plans can play in residents meeting the ACGME milestones," he notes. Co adds that the development of medical education and certification systems depends on ABMS Member Boards collaborating with the graduate medical education community. "Given that the physicians' first interaction with Member Boards typically occur when they are residents seeking initial certification in their respective specialties, seeking input from them at this early stage is an opportunity for bi-directional sharing of information and ideas," he writes. Co observes that some boards are attempting to enhance residents' certification processes, while development and deployment of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) offer another avenue for bi-directional learning. "Just as Member Boards have engaged residents in quality improvement (QI) activities to encourage use of QI in practice early on, EPAs are another means for residents to adopt a framework for learning early in their professional development, one that they can continue throughout their career," he explains.

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