A team of representatives from five gastroenterology and hepatology
societies have created a toolbox designed to help gastroenterology
training directors meet the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
Education (ACGME) Internal Medicine Subspecialty Reporting Milestones
requirements while training fellows to independently care for patients.
Thirteen core tasks, known as “entrustable professional activities,” or
EPAs, have been identified that define the work of gastroenterologists
and hepatologists. A toolbox for each task includes, among other things,
specific behavioral objectives related to knowledge, skills and
attitudes; identification of the key reporting milestones needed to
achieve mastery; and suggested assessments to gauge progress.
This toolbox is the creation of the Oversight Working Network (OWN),
which is a committee made up of representatives from five societies —
the AGA Institute, the American Association for the Study of Liver
Diseases (AASLD), the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), the
American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS) and the
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), receiving
support from colleagues from the North American Society for Pediatric
Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) and the GI Program
Directors Caucus.
The project was developed in response to the new twice-yearly reporting
milestones requirement — a key component of the Next Accreditation
System. This new outcomes-based accreditation system for graduate
medical education programs takes affect for gastroenterology on July 1,
2014. Submission of the first reporting milestones report for GI
fellowship training programs are due to ACGME between November and Dec.
31, 2014.
“The GI societies must ensure that the needs of our trainees, program
directors and educators are being met in ways that best help them
prepare for the practice of gastroenterology and hepatology,” said
Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd, professor of medicine, senior associate dean for
education, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and lead author
of the paper. “We respect the autonomy of GI fellowship programs and
offer the new tools to help educators and trainees supplement their
current approach while being able to meet the new requirements in the
Next Accreditation System.”
The white paper describing the project and approach, which was generated
by the OWN Committee, is published in Gastroenterology, the official
journal of the AGA Institute; Hepatology, the official journal of AASLD;
Neurogastroenterology and Motility, the official journal of ANMS; and
GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the official journal of ASGE, as well
as online by ACG. Additional feedback was provided by the North American
Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. The
full toolbox will be available on each journal’s website and on the OWN
website: www.ownyourfellowship.org
.
Wiley
Nicole Weingartner, +1 201-748-5808
Publicist
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