New Initiatives Aim to Improve Residency Application, Program Evaluation

The NAS will also track rolling board pass rates and will administer self-study visits every 10 years for all otolaryngology residency programs.

A “Huge” Responsibility

Such changes show that “medical education is going through a revolution right now to ensure patient safety and quality,” said Dr. Zacharek. “How do we ensure that residents finish their program [being]competent for the public? It’s no small task. This process is supposed to help that happen.”

Will evaluating each resident by a new set of standards take a lot more of program directors’ time? Yes, said Dr. Zacharek. “It’s a constant issue with regards to how a program director is organizing their time,” he said. But doing a thorough evaluation is critical. “The program directors have a huge responsibility and ownership in making sure their residency programs are meeting ACGME guidelines,” he said. “The responsibility to sign off on a resident is a big deal: We’re saying they are competent and capable of taking care of the public on their own. The priority is to train the most competent otolaryngologists who will focus on patient safety and who will always seek ways to improve the care they provide.”

Standard Recommendation Letter Measurements

The new standardized recommendation form introduced by the Otolaryngology Program Director’s Organization uses a five-point scale to measure a candidate on:

• Patient care
• Medical knowledge
• Professionalism
• Interpersional and communication skills
• Procedural skills
• Research
• Initiative and drive
• Commitment to the field of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery
• Commitement to academic medicine
• Match potential