Report from the Society of University Otolaryngologists

There are six core competencies that all residency programs must now teach and evaluate:

• Medical knowledge;
• Patient care;
• Professionalism;
• Systems-based practice;
• Communication and interpersonal skills; and
• Practice-based learning.

On balance, these seem like straightforward, desirable attributes that all practicing physicians should master. Therefore, teaching and assessing these core competencies should improve the overall quality and performance in practice of graduating residents. However, the process of evaluating performance in each of these areas is not easy, and several SUO sessions have provided attendees with tools they can take back to their own programs. For example, the use of portfolios prepared by the resident have been successfully used in the regular assessment of practice-based learning and systems-based practice. Similarly, professionalism and systems-based practice have been addressed using participation in multidisciplinary case-based conferences. Different types of questionnaires-differing in both question format and content-have also been presented. In addition, potential pitfalls with different approaches have been pointed out by speakers with experience in various evaluation techniques.

In another step to improve the lines of communication among residency programs, a residency program directors group has been organized through the SUO; this group will meet for the second time at the 2008 SUO meeting. This is an exciting development for otolaryngology, as most other specialties have similar groups that meet regularly to work on residency training-related issues. The otolaryngology program directors group is being led by a steering committee chaired by Christine Franzese, MD, from the University of Mississippi, in cooperation with members of the residency review committee, and with assistance from the American Board of Otolaryngology. The program directors group will likely become an important and integral part of the SUO in the future.

Even for otolaryngologists not affiliated with a residency program, the core competencies will likely still become part of your professional life in the near future, as the Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation is encouraging hospitals to credential and evaluate their medical staff based on their competency in the same six areas.

For Further Information

If you are interested in joining or learning more about the SUO, please visit the society’s Web site at www.suo-aado.org . The theme of the 2008 SUO meeting, which will be held October 24-26 at the InterContinental Hotel in Chicago, will be Educational Excellence across the Spectrum: From Students to CME.

A New Feature for ENT Today

With this article, Michael G. Stewart, MD, President of the Society of University Otolaryngologists, begins a series of columns in ENT Today not only from the SUO, but also from other otolaryngology-head and neck surgery societies.