Archive for: January, 2009
Soundbooth Friday: Get residents feedback about the program
Over the last several months, Residency Program Alert has included a series describing how to combat the nine red flags in the accreditation process outlined in the February 2008 ACGME e-bulletin. The article in February’s issue of RPA covers the concern the ACGME identified as, “lack of program leadership.”
Fighting for a new program coordinator job description
Yesterday was the day that we coordinators look forward to each year. . . our annual performance evaluation with our supervisors. During this meeting, coordinators have the opportunity to list all of the projects we accomplished over the previous year and describe what we do on a day-to-day basis.
Although showing off my successes is satisfying, performance evaluations are also frustrating. They’re an in-your-face reminder that the coordinator job description, pay grade, and salary range remain outdated.
Get involved: Working group established to revise the scramble
Jeri Whitten, C-TAGME provided me the following information as follow up to the column she wrote in yesterday’s issue of Residency Program Connection regarding the scramble.
Monday’s Poll: Submitting your program’s match list
Quick tips for handling verification requests
CMS and The Joint Commission have put credentialing regulations in place that require medical staff offices to obtain documentation showing that physicians are trained and qualified to perform the clinical privileges they request, as reported in the January issue of Residency Program Alert (RPA). That means the number of verification requests residency programs receive is not going to dwindle anytime soon, according to Kathy Matzka, CPMSM, CPCS.
In the RPA article, I covered the dos and don’ts of completing verification requests for residents whom the program director trained and directly evaluated. However, residency program managers also receive verification requests for physicians who graduated before the program director or coordinator joined the organization. Here are two tips on how to handle verification forms for those individuals:
- Be transparent. If the person filling out the verification form is basing their comments upon the review of a file-rather than personal knowledge of the skills, training, or experience of the applicant-note that on the form, says Matzka. Simply write the phrase, “Based upon review of the file. . . ” before any comments you give, suggests Matzka.
- Modify templates. If you use your own verification form in lieu of the one hospitals or credentialing verification organizations send, develop a separate template to use for physicians who did not train under the program director, says Penny Potvin, neurology coordinator at Fletcher Allen Healthcare in Burlington, VT. Make sure your verification form clearly states that the information given is based on a review of the file, not personal experience. Once the program director completes the verification form on these individuals, Potvin puts a copy in the physicians’ folder. That way, if more requests come in, they have the form already filled out.
Soundbooth Friday: Mapping out the year ahead
As I’ve mentioned in several posts, I wrote an article in January’s Residency Program Alert, which included time management and stress busting tips. I interviewed Residency Manager Blog’s own blogger, Diane Farineau for the article.
One way Farineau keeps her cool is by creating a calendar outlining the year’s tasks with her program director. But Diane’s calendar isn’t tucked away in a desktop planner. She uses easel pads and hangs them on the wall for everyone to see. Everyone in her office is on the same page, and their to do list is right in their faces.
Listen to Diane explain how she creates her yearly calendar below.
Tell us how you keep your yearly to-do lists organized in the comment box!
Get Residency Manager Blog posts delivered to your inbox
I know you coordinators, directors, and GME office staff are super busy. That’s why we added a new feature to the site that lets you sign up to receive e-mails whenever a new post appears on Residency Manager. Just enter your e-mail address into the box on the homepage under the heading that says Subscribe – Get updates via email.
After you click submit, you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm that you want Residency Manager sent to you. Click on the link in the e-mail, and you’re all set.
Don’t confuse this with our weekly free e-newsletter, Residency Program Connection. You can sign up for that by clicking on the yellow sunburst on the top right side of the screen.
I hope this feature makes getting your dose of Residency Manager Blog news a little easier.
Introducing new blogger: Diane Slosser
Editor’s Note: Diane Slosser is the newest addition to Residency Manager’s blogging team. Slosser is radiology program coordinator at Bridgeport Hospital in CT. Look out for her weekly posts.
Another New Year’s Resolution
Happy New Year to all of you!
I thought I’d start by piggybacking on Julie’s earlier blog post about her resolution for the New Year. I have a few resolutions myself that I’m going to try my hardest to keep: One is to reduce the amount of stress in my life- to simplify and not have things hanging over my head. I want to actually get to the tasks in my “to do” folder that I usually can’t find the time for.
You know how it is. . . you walk into the office, site down, and say, “Today is the day I’m going to accomplish this.” Sometimes you actually get to do those things, and when you do, it’s a great feeling. Other times, those things you want to accomplish today, are still sitting on your desk in your “to do” folder weeks later.
I’ve decided that once interview season is over, I’m going to start using the E*Value program for the ever-dreaded resident portfolio. Because I’m still a paper person, my program is a paper program. I realize that if we’re going to get with the times, or keep up with the times, I need to shift to a more paperless way of life.
My goal for the upcoming 2009-2010 calendar year is to have an online portfolio system in place by July’s orientation. I’m going to develop a how to presentation for the residents in my program, both old and new. I figure that, not only will I be starting the new residents out on the right foot, but I will be bringing my program into the next generation.
I will also be achieving one my goals for the New Year-to simplify and reduce some of my stress-by shifting the responsibility for resident portfolios to the residents. How good it will feel when I’ve accomplished my goal, and one more thing is off my plate!
If you’re already managing your portfolios using an electronic residency software, I’d love to hear how you got it all started and whether or not it has been a success. Do your residents actually take ownership and pride in their portfolios? How did you educate them on the new system? How is it working out for your program?
Monday’s Poll: New resident manual
Soundbooth Friday: Organization is key to marketing yourself
I do a ton of interviews with leading graduate medical education experts every month for our newsletter, Residency Program Alert. Everyone I speak with is so willing to share their expertise, that I inevitably end up with a few tips I can’t fit into the newsletter. That’s why I created Soundbooth Friday- to share all of this valuable information! Every Friday, I’ll upload a clip from an interview that will leave you with a little helpful nugget or food for thought.
Our first installment of Soundbooth Friday is a piece of the interview I did with time management guru Odette Pollar.
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