Live blog from ACGME Conference #1: Coordinators say faculty are most difficult to communicate with

By: Julie McCoy March 6th, 2009

Hello!

Sorry for my silence yesterday– I was traveling to sunny (and warm) Grapevine for the ACGME conference.

This morning has already been very informative. I attended a session in which coordinators discussed the communication challenges they face daily. When asked, “Who is the most difficult to communicate with,” faculty members were coordinators’ number one answer. Reasons preventing effective communication with faculty included:

Faculty members do not view or value the coordinator as a professional and do not respond to his/her requests
When hired, faculty members do not receive education on what educational responsibilities the job entails, so they do not turn in evaluations etc.
Faculty members don’t care about ACGME requirements or standards

A few coordinators said they track faculty members’ contributions to education using a faculty scorecard. The coordinator gives the program director or department chair that information when the faculty member is up for review. Luckily, I was sitting right next to one of the coordinators who does this, and she agreed to provide an interview for an upcoming issue of Residency Program Alert. Look out for the article!!

What do you think–are faculty the most difficult group to communicate with? If not faculty, who do you have the most trouble communicating with? What have you done to make communication easier?

Check back later for more from ACGME.