Fellowships and Residencies: New Best Friends!
How much attention do you pay to the relationship between subspecialty programs and their core/parent residency programs? Chances are, not enough.
The ACGME has many requirements regarding the residency-fellowship relationship. When I first started in this administrator position, I expected that the subspecialties would be all over the map with ACGME compliance. Sure enough, some programs had their documentation in order, some had a little bit of this and little bit of that, and some had virtually none. So we had to get everyone whistling to the same RRC tune, to establish a “reporting relationship” between the parent/core and the subspecialty while respecting individuality.
Alas and alack! The newly-minted (July 2009) Core Requirements for Internal Medicine state that the residency program must “supervise” the subspecialties. At our next Fellowship Program Directors’ meeting, we are together, as a team, going to decide just how to better comply with this direct mandate.
I know that not everyone who reads this blog is involved with an internal medicine program, but I get the feeling that other specialties are going to be moving in this same direction.
So, here’s a tip: If you don’t work much with the residency program in your department, you’ll want to check with who does. Find out exactly what type and how much “supervision” or “oversight” is required on both ends. Your residency program and your subspecialties might just become “new best friends” in satisfying your RRC!
I’m interested to hear how other programs–internal medicine and other specialties– handle and document communication/oversight/supervision between the core program and the subspecialty. Leave a comment in the tip box below.
« Program directors respond to the IOM duty hour recommendations | Home | ACGME CEO honored as one of the most influential physician executives »
-
-
Categories
-
Archives
-
Feeds
Sally Miller
Sally Miller is the fellowship coordinator for the department of medicine at University of Virginia Health System.Sally has written 6 posts.
Comments
We do a few things to supervise our fellowship programs.
Binders for all Fellowship programs are kept in core program.
1.) They report all duty hours to us each month.
2.) They send all Letters of Intent and contracts to us. (new and renewed)
3.) We meet every 4 months with the Fellowship PD and Core Program. We ask for updates on the programs, and fellows. Minutes are kept for documentation.
4.) Core Program Coordinator and Fellowship Coordinator meet every 4 months. We ask for update on program and fellows. Minutes are kept for documentation.
5.) Copies of site agreements are kept in the core program.
6.) Fellowship House Staff meetings are held every 4 month with all of the fellows from all programs. At this time they give us a update on the program and how they are doing. If there are any concerns, we address them. Minutes are kept as documentation.
6.) Education to the fellowship programs are shared as needed via e-mail or meetings.
I hope this helps.
Leave a Comment