Core Competencies

In 1999, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)--the organization which oversees all residency and fellowship programs in the U.S. and is responsible for their official status as a licensed training program--issued a list of 6 Core Competencies which need to be addressed in all training programs.  

Regardless of whether one believes this is a useful concept, any physician who plans to continue on in the realm of academic medicine will need to be familiar with this list.  For instance, during a site visit of my residency program, I was specifically asked by an observer whether or not I was familiar with the core competencies.  I imagine that my response wasn't that impressive.  Anyways, here's the list:

1. Patient Care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health

2. Medical Knowledge about established and evolving biomedical, clinical, and cognate (e.g. epidemiological and social-behavioral) sciences and the application of this knowledge to patient care

3. Practice-Based Learning and Improvement that involves investigation and evaluation of their own patient care, appraisal and assimilation of scientific evidence, and improvements in patient care

4. Interpersonal and Communication Skills that result in effective information exchange and teaming with patients, their families, and other health professionals

5. Professionalism, as manifested through a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity to a diverse patient population

6. Systems-Based Practice, as manifested by actions that demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care and the ability to effectively call on system resources to provide care that is of optimal value

This blog would probably fit best under the category of "practice-based learning and improvement."