ABMS/ACGME CORE COMPETENCIES IN DERMATOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Board of Medical Specialties have approved of the concept of Core Competencies in residency programs. All residency programs are required to provide a curriculum and evaluation system to ensure that residents demonstrate competence in the six core competencies:

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

b. 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.

c. 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.

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

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

f. 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.

Compliance with these requirements will be assessed by the Residency Review Committees when they regularly review programs. The American Board of Dermatology has developed specialty-specific working definitions of the Core Competencies for use in residency programs, as well as a tool box (click on Tables button above) of evaluation and assessment methods that may be used by residency program directors.