AAIM
Return to Insight Archives

Featured Articles

Self-Assessment and Portfolios: Important Changes for Internal Medicine Training
As the focus of graduate medical education shifts from concentration on the processes of teaching to actual accomplishments of residents, fellows, and training programs (1), the change is driving training programs to find better ways to evaluate and assess the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of physicians-in-training. Two essential skills, however, are frequently not addressed in physician training: reflective practice and selfassessment. These skills are fundamental to maintain competence during a physician’s career and must be addressed in the training of medical students, residents, and fellows.

Incorporating Systems-Based Practice Education into Residency Programs
The formal incorporation of systems-based practice into internal medicine residency training programs is not without challenges. “Incorporating Systems Based Practice Education into Existing Residency Program Schedules and Structure” (a workshop presented at the 2006 Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine Spring Meeting in Philadelphia, PA) detailed four strategies, including two web-based programs, for overcoming challenges.

The Art of Corrective Feedback
Educators know that feedback is one of the most powerful tools for influencing a learner’s behavior and helping the learner grow. Guidelines for offering feedback have been available to internal medicine residency programs for more than 20 years (1). Corrective feedback is perhaps the most important tool and yet, all too often, physician educators are afraid to provide feedback for fear of “pain” on the part of the learner (or on the part of the teacher).

Growing Insights into Medical Professionalism
Current emphasis on professionalism in medical school and residency education has spawned a flurry of investigations. Recent literature hints at a significant change in the conceptual framework used to understand and teach professionalism (1-6). Traditionally, professionalism was viewed as an attitude or character trait and was considered immutable. Operating under this assumption, recruitment efforts focused on selecting the “right” student or resident. Oversight of professionalism in physicians-intraining was considered a purview of the admissions committee rather than the curriculum committee.

Innovations in Education
In upcoming issues of Academic Internal Medicine Insight, AAIM will use this space to highlight the goals and innovations pursued by residency programs participating in the Review Committee for Internal Medicine Educational Innovations Project. The goal of this review is to provide the academic internal medicine community a view into these programs and to stimulate broader consideration and discussion of these innovations. Future articles and presentations will detail the progress toward accomplishing innovation as well as the barriers encountered and lessons learned along the way.

Will Democrats Pursue a Health Care Agenda in 2007?
By taking control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the mid-term elections, the Democratic Party shifted the health care debate in 2007. When it begins work in January under the control of Democrats, the 110th Congress is expected to pursue a different health care agenda than its predecessor. This agenda will include several issues of interest to faculty and staff in departments of internal medicine.

 

Download Complete PDF of Volume 4, Issue 4

 


In Every Issue

EVP Update
Tod Ibrahim, AAIM Executive Vice President

Point/Counterpoint

Update in Medical Education

Evolution of Medicine

Tools for Faculty and Staff

AAIM in Action

Caring for an Elderly Population

Policy in Brief

Ten Tunes That Make You Think... Doctor

Advertisements



AAIM Board of Directors

Academic Internal Medicine Insight Editorial Board

AAIM Staff

Advertising in Academic Internal Medicine Insight