Building a comprehensive outpatient resident evaluation system

Jessica E. Murphy, MD, MS, FACP, Halle G. Sobel, MD, FACP, Erin D. Snyder, MD, FACP, Paul O’Rourke, MD, MPH, FACP

Introduction: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) updated internal medicine program requirements reflect growing recognition of the importance of ambulatory training.1 Internal medicine residency programs must include at least 10 months of ambulatory experiences and must perform evaluations at least quarterly during longitudinal experiences like continuity clinic.1 The longitudinal nature of ambulatory rotations including continuity clinic creates a rich opportunity to assess residents over time and promote their growth in multiple skillsets. This article is a primer for educators to create a comprehensive evaluation system in the continuity clinic setting to not only meet this requirement, but also to ensure that programs are truly capturing the critical impact of continuity clinic on the resident educational experience.