Hi Everyone,
It’s clinical competency time again. As a reminder, our Clinical Competency Committee (chaired by Dr. Cindy McNamara) meets twice a year to assess your performance. The spring CCC meetings are high stakes because we have to decide if you’re ready for promotion and graduation.
CCC meetings are largely inspiring. Most of you are thriving, and we spend hours extolling your virtues (we have to set a timer to shut people off). So, while the meetings are high stakes, most decisions are positive.
That said, issues do arise. Some residents need to boost their medical knowledge, some need to do a better job managing clinic inboxes, and some need to hone their communication skills. Should concerns arise, your APD will call you to discuss strategies to grow, which could include referral to the Performance Improvement Committee (chaired by Dr. Jackie Savage). We have a near-perfect record of graduating competent, ethical, reliable physicians, and we are committed to your success.
Here’s what most of you can expect: PGY1s who have mastered core skills—entering orders, collecting data, writing accurate notes, presenting succinctly, and differentiating sick from not sick—are ready to become seniors. PGY2s who have mastered leading teams, discharging patients, and responding to emergencies are ready for capstone rotations. PGY3s who are functioning nearly independently in clinic and the hospital are set to graduate.
We physicians never stop honing our skills. We read, we seek feedback, and we learn from mistakes (the latter is my specialty). Though there are no CCCs for attendings, we must keep assessing ourselves throughout our careers. I am grateful to Dr. McNamara’s committee as well as all the APDs, who devote countless hours to evaluating you thoroughly, objectively, and fairly. And of course, I am grateful to all of you, who make CCC meetings such a joy.
Enjoy your Sunday, everyone. I’m heading out to the bike trail.
Best,
Mark
What I’m reading and listening to:
- What Americans Get Wrong About ADHD on “Plain English” with Derek Thompson
- Francis Collins on Faith and Lab Leak on “The Weekly Dish” with Andrew Sullivan
- Once a Magnet, Becoming a Pariah By Steven Beschloss
- Is This the Hill to DEI On? On “We Own What We Make” with Ben Fink and Isa Segalovich (my future son-in-law and daughter)
- Awash in an Ocean of Angry Words by Parker Palmer
- We Visited Rumeysa Ozturk in Detention By Edward J. Market, Jim McGovern, and Ayanna Pressley