Assessing the Effectiveness of Residency Training Programs

During the past two decades, the traditional approach to undergraduate medical education has come under increased scrutiny by the consumer group (students) and the professionals (medical educators). Extensive changes have occurred in the medical curriculum, and rather complex systems have evolved to evaluate the educational processes in our medical schools. This fervor for more precise definition of "goals and objectives" for traditional courses and more valid methods for testing cognitive and behavioral skills has consumed much of the time of the medical educator. To date, little of this effort to change (improve) or critically analyze medical education has been focused on the content of postgraduate (residency) programs. The certifying boards in the medical and surgical specialties, through the Liaison Committee on Graduate Medical Education (LCGME), have continuously addressed the important question of the overall quality of the residency training programs in this country. The several specialty boards certify clinical competence