Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Workshop for New Program Directors

ACGME Annual Education Conference

February 28, 2013

Louis Ling, MD

Mary Lieh-Lai, MD

John Potts, MD

Unwritten Jobs of the Program Director

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Resident Recruitment

Life Blood of the Program

Garbage in: Garbage out

Good residents belong to the Program

Problem residents are YOUR problem

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Resident Retention

“One can’t produce wool by

merely buying lambs or

llamas. One must be a

good shepherd”

How does a program

director become

a good shepherd?

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Maintain Morale

Residents

Faculty

Coordinator

Office staff

What makes people

happy?

Corollaries:

can’t always make

everyone happy

can’t have everything

don’t promise what you

can’t deliver

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Disciplinarian

Residents

Faculty

Coordinator

Office staff

Set expectations

Repeat often

They don’t always hear you

the first time

Know the policies

Write things down:

documentation is work but

it is your friend

You will realize the

benefit of this when you

have to dismiss or fire

someone

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Compassion

Residents

Faculty

Coordinator

Office staff

Different people have

different issues

They don’t make them like

they used to

I had to walk uphill in 6ft of

snow to get to work

I raised a child on my own

and never missed a day of

work

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Confidant

Residents

Resident spouse/S.O.

Medical Students

Coordinator

Office staff

Faculty

Chairman

Providing time

Being a good listener

Approachability and

trustworthiness

(compassion)

Knowing what the issues

are

Confidentiality

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Consensus Builder

Among faculty

Among residents

Among coordinator &

office staff

Unity of purpose

among hospital, faculty,

residents

Enthusiasm

Open communication

lines

Involve key individuals

“My way or the highway”

is not good for

consensus building

But not everything has

to be built on consensus

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Enforcer

With the hospital(s)

With the faculty

With the residents

Set expectations

Be orderly and

purposeful

Set timelines

Repeat often

They don’t always hear

you the first time

Know what the policies

are

Can’t enforce

something you don’t

know or understand

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Negotiator

With your Chairman

With other faculty

Between faculty and residents

Between residents

Hospital(s) and Department

With your S.O. and family

Funding:

Create a plan with a

sound rationale: “just

the facts ma’am”

Educational activities

Time

Quality vs quantity

You scratch my back

and I will scratch your

back

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Author

Recruitment materials

Policies and Procedures

Goals and Objectives

Letters of Recommendation

Residency Verifications

Clearly convey information to faculty

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Chief Financial Officer

Resident salaries

Resident benefits

Coordinator and office staff

Educational materials

Visiting speakers

Professional travel

Program social activities

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Educator

Faculty Development

Writing objectives

Importance of evaluation

Evaluation methods

Feedback skills

Questioning skills

Teaching in different settings

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Other Jobs of the PD

Good Cop

Bad Cop

Fall Guy

Software Engineer

Statistician

Time Manager

Teacher

Educator

Role model

Self maintenance

Magician

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

The Program Director as Role Model

Scholarly Activities:

Research, manuscript preparation, presentations,

education (including teaching at the bedside),

evidence-based medicine, keeping current with

literature

Professionalism:

Overall behavior, speaking to patients and families,

treatment of others, research integrity, timeliness,

communication skills

Remain calm and composed

Remain steadfast

Maintain excellence and motivate people

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

SUMMARY

Written requirements easier

Multi-faceted job requiring many skills

Breakdown in any part can bring the

machine to a halt

© 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Thank You!