Assessment of competency in child and adolescent psychiatry training.

OBJECTIVE: Residency training programs in all areas of medicine are required to identify core competencies expected of all graduates and develop methods to assess and ensure attainment of these competencies. To assist with this process for residency programs in child and adolescent psychiatry, the Work Group on Training and Education of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has developed several principles of the assessment process and compiled a variety of assessment methodologies for use in assessing competency. The principles of assessment include 1) residents should share responsibility for assessment; 2) assessment should be an open, ongoing and predictable process; 3) a wide range of evaluators should be utilized in the process; 4) residents should demonstrate competency in a variety of formats; 5) the goal is for 100% of residents to achieve core competencies. METHODS: Sample methods of assessment are provided in the report with special attention to how the method could be used in child and adolescent psychiatry. CONCLUSION: A multi-method, multi-evaluator for process of assessment is recommended.

Sample Core Competencies in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training: A Starting Point.

In an effort to improve the preparedness of residents to address health care needs, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education mandated that all Residency Review Committees (RRCs) incorporate the general competencies of patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice into their requirements. In response, the Psychiatry RRC mandated that child and adolescent psychiatry programs develop one competency for each of the six areas, effective January 1, 2001. To assist in this effort, the Work Group on Training and Education of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has developed sample core competencies for each area. These samples are meant to serve as potential models for consideration by training programs as they develop criteria tailored to their program's unique resources and needs.