A full slate of pressing medical education issues will be discussed by the AMA Council on Medical Education at the AMA Annual Meeting in June, including maintenance of certification (MOC) and graduate medical education (GME) financing.
The 12 members of the council will report on critical issues in medical education to the AMA House of Delegates at the meeting, to be held June 7-11 in Chicago. Among the topics to be addressed are:
- Competency-based medical education
- Aligning accreditation across the medical education and practice continuum
- MOC, osteopathic continuous certification and maintenance of licensure
- Physician workforce and GME financing
- Guidelines for students shadowing physicians
A report on the physician workforce shortage and GME financing examines the need for more physicians to meet the nation’s growing health care needs. Part of the equation is a lack of growth in GME positions funded by Medicare, which were capped at 1996 levels by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. In addition to nationwide efforts like the AMA’s Save GME campaign and recent congressional action to address the problem, the report provides a synopsis of what 17 states are doing to increase their physician workforce or influence the specialty and location choices of physicians.
A report on aligning accreditation across the medical education continuum will look at the “alphabet soup” of organizations involved in undergraduate medical education and GME. The council urges adoption of a “common competency framework” based on competency domains defined by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The report also calls for more coordination of data gathering and decision-making related to compliance among various medical education accreditation bodies and organizations.
“It’s not easy to stay abreast of the many changes in medical education and to keep an eye to the future, but the Council on Medical Education welcomes that challenge,” said Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, council chair.
“I believe that our reports—as the product of the wide-ranging expertise of council members and of council communication with external organizations—reflect the best thinking of experts in medical education, and ensure that the AMA remains on the forefront of ensuring the highest quality of physician competence, today and tomorrow,” Dr. Gold said.
The council develops reports for the AMA House of Delegates and facilitates collaboration with a wide range of medical education and accreditation bodies, including ACGME and ABMS.
The council will present its reports during the Reference Committee C hearing at the meeting, and the reference committee will take its recommended actions to the AMA House of Delegates. If approved, the recommendations in the council reports would become AMA policy and serve to direct the work of the AMA now and into the future.
AMA members can weigh in on the council’s reports prior to the meeting in the Online Member Forum.
