Competency Curriculum Goals and Objectives

The primary purpose of transitional year residency training is to provide residents with a well-balanced educational program covering multiple clinical disciplines designed to facilitate the preparation for a specific specialty. 

During transitional year residency training at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, each resident is expected to develop strong clinical skills during a year that emphasizes experience in internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine plus various approved elective rotations. Residents must demonstrate proficiency in comprehensive patient evaluation, assessment and reporting skills. They must also be able to develop differential diagnosis, interpret and act on test results and begin to assume increased responsibility for the management of assigned patients. Specific knowledge, skills, and attributes to be developed in each of the competency areas during the year include for PGY-1:

Patient Care

  • Demonstrate the ability to thoroughly evaluate assigned patients and complete an appropriate history and physical examination 
  • Communicate effectively and must be able to provide patient care by demonstrating compassionate, appropriate and effective treatment of health problems 
  • Gather essential and accurate information in order to integrate information to develop an appropriate differential diagnosis 
  • Develop and generate an appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic plan to assigned patients 
  • Recognize urgent and emergent medical conditions and apply basic principles of triage and resuscitation 
  • Apply and educate patients and their families regarding basic preventive care, diagnosis and treatment guidelines
  • Use information technology to support patient care decisions and patient education
  • Perform competently all medical, diagnostic, and surgical procedures essential for the area practice
  • Provide health care for diverse patients with integrity and continuity
  • Collaborate with other health care professionals, including those from other disciplines, to provide patient-focused care 

Medical Knowledge

  • Must demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care 
  • Has passed Steps 1 and 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX)
  • Demonstrate clinical reasoning by critical thinking and problem-solving skills 
  • Complete understanding in procedural knowledge and informed consent 
  • Has passed all steps of USMLE or COMLEX

Systems-Based Practice

  • Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care and the ability to effectively call on other resources in the system to provide care that is of optimal value
  • Will coordinate patient care within various health care systems relevant to their clinical specialty
  • Will work in interdisciplinary teams to enhance patient safety an improve patient care quality 
  • Practice cost-effective health care and resource allocation that does not compromise quality of care 
  • Advocate for quality patient care and assist patients in dealing with system complexities
  • Participate in identifying system errors and implementing potential system solutions 

Practiced-based Learning and Improvement

  • Investigate and evaluate their patient care practices, appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve their patient care practices based on constant self-evaluations and life-long learning;
  • Demonstrate self-directed assessments and learning by identifying strengths, deficiencies, and limits in one’s knowledge by setting learning and improvement goals,
  • Locate, appraise, and assimilate evidence from valid sources by identifying and performing appropriate learning activities  related to theirs patients health problems and using information technology to optimize learning;
  • Facilitate the learning of patients, families, students and other health care professionals.

Professionalism

  • Demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity to a diverse patient population including but not limited to diversity in gender, age, culture, race, religion, disabilities, and sexual orientation.
  • Demonstrate respect, compassion, and integrity; a responsiveness to the needs of patients and society that supersedes self-interest; accountability to patients, society, and the profession; respect for patient privacy and autonomy and a commitment to excellence and on-going professional development;
  • Demonstrate a commitment to ethical principles pertaining to provision or withholding of clinical care, confidentiality of patient information, informed consent, and business practices;
  • Responsible for maintaining emotional, physical, and mental health in one’s self.
  • Submit all required duty hours, evaluations, and procedure logs in a timely manner.
  • Recognize when too fatigue to perform patient care and inform the rotation director as well as the transitional year program to ensure back up is utilized

Interpersonal and Communications Skills 

  • Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective information exchange and collaboration with patients, their families and health professionals; 
  • Must communicate effectively with patients, family, and the public as appropriate across a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds;
  • Communicate effectively with other physicians, health professionals, and health related agencies, work effectively with others as a member or leader of a health care team or other professional group
  • Maintain comprehensive, timely and legible medical records