AS NEW RESIDENTS ARRIVE
July 1st marks the start of the ACGME’s Next Accreditation System (NAS) for residency programs, a new outcomes-based evaluation system. (ACGME’s Common Program Requirements (CPR) have been re-categorized to reflect this.) Specialty-based progressive milestones will now measure physician competencies, with a strong emphasis on resident self-regulation in personal responsibility and professionalism, including teamwork and communication, fatigue, impairment, stress and self-care – all required education topics by the ACGME and Joint Commission.
July 1st also marks the transformation into full-fledged physician-hood for new residents. Excitedly, they anticipate the joys of learning and helping patients get well. They also quickly find that their own self-care and ability to have healthy relationships with patients and colleagues becomes paramount – but difficult given their exhaustion and high stress. All this can lead to depression, fatigue, anger or addictive behaviors – common issues in residency.
Some of these problems may be prevented when residency programs “nip-it-in-the-bud”