2007 Recruit-a-Resident
ACP is pleased to announce the start of the 2007 Recruit-a-Resident Program, which encourages residents to become Associate members of the College. As an Associate of the College, you will have the opportunity to strengthen your career in internal medicine through teaching, research and networking with other ACP members.
If 90% or more of your internal medicine or medicine-pediatric residents become ACP Associates, each resident in your program will receive the following free educational resources:
- MKSAP OneTwenty - Two sets of 60 pre-tested MKSAP questions that meet the ABIM's high statistical standards, presented in the same format that is used for the ABIM Certification Exam. The advanced features in this CD-ROM application help residents test their knowledge, compare their performance to practicing physicians, and receive focused, in-depth instruction on the questions that they answer incorrectly.
- The latest Updates (recent important papers in internal medicine subspecialties) and Multiple Small Feedings of the Mind (answers to essential clinical questions for the practicing internist) on CD-ROM.
For more information about ACP’s 2007 Recruit-a-Resident Program or to access a downloadable application for your residents, please visit the Recruit-a-Resident Web site.
Associate Abstract Competitions
For over twenty years, the College has sponsored local and national abstract competitions for ACP Associates. Winning entries in both the National Clinical Vignette and National Research Paper competitions are featured each year at the annual scientific meeting, Internal Medicine. Associates can begin submitting abstracts for the 2008 competition through the electronic abstract system in August. The deadline for entries is October 1.
More information about local and national abstract competitions including chapter contact information and a Guide to Preparing for the Abstract Competition is available on the ACP Web site.
ACP and ACPF Launch Tools to Improve Diabetes Care
ACP and the American College of Physicians Foundation (ACPF) unveiled three patient and clinical tools to improve diabetes treatment and care at the College’s annual scientific meeting, Internal Medicine 2007. The resources, developed for ACP members, healthcare professionals and patients, are the culmination of an ambitious three-year Diabetes Initiative funded by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk. The materials include Living with Diabetes: An Everyday Guide for You and Your Family, a self-management guide for patients; The ACP Diabetes Care Guide for physicians and practice teams; and the Diabetes Portal, a free web-based resource for physicians and patients.
The Diabetes Initiative was launched to elevate current practice standards for the disease to the proper level, based in high quality, evidence-based care. Each resource produced by the initiative was designed to meet these objectives with specific goals for physicians and patients.
- Living with Diabetes is intended to be an innovative model for patient education and empowerment and provides tips for dieting and exercise, as well as for monitoring blood sugar, insulin and other medications.
- The ACP Diabetes Care Guide was developed for physicians and practice teams, and contains tools for better practice management as well as a practice manual, answers and critiques.
- The Diabetes Portal provides resources for both patients and clinicians: clinicians can search for information under the headings of quality improvement, practice issues and clinical topics; patient resources include information about diabetes related complications.
Living with Diabetes and the ACP Diabetes Care Guide can be ordered online at and are free to ACP members.
Recruiting Medical Students to Internal Medicine
Although internal medicine is still the most popular specialty choice among medical school graduates, the American College of Physicians and other stakeholder organizations in internal medicine are concerned about diminished popularity of internal medicine as a specialty choice.
Unlike the situation a number of years ago, when the “best and brightest” students at most medical schools pursued residency training in internal medicine, many of these students are now preferentially choosing careers in what are considered more lucrative specialties or “lifestyle specialties.” Of particular concern has been the decreasing number of internal medicine residents who choose to enter general internal medicine, with the resulting future impact on the numbers of physicians who will be providing comprehensive care to a growing population of patients with complex and/or chronic illness. Based on data obtained from a questionnaire accompanying the Internal Medicine In-Training Examination (which is developed by ACP in collaboration with the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine and the Association of Professors of Medicine), the number of PGY-3 residents planning careers in general internal medicine has diminished considerably – from 54% in 1998 to 20% in 2005.
In December 2006, ACP and the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM) co-sponsored a retreat in Dallas to develop an action plan intended to increase student interest in internal medicine. In addition to ACP and the constituent organizations within AAIM (i.e. Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine, Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine, Association of Professors of Medicine, Association of Specialty Professors, and Administrators of Internal Medicine), the Society of General Internal Medicine, the Society for Hospital Medicine, and the American Board of Internal Medicine also participated in the retreat. A wide range of potential action items were raised at the retreat, many of which fall under the responsibilities of a particular organization or group of individuals. Some specific areas in which chief residents can have a particular impact include:
- Serving as role models who are satisfied with their choice of internal medicine as a career;
- Delivering a positive message about careers in internal medicine;
- Making students feel valued on their internal medicine clerkship(s);
- Working with residents to inculcate a sense of their responsibility for the ultimate care of their patients (since it is important for students to see residents take real “ownership” of the care of their patients); and
- Providing materials and discussions with students about internal medicine as a career choice, ideally at both the beginning and end of the clerkship.
We hope that chief residents will recognize the important role they can play in encouraging medical students to choose internal medicine as a career, and in assuring that sufficient numbers of students enter the discipline. This is ultimately a goal that is in the best interests of our patients and society in general.
ACP Endorses High Need Physician Workforce Act
The American College of Physicians recently endorsed the bipartisan High-Need Physician Workforce Incentives Act of 2007. The six-part bill introduced on June 6 by Representative Michael C. Burgess, MD, and Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas focuses on incentives for generalist physicians (family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, general surgery, and OB/GYN) to work in high need areas.
The bill includes a scholarship program for generalist physicians in high-need areas. Scholarship recipients would receive up to $30,000 a year for medical school and after completing residency, serve as generalist physicians at high-need facilities for one year for each year they received a scholarship. The bill also calls for a loan repayment program, which would offer repayment of up to $35,000 of the principal and interest of an individual’s educational loans for each year of service at a high-need facility. Information on other elements of the legislation
can be found on the ACP Web site.
Make Your Voice Heard on Capitol Hill
Key Contacts are asked to communicate with their members of Congress regarding issues of importance to internists and their patients and report the results back to ACP. As key issues approach the decision-making stage on Capitol Hill, the College e-mails or faxes legislative alerts to Key Contacts. Legislative alerts include all of the necessary information (including sample messages that can be easily personalized) to send informative communications to members of Congress.
There are currently 464 Associate members of the College who serve as Key Contacts. A breakdown of the number of Associate Key Contacts by state is available online. ACP members are not required to have existing relationships with their members of Congress before becoming a Key Contact. Please help ACP with its efforts on Capitol Hill and encourage your residents to enroll as Key Contacts today.
Associate Leadership Network (ALN)
Know a resident with an interest in leadership, medical education, or health policy? Encourage them to sign-up for the ALN. The ALN is a group of Associates who are devoted to policy issues that shape internal medicine education as well as resident and subspecialty training. ALN members receive quarterly newsletters with information on legislative actions, upcoming ACP meetings and College products and services. Newsletters are concise, timely and catered to the needs of the busy schedule of residents and subspecialty fellows.
To join the ALN please send an e-mail indicating your interest to the Council of Associates.
The ACP Council of Associates invites you to share your experiences and opinions on the following topics. Please post your responses on the online Resident’s Newsgroup. To access the newsgroup you will need your ACP username and password.
Resident Wellness
The Council recognizes that mental and physical wellness is an integral part of achieving academic success.
- How easily can your residents access necessary healthcare?
- Do you have protected time in your program for residents to attend doctor’s appointments and address preventative health needs such as vision and dental appointments?
- Are primary care providers who are not involved in evaluating residents available for residents to contact?
- What measures are in place for protecting confidentiality?
Resident Teaching Skills
Since residents and subspecialty fellows are often responsible for teaching medical students and other residents, it is important they learn the skills that enable them to be effective teachers.
- How do you instruct residents in your program to teach medical students and other residents?
- How did you learn to teach and how can you impart this knowledge to other residents to improve the overall quality of your training program?
Professionalism
It is important for physicians-in-training to develop a clear understanding of how to be professional in the workplace.
- What do you do to teach professionalism in your program?
- Can professionalism be taught or only role modeled?
- ACP Leadership Day: May 13-14, 2008
- Internal Medicine 2008: May 15-17, 2008
For a complete list of upcoming dates at ACP, visit the online College calendar.
Help Graduating Residents Stay Involved With ACP
Graduating residents who want to remain involved in ACP’s educational and advocacy activities can change their contact information by following the “Membership>Update Your Info” links off the ACP homepage. By updating this information, graduating residents can ensure they will not miss any upcoming ACP activities.
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Benefits of ACP Membership
Associate Member Benefits: ACP offers Associate membership for internal medicine residents and subspecialty fellows-in-training.
Join ACP: Take advantage of members-only benefits by becoming an Associate member of ACP today.
New SEP Points Option with MKSAP 14!
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MKSAP 14 subscribers now have a new option for earning SEP points in the ABIM Maintenance of Certification program.
Annals Audio Summary Podcasts
Hear a summary of current Annals articles and quick interviews with authors in an easy-listening format.