Assessing the New General Competencies for Resident Education

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has promoted six areas that should be addressed during graduate medical training, or "general competencies" (GCs). According to the ACGME, these GCs should be reflected in the educational processes of all residency programs. In promulgating these competencies, however, the ACGME has not provided examples of core content, methods of implementation, or methods of evaluation. The authors propose a practical method for modifying an existing evaluation format, providing a template other programs could use in assessing residents' acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes reflected in the GCs.