Establishing a fellowship program
Purpose and considerations
This document is intended to facilitate the development
of musculoskeletal fellowships for physiatrists. The document provides a broad
overview of the factors to be considered when establishing a fellowship and is
designed to serve as a guide rather than a definitive source. Though there are
no requirements for non-accredited fellowship programs, AAPM&R and PASSOR
recommend that programs be established to meet PASSOR recognition standards at
a minimum, and encourage program directors to design programs with an eye
toward ACGME requirements in order to facilitate accreditation in the future,
if desired. Articulating specific milestones and deadlines for achieving them
will be helpful in promoting program growth and maintaining focus.
For information regarding establishing an ACGME-accredited
pain medicine program, refer to
Establishing an
ACGME-Accredited Residency Program in Pain Medicine. For information
regarding PASSOR recognition, see
www.aapmr.org/passor/pasfellowdir.htm.
For various reasons, not all non-accredited fellowship
programs will choose to achieve ACGME-accredited status. Economic and other
issues often determine the feasibility of petitioning for such accreditation.
However, it is critical that the educational component be the primary mission of
any fellowship program, regardless of accreditation status.
Note: The term "fellowship," commonly
used in this document, isrefers to a post graduate year 5 (PGY-5) residency
program. "Fellows" or participants in the program are presumed to be graduates
of a residency program seeking further training in the musculoskeletal
subspecialty area.
Program mission
Establishing a clearly articulated mission for a
fellowship program is essential to its proper development and ultimate
success. While a broadly stated mission to ensure the progress of the
subspecialty is, in most cases, implied, more specific attributes of the
program should be considered, committed to, and noted at the onset of the
development phase. How will your program ensure the progress of the
subspecialty? What type of environment will be created for participants? What
skills and attributes are fellows required to have? What attributes and skills
does the program aim to develop? What will be the philosophy guiding the
content and practices of the program? The more specific the mission, the
better able participants and directors will be to ensure the viability and
credibility of the program. The mission statement will be a helpful reference
tool for the recruitment of fellows and for assessing program participants as
well as for evaluating and improving the program itself.
Program goals
At a minimum, a fellowship should aim to provide the
following to its participants:
-
The program should be designed to ensure that graduates
possess the advanced knowledge and competencies to practice the subspecialty.
-
The multi-disciplinary didactic and clinical curriculum
should prepare the fellow for the full scope of current subspecialty practice.
-
The curriculum should include instruction in areas of
patient safety, critical thinking, communication, the role of the
professional, and other non-clinical areas such as practice management.
Copyright ©2005
PASSOR
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