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WCM-Q & ACGME organize assessment workshop for healthcare educators

Speakers and participants during the workshop.
Speakers and participants during the workshop.

Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) and the Chicago-based Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) organized a virtual two-day training course on competency-based medical education for healthcare leaders and educators.

The workshop, developed by WCM-Q’s Division of Continuing Professional Development, helped the 32 physicians and educators in attendance develop enhanced assessment skills, with sessions on key concepts and theories in professional development and learning, advanced assessment and feedback tools, identifying and remediating struggling learners, and applying techniques to improve direct observation.

The course was directed by Dr. Thurayya Arayssi, professor of clinical medicine and vice dean for academic and curricular affairs at WCM-Q, and Dr. Eric Holmboe, chief, research, milestones development and evaluation officer at the ACGME.

WCM-Q speakers included Dr. Arayssi, Ms. Deema Al-Sheikhly, director of medical education and continuing professional development, and lecturer of education in medicine, Dr. Amal Khidir, associate professor of pediatrics, Dr. Amine Rakab, assistant professor of clinical medicine and assistant dean for clinical learning, Dr. Sumeja Zahirovic, assistant professor of medicine, and Dr. Mai Mahmoud, assistant dean for faculty affairs and associate professor of teaching in medicine.

Visiting international expert speakers included Dr. Holmboe and Dr. Sandra Moutsios, associate professor of internal medicine and pediatrics, and director of the internal medicine-pediatrics residency program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) of Nashville, Tennessee.

In addition, as part of WCM-Q’s direct observation, eight residents from the Internal Medicine Residency Program (IMRP) at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) participated as standardized residents.

Dr. Arayssi said: “Assessment is a critical component of graduate medical education. We are therefore extremely pleased that the course has attracted participants from seven countries and four different healthcare professions—a clear testament to its wide-ranging international impact. In partnership with our colleagues at the ACGME, we remain committed to continuing to offer healthcare educators courses on important medical education topics.”

Dr. Holmboe said: “We are delighted to have organized our second workshop in partnership with WCM-Q. This collaboration comes as part of our joint dedication to supporting physician-educators in Qatar and the region, and ensuring they meet the highest standards of excellence in graduate medical education to meet the healthcare needs of the region’s population. Due to the positive feedback received from course participants and growing interest in the workshop, we will be hosting our next workshop in October. We look forward to welcoming physicians and educators from all healthcare professions.”

The course was particularly aimed at residency and fellowship program directors, associate program directors, and faculty members with responsibility for the assessment of residents and/or fellows.

Commenting on her experience, one of the participants, Dr. Farah Jaber, medical chief resident, Internal Medicine Department, AUBMC, said: “I would like to thank the organizers and speakers for arranging this workshop and providing us with the knowledge and training needed to constantly improve. It is a great honor to be part of this learning community.”

The workshop, titled ‘Assessment in Competency Based Medical Education: A Faculty Development Program,’ was accredited locally by the Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).