Graduate Medical Education

Medical Knowledge

ACGME Common Program Requirements state that each residency/fellowship program must require its residents/fellows to obtain competence Medical Knowledge. It is necessary for programs to define the specific knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes required, as well as provide educational experiences as needed in order for their residents and fellows to demonstrate competency in the area of Medical Knowledge

Medical Knowledge requires residents/fellows to demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient and as further specified by the ACGME Residency Review Committee.

Program Improvement activities assure full integration of this and other competencies with learning and clinical care. To review several recommended evaluation methodologies, click here.

Core Assessment Systems are essential to improving resident performance in this competency as well as the other competencies. To review an example of comprehensive core assessment system, which uses multiple methodologies and raters, click here.

Common Program Requirements (effective 7/1/07) are available at the ACGME website. ACGME also has provided a Program Director's Guide to the Common Program Requirements that became effective 7/1/07.

Examples of Medical Knowledge in Curricula:

Examples of Medical Knowledge Evaluation Tools:

Evaluation of Competencies (generic competencies)
Annual Evaluation Form with Competencies (use for promotion)
Summary Evaluation Form with Competencies (use for graduation)

This page was last updated on: January 23, 2008.