On October 26, 2018, 65 academic leaders met at the 2018 AAPM&R Annual Assembly to discuss variability among PM&R residency program curricula, the future direction of residency training, and next steps.
Prior to the meeting, the Academy's GME Committee collected core curriculum from many residency programs, in order to benchmark the current practices. A survey was also sent out to confirm some of the assumptions from the benchmarking. This data was presented to the group in order to discuss best practices with the goal of developing new models for evolving training programs. Later, the group split into small teams to continue discussions.
The group determined that there is a need for a library of resources for residency program leadership. They also agreed that all residency programs can raise the bar in terms of teaching educational content in a more standardized process, so all programs are on the same level.
Going forward, the GME Committee will continue to collect data on residency program practices and will work on a plan for continuous engagement among the program directors to propel these discussions forward.