New Procedure Requirements for Internal Medicine Ease Residency Transition
ABIM periodically reviews initial certification requirements to make sure they meet the needs of today’s practicing physicians. In this extraordinary time, and given all the other important issues with which physicians must contend, ABIM wanted program directors to be aware of new procedure requirements for internal medicine that, in many cases, will ease the transition from residency.
If your graduating residents were already on track to meet the prior procedure requirements, they are still in compliance. If not, the new requirements should lighten the procedural load since not all residents are required to do all procedures before graduation. The new requirements are in effect for this academic year (2019-2020).
Last year, ABIM asked program directors, fellowship directors, recent graduates, health systems and medical societies whether or not a specific set of procedural competencies should be required of all graduating residents to be eligible for certification in internal medicine. The Internal Medicine Board and ABIM Council subsequently approved the recommendation—strongly supported by a majority of internal medicine program directors—that all internal medicine residents should be able to do some procedures, but a common set of procedural competencies should not be required of all graduating residents.
If you have questions about the new internal medicine procedure requirements, please contact our Academic Affairs department.
From all of us at ABIM, thank you for all you are doing to meet the current crisis and to still ensure the training and competence of the next generation of internists.
