Strengthening the Academic Base of General Pediatrics Fellowship Programs: A National Program and Curriculum Development Project

Baldwin, Constance D.; Szilagyi, Peter G.; Dreyer, Benard P.; Bell, Louis M.; Baker, Raymond C.; Cheng, Tina L.; Coury, Daniel L.; DeWitt, Thomas G.; Darden, Paul M.; Duggan, Anne; Ludwig, Stephen

doi:10.1016/j.ambp.2007.05.009

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Volume 7, Issue 5 , Pages 340-347, September 2007

Strengthening the Academic Base of General Pediatrics Fellowship Programs: A National Program and Curriculum Development Project

Constance D. Baldwin, PhD
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY
- Address correspondence to Constance D. Baldwin, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong, Room 4.8164, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, PO Box 777, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642.
Peter G. Szilagyi, MD, MPH
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY
Benard P. Dreyer, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
Louis M. Bell, MD
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa
Raymond C. Baker, MD, MEd
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Tina L. Cheng, MD, MPH
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md
Daniel L. Coury, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbus Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Thomas G. DeWitt, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Paul M. Darden, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
Anne Duggan, ScD
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md
Stephen Ludwig, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa

Received 7 March 2007; accepted 30 May 2007.

Objective

To improve academic general pediatrics (AGP) fellowship programs by 1) developing curriculum guidelines and program standards and 2) creating a process for program review and consultation that might later be used for accreditation of AGP fellowship programs.

Methods

This project of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association (APA) created 4 documents: AGP fellowship program requirements, core curriculum, educational goals and objectives, and a standardized form to describe required program characteristics. Site visits were conducted at 7 volunteer AGP fellowship programs, selected for diversity of content, structure, and location. Evaluations were conducted using a uniform checklist of requirements that combined numerical ratings with a written evaluation summary. Feedback from programs on the review process enabled refinement of the documents.

Results

The site visits revealed great variety in emphasis among the 7 programs. In general, faculty were dedicated and capable, and programs showed considerable educational strengths. Typical problems were lack of integration of the program within departmental structures, overburdened faculty, and uncertain funding. Many programs demonstrated suboptimal curriculum planning and weak evaluation methods. Most program leaders felt that the project materials helped to improve the quality of their programs, and 5 of 7 programs expressed willingness to be involved in formal accreditation review in the future.

Conclusions

AGP fellowship programs that volunteered for piloting of an accreditation process were diverse and vital, with rich educational offerings despite a lack of optimal curriculum structure, minimal evaluation, limited faculty resources, and tenuous funding. An APA accreditation process appears to be feasible and may enhance AGP fellowship programs.

Key Words: academic general pediatrics, accreditation, curriculum, fellowship education