Practical Applications for Maintenance of Certification Products in Child and Adolescent Residency Training

The authors evaluated whether Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Performance-in-Practice products in training increases trainee knowledge of MOC processes and is viewed by trainees as a useful activity.

Six child and adolescent psychiatry fellowships used MOC products in continuity clinics to assess their usefulness as training tools. Two surveys assessed initial knowledge of MOC and usefulness of the activity.

Forty-one fellows completed the initial survey. A majority of first-year fellows indicated lack of awareness of MOC in contrast to a majority of second-year fellows who indicated some awareness. Thirty-five fellows completed the second survey. A majority of first- and second-year fellows found the activity easy to execute and would change something about their practice as a result.

Using MOC products in training appears to be a useful activity that may assist training programs in teaching the principles of self- and peer-learning.