What Is a Rheumatologist and How Do We Make One?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Rheumatology Training
• Professional Competency Assessment

Background:

• Graduate medical education requires robust evaluation for rheumatologist training.
• Standardized milestones and entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are crucial for assessing trainee competency.
• Rheumatology previously lacked defined EPAs, hindering clear articulation of specialist abilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the collaborative development of rheumatology reporting milestones and EPAs.
• To establish clear assessment tools for rheumatologist trainees.
• To define the core competencies of practicing rheumatologists for all stakeholders.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative development involving multiple professional organizations and working groups.
• Iterative refinement of milestones and EPAs through dedicated summits and meetings.
• Utilized input from the Association of Specialty Professors, Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Main Results:

• Twenty-three subspecialty reporting milestones were established.
• Fourteen rheumatology entrustable professional activities (EPAs) were developed and refined.
• These tools emerged from 3 development summits and 3 working group meetings.

Conclusions:

• The developed milestones and EPAs set measurable expectations for rheumatologist trainees.
• These tools promote enhanced accountability and enrichment in fellowship training.
• EPAs clearly define the expertise of a practicing rheumatologist to stakeholders.