Assessing the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Clinician Educator Milestones

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Professional Development
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• The Clinician Educator Milestones provide a framework for assessing educators' skills.
• Differentiating educators based on recognition and career emphasis is crucial for targeted development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Clinician Educator Milestones' ability to differentiate between peer-recognized teaching award nominees and other clinician educators.
• To assess if the milestones identify differences based on career emphasis in clinical education.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to clinician educators at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, including award nominees and a control group.
• Respondents self-assessed their competency levels (1-5) across 20 subcompetencies of the Clinician Educator Milestones.
• Statistical analyses compared self-assessments between award nominees and controls, and across demographic groups, with P < .0025 for significance.

Main Results:

• Award nominees rated themselves higher on 18 of 20 subcompetencies compared to the control group.
• No significant differences were found in commitment to professional responsibilities or leadership skills.
• Demographic comparisons did not yield significant differences across any subcompetencies.

Conclusions:

• The Clinician Educator Milestones effectively differentiate peer-nominated educators from other clinician educators.
• The findings support the milestones' utility for self-assessment and guiding educator development.
• Minimal demographic variations suggest broad applicability of the milestones.