Tufts Health Care Institute provides a curriculum framework and instructional materials to help faculty, students, and trainees within undergraduate and graduate medical education and advanced practice nursing education to prepare for successful practice in a rapidly changing health care environment.

Major initiatives of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) reinforce the need for clinicians to acquire new knowledge and skills. Among other directives, the ACGME now requires that all training programs teach and demonstrate trainee competence in two new categories: systems-based practice and practice-based learning and improvement. Guidelines from the American Board of Medical Specialties on maintenance of certification also require assessment of the same set of general competencies. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) has issued similar guidelines.

Systems-based Practice relates to understanding the larger context and system of health care and mobilizing resources of that system on behalf of patients. Practice-based Learning and Improvement focuses on enhancing patient care through understanding and applying evidence-based medicine, quality assessment and improvement, information technology, and population-based care.

THCI works with and through residency programs directors, GME leadership, and other clinical faculty at academic institutions to bring these resources, materials, courseware, and faculty development around utilization and implementation of its resources to their affiliated faculty, students, and trainees.

See our Curriculum Framework and complete listing of THCI educational resources
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Of Special Interest

Faculty, medical educators, students, and trainees, may be especially interested in THCI's:

Curriculum framework - Instructional programs and materials to help train health care professionals to practice comfortably and effectively.

Online modules - Highly interactive, up-to-date, and dynamic education and assessment resources on quality measurement and improvement and clinical care management. Modules are appropriate for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other practitioners, along with students and trainees. Online assessment tools are self-scoring.

Customized workshops and conferences - Programs range in length from one hour to one week and feature presentations by and interaction with knowledgeable faculty, all of whom have practical experience in their field.

Other online resources - Supplementing modules, workshops, and conferences, these resources include articles, reports, websites, glossary terms, as well as and other references.

THCI's Topical Issues examine current key issues within the health care environment. Recent articles have included:

• New Competency Requirements in Graduate Medical Education
• Quality and Clinical Decision-Support Systems
• Quality and Financial Incentives
• Health Information on the Internet

THCI Faculty Development

THCI staff, advisors, and consultants are knowledgeable about the new ACGME requirements, particularly as they relate to systems-based practice, practice-based learning and improvement, and competency-based approaches.

THCI can arrange faculty development workshops and conferences with program directors in medicine and nursing to teach about the competency requirements in these areas, as well training on integrating THCI educational resources and materials within existing programs, institutions, and practice sites.