Editor's introduction to the ATS Core Curriculum series.

Abstract

Foremost, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) functions as a self-moderated forum for the interchange of information and ideas between clinical scientists, medical educators, and health care clinicians. Two of the newest exchanges in the forum converge with the publication of the “ATS Core Curriculum 2014: Part I. Adult Pulmonary Medicine” in this issue of AnnalsATS (pp. 1136–1144) (1). The journal was created in 2012 as the society’s peer-reviewed journal for clinicians (1, 3). Independently, that same year, the ATS launched the Core Curriculum as a series of educational symposia to be presented annually at the International Conference. Both of these new information exchanges came about to enhance the value of ATS membership for clinicians in the United States and worldwide. The discussions that lead to the development of the ATS Core Curriculum were prompted by recent actions of the independent nonprofit organizations charged with accrediting medical specialty training programs and certifying physician specialists in the United States. In 2010, while contemplating a major overhaul in requirements for medical specialty and subspecialty training programs, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education commented that the ATS did not provide coordination of educational activities from an overall strategic perspective. Also in 2010, the American Board of Pediatrics transformed expectations for maintenance of certification (MOC) in general pediatrics to require continuous demonstration of clinical competence in recurring 5-year recertification cycles. The American Board of Internal Medicine followed suit with a requirement for engagement every 2 years in activities demonstrating clinical competence on a 5-year MOC cycle. The new American Board of Internal Medicine requirement for continuous MOC applies not only to general internal medicine but also to all internal medicine subspecialties, including pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Through assemblies and committees, US members of the ATS asked for more program content, targeting the new MOC requirements in particular and the educational needs of practicing clinicians in general. Recognizing that most current members are clinically active in some capacity, ATS leadership responded with a comprehensive reassessment of the value of ATS membership to clinicians. AnnalsATS emerged as a major outcome of that reassessment. Another outcome was a renewed commitment to coordinate educational programming in sync with evolving requirements for continuing medical education and MOC. The education committee took on a leadership role in addressing this commitment by developing new programs for clinicians, including the ATS Core Curriculum. The Core Curriculum Symposia were introduced in May 2012 during the San Francisco, California, International Conference with the presentation of four pilot sessions summarizing recent advances in adult pulmonary medicine. The curriculum was expanded for the 2013 International Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to include sessions devoted to each of the four pillars of the ATS: adult and pediatric pulmonary medicine, critical care, and sleep medicine. The 3-year recurring content cycle of the Core Curriculum is derived from the blueprints of the secure examinations offered by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics for certification and recertification in each of the four pillar subspecialties. Through a broad-reaching nomination process, the Core Curriculum Steering Committees chose symposium speakers for their clinical expertise and for active, current engagement in medical education. Speakers cover new information of the greatest direct applicability to the management of the clinical problems and diseases that are included in the examination blueprints. Working groups coordinated by the steering committee develop online continuing medical education questions and MOC medical knowledge self-assessment modules linked to each of the four components of the curriculum. Beginning in 2014, speakers and collaborating fellows in training are asked to draft concise written summaries for each session in the Core Curriculum Symposia. Edited versions of the summaries are assembled into four parts by the series editor, to be published by AnnalsATS in the last four consecutive monthly issues of each calendar year. Links accompanying the published versions of the Core Curriculum enable ATS members to obtain both continuing medical education and MOC credit for mastering the contents of the articles.