Training Board Research Articles

서비스디자인방법을 활용한 초등학생 안전 교육용 보드게임의 개발

연구배경 : 최근 들어 재난 및 안전사고가 증가하면서 효과적인 어린이 안전 교육에 대한 필요성이 제기되고 있다. 그러나 초등학교에서 진행되는 안전교육은 일방적이고 지루한 시청각위주의 교육이 대부분이어서 교육 효과가 미미하다. 이에 어린이들이 놀이를 통해 핵심 안전주제와 관련된 사고예방 및 대처방법을 효과적으로 학습할 수 있는 안전교육 보드게임을 제안하는 것을 목적으로 연구를 진행하였다. 연구방법 : 연구방법으로 첫째, 안전교육 서비스 제공하는 기관사이트를 대상으로 안전교육 컨텐츠와 제공 서비스 항목을 조사 분석하여 중요한 안전교육 콘텐츠 카테고리를 추출하고 효과적인 안전교육 서비스를 위해 요구되는 서비스항목을 도출하였다. 둘째, 제공되어야 할 서비스 항목인 안전교육 보드게임의 개발을 위해 안전교육 콘텐츠를 분석하고 관련 보드게임을 조사하였다. 셋째, 관련 자료 분석 내용을 바탕으로 안전교육 보드게임 디자인을 개발하고 프로토타입을 제작하였다. 넷째, 안전보드게임의 효과성과 사용성을 검증하기 위해 초등학생을 대상으로 서비스 프로토타이핑을 진행하고 동시에 뇌파측정과 인터뷰, 소감문 작성을 수행하였다. 마지막으로, 평가결과를 바탕으로 프로토타입을 개선하여 최종적으로 초등학생을 위한 안전교육용 보드게임을 제안하였다. 연구결과 : 초등학교에서 시청각 교육과 안전교육보드게임을 각각 1, 2교시에 나누어 진행하고, 뇌파측정과 인터뷰를 병행한 결과 안전교육용 보드게임이 관심도와 흥미도가 매우 높게 나타나고 집중력, 사고력이 최고로 향상되는 알파파에서 반응이 있어 안전교육 보드게임이 시청각자료보다 어린이 안전교육에 더욱 효과적이라고 판단되었다. 결론 : 초등학생을 위한 안전교육 보드게임의 프로토타입으로 안전교육수업 서비스 프로토타이핑을 진행하여 안전교육 보드게임의 효과성을 검증하였다. 초등학교 학생들에게 효과적인 안전교육 서비스 제공을 통해 안전교육 효과성을 향상시킴으로 개인과 가정, 사회, 국가안전에 기여할 수 있을 것이다.

A five-year review of operative experience and indicative numbers in urological training in the UK and Ireland

Objective: The Joint Committee of Surgical Training guidelines for the award of a Certificate of Completion of Training in urology were updated in 2015. In 2015, we published operative logbook data from Certificate of Completion of Training in urology applications in 2010–2012 in line with the original 2011 guidelines. This study reviewed a contemporary cohort against the 2015 guidelines and this previous cohort to evaluate whether the number of trainees achieving these requirements had changed. Materials and methods: All Certificate of Completion of Training in Urology application logbooks from March 2014–October 2015 (77 in total, 2015 cohort) were reviewed and compared to 154 logbooks in 2010–2012 (2012 cohort). Results: There was a significant increase ( p<0.05) in the percentage of trainees achieving indicative exposure in 10 domains in the 2015 cohort according to the updated guidelines. Percentage increases included male lower urinary tract symptoms procedures from 68.2% to 88.3%, transurethral resection of bladder tumour from 64.3% to 89.6%, paediatric urology from 1.9% to 23.4%, female incontinence from 9.7% to 33.8% and andrology from 9.1% to 42.9%. There were significant reductions ( p<0.01) in mean operative numbers for transurethral resection of bladder tumour and male lower urinary tract symptoms procedures from 184 to 162 and 187 to 161, respectively. One trainee in the 2015 cohort achieved requirements in all 17 domains and 55% failed to meet the requirement in ⩾5 domains. Conclusions: While an increasing number of trainees currently meet Joint Committee of Surgical Training expectations, some domains remain at low levels. Despite this, no trainee to date has not been awarded a Certificate of Completion of Training as a direct consequence of this, but this could become a possibility in the near future, and it is the responsibility of Local Education Training Boards and trainees to ensure that indicative numbers are both achievable and achieved.

The new UK internal medicine curriculum

Reform of physician education is needed to meet the needs of patients, based on comorbidities, chronic disease management and complexity. The Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board has developed a new internal medicine curriculum for physician training that aims to not only deliver this expectation, but will simplify competency-based education, smooth the transition to the medical registrar role and hopefully fill some of the current empty funded training posts. However, the change process is complex and requires close working with the General Medical Council and other partners in curriculum delivery.

Jacqueline Baxter talks to Gill Howland, newly appointed Chair of BELMAS

Gill is currently Chair of the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society. Her personal experiences are central to her belief that education is the key to unlocking potential, both for individuals and for society as a whole. Throughout her career she has championed the right to good quality, inspirational education for all. She has always chosen to work in areas of multiple disadvantage and has a track record in working with schools, colleges and universities to improve leadership, learning and achievement. She has extensive experience in strategic leadership across the compulsory education sector as well as in further and higher education. Her leadership roles have included Local Authority Chief Education Adviser, Executive Director in two West Midlands Learning and Skills Councils and Executive Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic) in a large modern university. She has directed and engaged in various research projects, mainly in the area of 14-19 education and was a member of the (Labour) Government’s 14-19 External Advisory group. As a strong supporter of educational collaboration she has led a number of Local Authority wide collaborative developments. With extensive board experience her roles have included: Deputy Chair of CILT, the National Centre for Languages; Chair of the YMCA’s national training organisation and board member of YMCA North Staffordshire.

Demographics and Fellowship Training of Residency Leadership in EM: A Descriptive Analysis

IntroductionEmergency medicine (EM) fellowships are becoming increasingly numerous, and there is a growing trend among EM residents to pursue postgraduate fellowship training. Scant data have been published on the prevalence of postgraduate training among emergency physicians. We aimed to describe the prevalence and regional variation of fellowships among EM residency leadership.MethodsWe conducted an online anonymous survey that was sent to the Council of EM Residency Directors (CORD) membership in October 2014. The survey was a brief questionnaire, which inquired about fellowship, secondary board certification, gender, and length in a leadership position of each member of its residency leadership. We separated the responses to the survey into four different geographic regions. The geographic regions were defined by the same classification used by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). We defined residency leadership as program director (PD), associate PD and assistant PD. Residencies that did not complete the survey were then individually contacted to encourage completion. The survey was initially piloted for ease of use and understanding of the questions with a select few EM PDs.ResultsWe obtained responses from 145 of the 164 Accrediting Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited EM residencies (88%). The fellowship prevalence among PDs, associate PDs, and assistant PDs was 21.4%, 20.3%, and 24.9% respectively. The most common fellowship completed was a fellowship in toxicology. Secondary board certification among PDs, associate PDs, and assistant PDs was 9.7%, 4.8%, and 2.9% respectively. Eighty-two percent of PDs have at least five years in residency leadership. Seventy-six percent of PDs were male, and there was a near-even split of gender among associate PDs and assistant PDs. The Western region had the highest percentage of fellowship and or secondary board certification among all levels of residency leadership.ConclusionThere is a low prevalence of fellowship training and secondary board certification among EM residency leadership, with the most common being toxicology. Assistant PDs, the majority of whom had less than five years residency leadership experience, had the highest percentage of fellowship training. There may be a regional variation in the percentage of residency leadership completing postgraduate training.

Training fellows and residents in paediatric cardiac critical care.

As pediatric cardiac critical care becomes more sub-specialized it is reasonable to assume that dedicated units may provide a better infrastructure for improved multidisciplinary care, cardiac-specific patient safety initiatives, and dedicated training of fellows and residents. The knowledge base required to optimally manage pediatric patients with critical cardiac disease has evolved sufficiently to consider a standardized training curriculum and board certification for pediatric cardiac critical care. This strategy would potentially provide consistency of training and healthcare and improve quality of care and patient safety.

How I train specialists in transfusion medicine.

The changing focus of transfusion medicine (TM) toward the hospital rather than the blood center and the involvement of TM specialists in a wide range of patient blood management and other specialist activities in the hospital, rather than just blood bank activities, means that the training of the transfusion specialists of the future should be under constant review. We provide overviews of the current training programs of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in the United States and the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board in the United Kingdom, along with specific descriptions of our own training programs at Stanford and Oxford. The numbers of TM fellows in training annually in the United States and of those who attempt to attain board certification have increased substantially over the last 20 years, despite the profound reduction in blood utilization since 2009. These trends reflect increasing job and career opportunities in new activities, such as patient blood management at hospital-based transfusion services. This trend has been seen to a lesser extent in the United Kingdom, although the focus of TM is similarly switching to hospital-based transfusion services. Based on current trends, transfusion medicine is a growing and robust specialty in the United States but perhaps less so in the United Kingdom, increasingly with hospital-centered job opportunities for improving blood utilization and clinical outcomes. Establishing pediatric TM training programs and improving research training are further opportunities for training TM specialists.

Education and Training in ComSoc: Recent Achievements

This article describes the recent achievements of the IEEE Communications Society in the area of education and training, and provides some background and description of how the Education and Training Board has been engaged in several activities that have led to results that position ComSoc at the forefront of educational activities and services within IEEE.

What shape do UK trainees want their training to be? Results of a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThe British Government is acting on recommendations to overhaul postgraduate training to meet the needs of the changing population, to produce generalist doctors undergoing shorter broad-based training (Greenaway Review). Only...

The Role of Ultrasound Simulation in Obstetrics and Gynecology Training: A UK Trainees' Perspective.

Ultrasonography is a core skill required by all obstetrics and gynecology trainees; however, training opportunities in clinical ultrasound are declining. Simulation ultrasound training has been proposed as a strategy to overcome this.The study aims were to determine the current availability of clinical and simulation ultrasound training in obstetrics and gynecology in the United Kingdom and to explore the trainees' perspective on the role of ultrasound simulation. All obstetrics and gynecology trainees within the East Midlands Local Education Training Board in the United Kingdom were asked to complete an anonymous web-based survey in July 2014. Of 140 trainees, 70 (50%) responded to the survey, and 69% reported rarely having dedicated clinical ultrasound sessions. Fifty percent had failed to achieve ultrasound competencies required for their stage of training, and 83% felt that the pressures of service provision limited their exposure to clinical ultrasound.Seventy-three percent of the trainees considered ultrasound simulation to be an essential component of training, and 69% agreed that it would help improve their clinical skills. Only 50% had access to an ultrasound simulator. Seventy-seven percent of the trainees thought that it would be useful to have ultrasound simulation integrated into training. Trainees are struggling to achieve minimal ultrasound competences with clinical ultrasound training alone. They believe that ultrasound simulation will shorten the learning curve and improve their clinical skills and knowledge. Despite the cost implications of simulation training, we propose that consideration is given to formal integration of ultrasound simulation into the curriculum as a possible way forward.

Practice, training, and research in neuropsychology in mainland China: challenges and opportunities

Objective: This is an invited paper for a special issue. The objective was to review history, educational and training pathways, licensure and board certification, practice and compensation, and unique aspects of, or challenges faced by, neuropsychology in mainland China. Method: Historical, scientific, and clinical literatures were reviewed and integrated. Results: The history of neuropsychology in mainland China is traced back to the late 1930s. Educational pathways have not yet been fully formalized. Clinical practice generally occurs within rehabilitation settings, and medical license is required. The main challenge lies in the establishment of training guidelines and the expansion of neuropsychology to meet the tremendous needs of a large nation. Conclusions: Although the development and status of psychology has gradually gained momentum in mainland China, the development of neuropsychology has not shown significant advancement since the late 1930s.

Urology higher specialist training in North London and North West England: a comparison of two training regions in the UK

Introduction: Local education training boards (LETBs) and deaneries are under pressure to demonstrate delivery of high quality specialist urology training. There is at present no quality tool used routinely to demonstrate this quality regionally or nationally. Differences in training could therefore exist between different regions, and locally between different training units. A trainer/trainee questionnaire tool previously piloted by the specialist advisory committee was used to evaluate urology training posts in the North London LETB over 3 years. The findings were used to compare trainee scores in North London with those in the North West region of England. Materials and methods: Questionnaires were circulated electronically to all higher surgical urology trainees in the 18 training units affiliated to the North London LETB. Three years of trainee data were collated, statistically analysed and compared to those collected by Oates and colleagues, looking for any differences in regional trainee scores for higher surgical training posts in North London and North West of England regions. Results: The mean trainee response rate was 28 questionnaires per year from all 18 units in the North London region. Combined mean and median scores were 83.3 and 84, respectively. This compares to 86.2 and 88.1 from North West England region comprising eight units. There was no statistically significant difference in scores between the two regions (two-tailed t test, P=0.31). Conclusion: There is no statistical difference in trainee scores for the evaluation of urological training posts between the two regions. The questionnaire tool can be used effectively to look at overall differences in training standards between geographically distinct regions from a trainee perspective. Both regions offer higher surgical training with high levels of trainee satisfaction. This questionnaire tool can provide insight into subjective differences in training posts within a region.

TH‐F‐201‐01: The Problem: Is This a Trick Question?

Multiple choice questions are a tool medical physicists encounter throughout their careers. They are a commonly used method of assessment during our early didactic training (graduate school, residency and board certification). They are used throughout our MOC process both in SAMs and online CE. And they are used for the MOC exam every 10 years. While we have significant training in answering these multiple choice questions, we rarely receive training in how to construct effective multiple choice questions. This is important too, as it is medical physicists who are creating the exams at academic institutions, for the AAPM SAMs and online CE as well as for the ABR exams (both initial and MOC). While there are rigorous scientific methods for evaluating the quality of questions in an exam that has been taken, creating good questions (stem) and multiple choice answers (distractors) requires skill and practice. This talk will cover some of the do's and don'ts for creating good multiple choice questions.Item analysis of answers to multiple choice questions can reveal a great deal about the quality of the questions. Questions can be measured in terms of their difficulty and ability to discriminate between examinees. The distractors themselves can be evaluated for their ability to discriminate as well. And finally the overall test can be evaluated for reliability. We will discuss some of the specifics of item analysis as well as provide guidelines for constructing good tests items. Learning Objectives: Understand rules for writing a good stem Understand rules for writing good distractors

TH‐F‐201‐00: Writing Good Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple choice questions are a tool medical physicists encounter throughout their careers. They are a commonly used method of assessment during our early didactic training (graduate school, residency and board certification). They are used throughout our MOC process both in SAMs and online CE. And they are used for the MOC exam every 10 years. While we have significant training in answering these multiple choice questions, we rarely receive training in how to construct effective multiple choice questions. This is important too, as it is medical physicists who are creating the exams at academic institutions, for the AAPM SAMs and online CE as well as for the ABR exams (both initial and MOC). While there are rigorous scientific methods for evaluating the quality of questions in an exam that has been taken, creating good questions (stem) and multiple choice answers (distractors) requires skill and practice. This talk will cover some of the do's and don'ts for creating good multiple choice questions.Item analysis of answers to multiple choice questions can reveal a great deal about the quality of the questions. Questions can be measured in terms of their difficulty and ability to discriminate between examinees. The distractors themselves can be evaluated for their ability to discriminate as well. And finally the overall test can be evaluated for reliability. We will discuss some of the specifics of item analysis as well as provide guidelines for constructing good tests items. Learning Objectives: Understand rules for writing a good stem Understand rules for writing good distractors

TH‐F‐201‐02: The Solution: The Science Behind Writing Good Questions

Multiple choice questions are a tool medical physicists encounter throughout their careers. They are a commonly used method of assessment during our early didactic training (graduate school, residency and board certification). They are used throughout our MOC process both in SAMs and online CE. And they are used for the MOC exam every 10 years. While we have significant training in answering these multiple choice questions, we rarely receive training in how to construct effective multiple choice questions. This is important too, as it is medical physicists who are creating the exams at academic institutions, for the AAPM SAMs and online CE as well as for the ABR exams (both initial and MOC). While there are rigorous scientific methods for evaluating the quality of questions in an exam that has been taken, creating good questions (stem) and multiple choice answers (distractors) requires skill and practice. This talk will cover some of the do's and don'ts for creating good multiple choice questions.Item analysis of answers to multiple choice questions can reveal a great deal about the quality of the questions. Questions can be measured in terms of their difficulty and ability to discriminate between examinees. The distractors themselves can be evaluated for their ability to discriminate as well. And finally the overall test can be evaluated for reliability. We will discuss some of the specifics of item analysis as well as provide guidelines for constructing good tests items. Learning Objectives: Understand rules for writing a good stem Understand rules for writing good distractors

Developing the concept of a multi-professional pre-hospital emergency medicine (PHEM) practitioner training programme

Journal of Paramedic PracticeVol. 8, No. 5 Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care Position StatementFree AccessDeveloping the concept of a multi-professional pre-hospital emergency medicine (PHEM) practitioner training programmeAndy Thomas, Dan Cody, Phil Hyde, Andy Thurgood, Colville Laird, David Lockey, Rod Mackenzie, Sir Keith PorterAndy ThomasSearch for more papers by this author, Dan CodySearch for more papers by this author, Phil HydeSearch for more papers by this author, Andy ThurgoodSearch for more papers by this author, Colville LairdSearch for more papers by this author, David LockeySearch for more papers by this author, Rod MackenzieSearch for more papers by this author, Sir Keith PorterSearch for more papers by this authorAndy Thomas; Dan Cody; Phil Hyde; Andy Thurgood; Colville Laird; David Lockey; Rod Mackenzie; Sir Keith PorterPublished Online:11 May 2016https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2016.8.5.222AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail What is pre-hospital emergency medicine (PHEM)?The term ‘pre-hospital emergency medicine’ (PHEM) covers a wide range of medical conditions from minor illness and injury to life-threatening emergencies. Pre-hospital interventions therefore also range from simple first aid to advanced emergency care. Clinical providers may be first responders, technicians, paramedics, nurses and doctors. All of this activity may take place in urban, rural or remote settings (Intercollegiate Board for Training in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine, 2015).PHEM practice relates to the emergency response, primary scene transfer and secondary emergency transfer functions within pre-hospital care at the level of the consultant (level 8) practitioner (Skills for Health, 2015), with focus on the area of clinical care required for the seriously ill or injured patient. The key drivers include ensuring consistency in the provision of PHEM services, ensuring equality of access, service delivery, quality and clinical governance.The PHEM curriculum and assessment systemThe PHEM curriculum and assessment system was designed by the Faculty to meet the requirements of General Medical Council (GMC) medical sub-specialty regulations but also to support multi-professional training programmes. PHEM was subsequently approved by the GMC, in 2011, as a medical sub-specialty to some existing medical specialties. Work has been ongoing since that time to explore the possibility of non-doctor access to the PHEM curriculum and examination process. In July 2015 the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care supported, in principle, multi-professional access to the PHEM curriculum and examination process for appropriately trained and experienced paramedics and nurses.The visionThe Faculty has and will continue to be an organisation which promotes PHEM provided by skilled, inclusive, multi-professional providers. The consistency of PHEM delivery is not yet universal and adaptation of current models is required to ensure that the needs of the patient are consistently met. This includes support for development of a multi-professional PHEM workforce. The Faculty supports the concept of multi-professional PHEM practitioner training programmes that follow defined career frameworks (College of Paramedics, 2015).It is envisaged that these programmes will train a small number of appropriately experienced practitioners, in a robust and tightly governed programme, provided and supervised by local education providers, from a national framework to ensure standardisation.Current positionIn November 2015, with close support from the College of Paramedics and Royal College of Nursing, and guidance from the curriculum committee of the Intercollegiate Board for Training in Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine (IBTPHEM), the Faculty endorsed the concept of the development of a multi-professional training programme in PHEM and the development of pilot training schemes to test the concept.Next stepsIt is not within the remit of the Faculty to develop or supervise training programmes. Hence the Faculty, the College of Paramedics and the Royal College of Nursing, intend to work collaboratively with educational providers and clinical organisations to develop pilot training programmes. The aim being to support the development of multi-professional PHEM practitioner training programmes that follow a defined career framework (College of Paramedics, 2015). It is intended that ongoing consultation regarding this innovation, to ensure that safe, robust and practical training is developed, will take place with the support of the curriculum committee of the Intercollegiate Board for Training in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine, Health Education England and Local Education Training Boards. References College of Paramedics (2015) Post-Registration Career Framework. 3rd edn. College of Paramedics, Bridgwater Google ScholarIntercollegiate Board for Training in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine (2015) Sub-Specialty Training in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine: Curriculum and Assessment System. Intercollegiate Board for Training in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine, London Google ScholarSkills for Health (2015) Career Framework. www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/career-framework (accessed 15 April 2016) Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byTrauma Care Conference considers expanding role of paramedics in subspecialty6 June 2016 | Journal of Paramedic Practice, Vol. 8, No. 6 2 May 2016Volume 8Issue 5ISSN (print): 1759-1376ISSN (online): 2041-9457 Metrics History Published online 11 May 2016 Published in print 2 May 2016 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Necessity and Opportunity: the 1-Year Master's ABA Program at Auburn University.

The Auburn University Master of Science program in Applied Behavior Analysis was designed to accommodate not only the requirements of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board for approved course sequences and practicum training, but unavoidable limitations in faculty and other resources. These limitations were incompatible with the more traditional 2-year curriculum model, so a 1-year program was designed that met the necessary conditions. This article describes the resulting academic and practicum curriculum, the key funding mechanisms that allowed the program to develop, and the opportunities and benefits that this model afforded.

Designing and Implementing Learning Neighbourhoods in Corkks UNESCO Learning City Project

ABSTRACT: Cork, the Republic of Ireland’s second most populous city, is one of 12 UNESCO Learning Cities globally. Becoming a learning city requires a sophisticated audit of education, learning and other socio-economic indicators. It also demands that cities become proactively engaged in delivering to the objectives set by the Beijing Declaration on Building Learning Cities which was adopted at the first UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities in Beijing (2013) and the Mexico City Statement on Sustainable Learning Cities from the second conference in Mexico City (2015). The UNESCO learning city approach lays heavy emphasis on lifelong learning and social inclusion. In addressing these two concerns Cork city is piloting the development of two Learning Neighborhoods. The pilots are a collaboration between the City Council, University College Cork and Cork Education and Training Board who will work with the learning and education organizations and residents in each area to promote, acknowledge and show case active local lifelong learning. This paper looks at the context and design of these Learning Neighborhoods.

Correlation between experience targets and competence for general surgery certification.

Working time restrictions and public expectation have stimulated competence-based assessment in surgery. Nevertheless, certification of completion of training, and board accreditation across the developed world, still rely on experiential models based on indicative numbers as markers of operative competence. This study assessed the correlation between trainer assessment of competence and completion of indicative numbers. Analysis of UK Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme portfolios of general surgical trainees in a single Local Education and Training Board allowed comparison of Procedure Based Assessment (PBA) scores (level of competence) for cholecystectomy, segmental colectomy and Hartmann's procedure with operative numbers. Among 121 trainees, there was a positive correlation between operative numbers and 1058 PBA scores for cholecystectomy (rs = 0·532, P < 0·001), segmental colectomy (rs = 0·552, P < 0·001) and Hartmann's procedure (rs = 0·663, P < 0·001). Of those who completed the indicative numbers defined for each procedure to achieve certification of completion of training, only eight of 30 performing cholecystectomy, eight of 52 undertaking segmental colectomy and seven of 36 performing Hartmann's procedure had achieved three PBAs at the level considered to represent independent operating (level 4). More than half of all assessments (259 of 428, 60·5 per cent; 85 of 132 cholecystectomy, 140 of 217 colectomy and 34 of 79 Hartmann's) performed after trainees had completed their indicative numbers were scored below level 4. A minimum number of index procedures did not reflect competence in a significant proportion of trainees. A more reliable tool is required for certification.

Recommendations for Aligning PGY2 Pharmacy Residency Training and Pharmacy Specialist Board Certification.

With the increased focus and anticipated growth in specialty training and certification within the profession of pharmacy, it is important for the profession to step back and evaluate the manner in which its adopted education and certification systems interface. As a result of specialty practice development, significant growth is occurring in both postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs and individuals seeking certification by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties. As the profession continues to evolve its specialty training and credentialing systems, it is important to consider the inherent relationship between these systems. This paper considers the current landscape of specialty training and certification, including issues related to the quality of PGY2 training, consistent application of standards across and within PGY2 programs, credentialing of preceptors and program directors, and alignment of training with specialty certification examination content domains. We outline recommendations across three areas: (1) creating consistency between specialty training and certification, (2) aligning qualifications of PGY2 residency program directors and preceptors with the designated specialty area, and (3) assessing program quality in the context of the expectations of specialists established by the profession. The goal of this paper is to stimulate professional dialogue on these issues. Establishing both formal and informal connections between specialty training and certification can serve as the foundation for a rational approach to professional development and the credentialing that will be recognized by stakeholders outside the pharmacy profession. Establishing these connections will also support and advance the profession's mission of meeting the medication needs of patients.