The ACR will Facilitate the Recruitment, Training and Retention of Well-Qualified Rheumatology Professionals.
Meeting the Needs of Fellows-in-Training and Program Directors
The ACR remains committed to matching fellows-in-training with training programs to ensure a well-prepared future workforce. In 2010 the ACR continued to match fellows-in-training with these programs through the Electronic Fellowship Application/Rheumatology Match. The vast majority of rheumatology training programs successfully used ERAS and the rheumatology match for the sixth year to fill their 2011 first-year positions.
The ACR also held its 12th annual Training Directors' Conference on March 26 – 28 in Chicago. The conference is designed to provide rheumatology training directors' access to valuable resources while exposing them to innovative teaching methods that will enable them to improve and strengthen their curriculum. The 2010 conference offered educational sessions, case-based presentations and interactive workshops with experts in these areas. A total of 99 attendees were present—82 percent representing adult rheumatology training programs and 18 percent representing pediatric rheumatology training programs. On evaluation of the program, 96 percent of participants indicated they anticipated making changes to the way they teach their fellows-in-training based on their attendance.
In conjunction with the ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting, the ACR held a Training Directors' and Division Chief's Forum on November 6th. This program provided an update to program directors and division chiefs regarding their work in training tomorrow's rheumatologists.
Promoting Diversity in Rheumatology
Promoting diversity in the rheumatology workforce was at the forefront during the meeting in Atlanta. A Diversity Outreach Day took place on Monday, November 8 to introduce underrepresented minority medical students and residents from local institutions to rheumatology. Participants in the program attended an orientation session and mentoring lunch, and were paired with mentors to escort them to selected sessions and poster tours.
Helping Fellows-in-Training Navigate Their Career Paths
Continuing its partnership, the ACR and the National Board of Medical Examiners partnered in March to provide its third annual Adult In-Training Exam, which consisted of 200 questions in eight content areas. The exam was administered to 401 fellows-in-training in 2010.
With a continued focus on providing opportunities that speak to the needs of fellows-in-training, the ACR offered an educational program at its 2010 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, held April 23 in Chicago. The day-long program provided 112 fellows-in-training an additional educational opportunity to meet their specific needs. Travel costs were covered for 99 of these fellows-in-training to attend the meeting.
Finally, with funding provided by the ACR's Fellows Scholarship, 436 U.S. and Canadian adult and pediatric rheumatology fellows-in-training from 150 programs were able to attend the 2010 ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting. For many scholarship participants—52 percent—2010 was first time they attended an annual meeting. With the majority of those participating in the scholarship, 82 percent indicated that without the scholarship they would not have been able to attend the annual meeting.
While at the meeting, these participants had the opportunity to participate in a number of sessions that were designed with them in mind. Annual meeting activities and sessions created for fellows-in-training included:
Fifteen Meet the Professor Sessions and Workshops provided fellows-in-training an opportunity to interact and consult with highly-respected professionals who have expertise in a particular area.
To provide fellows-in-training the opportunity to discuss the different options for their careers, the ACR's Subcommittee on Career Development and Mentoring offered mentoring activities—including the "Choices in Rheumatology" educational session—and included a special education session that allowed fellows-in-training to interact with mentors while at the meeting.
8
Go to Page: 1-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Back to ACR Site