Getting the most out of your Annual Program Evaluation Process
Prepping for the Annual Program Evaluation
Ensuring a comprehensive and successful Annual Program Evaluation process can sometimes feel overwhelming. Whether your role is at the GME office or in a Program, getting in the right mindset and getting grounded with some reminders can help. Years of insights from our customers have helped us see through their eyes.
Little by little
As many of you know, even though it’s titled the Annual Program Evaluation, this is a year round activity. For those new to the process, that might not seem too comforting at first. On the other hand, that means you can start collecting this information day by day. Chances are you’ll start to see all sorts of activities as supporting information for the APE. Remember - it’s about seeing the world through the eyes of continuous improvement.
Find Easy Ways to Capture Ideas
Once you’ve shifted your perspective to one of continuous improvement, you might get an idea in the middle of a GMEC meeting, while participating in a conversation with the DIO, or while performing any of your many tasks. Trying to capture these ideas so you don’t forget while doing your day job can be challenging.
Remember - don’t make things harder for yourself. Find easy ways that don’t create a lot of friction (think several folders by topic, a hard to find file, etc) just so you can capture an idea. Consider a small ideas notebook, a notes app on your phone or a basic ideas file on your desktop. Get the idea down in an easy way so you process it later. From there, these ideas can eventually make their way into NI as well-considered evaluation questions, action plans and the like.
Give Yourself Time to Prep
While it sometimes seems impossible, see if you can give yourself some more calendar space to review requirements, process your ideas and prepare for APE planning. It may take more time than you think to prepare well for a successful APE process. Why not look at the calendar now and block off uninterrupted time throughout the year?
Remember - It’s takes a Team
Chances are everyone is busy and it’s easy to put off items that aren’t pressing. Be sure to check in with your team regularly (beyond just what the requirements state for meeting) to share ideas and challenges. You may find that a colleague has a similar idea or one that complements yours - maybe you can work together. And maybe you’ll learn that you have a champion in your midst – someone might have a particular passion to help support a part of the process or a particular area in need of improvement, supporting the improvement of ITE scores or Faculty scholarship for example.
Sit with the (APE) Questions
There are often many ways to ask a question. Consider how your program or programs will understand a given question, what you’re looking for in a response and how you and your team will need to process the many questions now and year over year. You may find that you can break apart questions in order to make it easier for you and the program to answer. Perhaps there’s a more direct Yes/No question that may allow you to scan and look at trends. It can then be followed by more qualitative questions for more in-depth review. Thoughtful questions will help the programs to respond successfully and help you get what you need.
With these quick tips in mind, we wish you much success on your journey to support continuous improvement. NI Users can also check out our Knowledge Base-APE crosswalk where you can link to articles related to various data points and topics that support the APE.
Resource Guide
| APE Area | Where this resides in NI |
|---|---|
| Accreditation Status | ACGME Notification Letter or in ADS - Example of ACGME Letter of Notification (LON) https://www.acgme.org/globalassets/documents/common-resources/keystandard.pdf |
| Citations and Concerns | ACGME Notification Letter and Knowledge Base article on where you can enter in New Innovations Software https://gme-support.new-innov.com/support/solutions/articles/5000652900-gme-%E2%9D%A4-viewing-ape-citations-concerns |
| Current Areas for Improvement | ACGME Letter of Notification - Example of ACGME Letter of Notification (LON) https://www.acgme.org/globalassets/documents/common-resources/keystandard.pdf |
| Program AIMS | Definition of Program AIMS - https://www.acgme.org/globalassets/pdfs/selfstudy/ssaimsiplk.pdf |
| Plans for unmet goals | PEC Minutes |
| Strengths for Program | SWOT Analysis - https://www.acgme.org/globalassets/PDFs/SelfStudy/SS_SWOTGuide.pdf |
| Threats of the Program | SWOT Analysis- https://www.acgme.org/globalassets/PDFs/SelfStudy/SS_SWOTGuide.pdf |
| Opportunities for the Program | SWOT Analysis - https://www.acgme.org/globalassets/PDFs/SelfStudy/SS_SWOTGuide.pdf |
| Program Curriculum | https://gme-support.new-innov.com/support/solutions/folders/5000280818 |
| Quality Improvement/Patient Safety | https://gme-support.new-innov.com/support/solutions/folders/5000265674 |
| Well-Being and Diversity | https://gme-support.new-innov.com/support/solutions/folders/5000265674 |
| Scholarship | https://gme-support.new-innov.com/support/solutions/folders/5000264565 |
| ACGME Annual Resident/Fellow Survey | ADS - Can Upload into New Innovations by going to https://gme-support.new-innov.com/support/solutions/articles/5000820437-institution-view-resident-and-faculty-survey |
| ACGME Annual Faculty Survey | ADS- Can Upload into New Innovations by going to https://gme-support.new-innov.com/support/solutions/articles/5000820437-institution-view-resident-and-faculty-survey |
| Written Evaluation of the Program | |
| Aggregate Resident/Fellow Achievement of Milestones | https://gme-support.new-innov.com/support/solutions/folders/5000265674 |
| Aggregate Resident/Fellow Performance on In-Training Exam | Enter Results into New Innovations > Personnel >Test Scores https://gme-support.new-innov.com/support/solutions/folders/5000264535 > |
| Aggregate Performance of Residents/Fellows and Graduates on Board Certification Examinations in the Speciality/Subspeciality Program | Make sure to get a personal email from your graduating residents/fellows before they leave. Let them know you will be contacting them to find out if they passed their boards exams. |
| Plan to Improve performance on the examinations in the board certification in the next year? | Should be discussed with your Program Director and your PEC. |
| Faculty Evaluations | https://gme-support.new-innov.com/support/solutions/folders/5000264476 |
| Faculty Development Activities | Need to get from your Faculty |
| Board Pass Rate | ACGME APE Template |