Before 2001, there were no uniform standards of evaluating resident-trainees - programs depended mainly upon ad hoc local standards and assessment tools. This lack of uniform inter- and intra-program standards of evaluation led the American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and American Board of Medical Specialties to suggest fundamental changes of the methods used to evaluate residents. In summer 2001, the ACGME mandated that resident-trainees be evaluated in 6 core competencies:

1. Medical Knowledge
2. Patient Care
3. Professionalism
4. Communication Skills
5. Practice-Based Learning
6. Systems-Based Learning

More information describing these competencies and the ACGME is available at: http://www.acgme.org/Outcome. Bridgeport Hospital has embraced this initiative.