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Tip of the week: Managing a full resident folder

Residency Program Connection, April 8, 2008

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Whether you're getting ready for a site visit or the twice-yearly performance reviews required by your specialty, the last thing you want to do is scramble to gather all the documents you need to include in your residents' files. By keeping your files in order, you will have less work and stress when preparing for a site visit.

However, these files can quickly overflow with documentation and become unmanageable. Knowing what information to keep in your residents' file and how long you need to keep it is the key to organization. It is up to the coordinator to create policies that streamline storage, clarify access to files, and ensure compliance with ACGME requirements.

It is also a good idea to draft a description of your evaluation system and distribute it to faculty and staff. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when developing your evaluation system:

• Make the description document part of your resident manual
• Be sure the document describes how each evaluation fits into the residents' overall assessment
• Indicate which documents are formative and which are summative
• Use this as an opportunity to clarify the promotion criteria for moving from year to year, and what it takes to successfully complete the program

For additional information on what documents to include in your residents' folders, please see the Ask the expert section below.

You can also find more information about managing a full folder in HCPro Inc.'s Insider's Guide to the ACGME Site Visit, Second Edition, by Kathryn Andolsek, MD, MPH and Shepard Cohen.

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