Milestones & Evaluations
Each fellow is to follow a range of program-wide expectations, each of which is associated with milestones that fellows will hit throughout their educational journey with Upstate Medical University. Learn more about the expectations we have for our fellows, as well as their required Cardiology milestones and evaluations.
Curricular Milestones
To demonstrate a graduating fellow has met the EPAs, criteria have been developed by the ACGME. To help program better access a fellow's competency, The American College of Cardiology for each linked the Core Competencies with the Milestones and put those with expectations for each level of training. Fellows are evaluated and training levels expected to be met at times during your training; these interval-based criteria are termed Curricular Milestones and are Competency-based. Advancement in training requires meeting appropriately timed milestones; failure to do so will result in the extension or termination of training.
Review the Curricular Milestones or visit our Cardiology Fellowship curriculum.
Evaluation
Each fellow has a personal, biannual composite performance evaluation with the Program Director. Teaching attendings are asked to evaluate cardiovascular disease fellows and their performance at the completion of each assignment or rotation. Each fellow has access to these anonymous evaluations through MedHub. During this one-on-one meeting, the fellow's evaluations are reviewed, progress on procedural training is discussed, and progress toward career goals is assessed. The meeting enables the Program Director to ensure that fellows are achieving the goals of the program, and it gives fellows a venue to voice any concerns or satisfaction they may have with their progress, the program, or other matters.
The program director meets formally with each fellow at least twice yearly and twice informally to provide structured feedback on their performance, including appropriate counseling and remedial work as needed. In the event of an adverse annual evaluation, the fellow is offered an opportunity to address judgments of academic deficiency/misconduct. Formal evaluations are done using the MedHub system.
Prior to meeting with the program director, the fellow is asked to complete a self-assessment.
Direct feedback on a fellow’s performances from nursing and ancillary personnel is given to the Program Director. This information is then included in narrative discussions done by the Program Director at the time of evaluations.
We do not have a formal evaluation mechanism in place for patients to provide anonymous feedback about a fellow’s performance. Information from patients normally goes directly to the supervising attending, again with this feedback noted in the evaluation process.
Cardiology Milestones and Evaluation Process
Written records are maintained of each evaluation. They are available for review by the fellow and appropriate faculty and include:
- Evaluations of each fellow by attending and staff, with respect to each specific rotation, including the continuity experience in the outpatient setting
- Evaluation of each fellow regarding development of professional attitudes
- Annual evaluations of fellow and their clinical competence
- Evaluations of clinical competence at the conclusion of period of training (Fellow summative evaluations)
- Fellows’ evaluations of the faculty and the training program counseling of a fellow by the program director
- Faculty evaluate and document the cardiovascular disease fellows clinical and technical competence by observation, assessment, and substantiation of the fellow’s provision of medical care for the following:
- Comprehensive and specialized medical knowledge
- Advanced skills in history‑taking
- Advanced skills in performing a physical examination
- Advanced skills in clinical judgment
- Advance management and consultation skills
- Ability to critically analyze clinical situations and make medical decisions Ability to perform invasive procedures
- Ability to establish good interpersonal relationships with patients, families, other fellows, other health workers and attending physicians
- Ability to behave towards others (especially patients) with integrity, respect and compassion (e.g., humanistic attributes)
- Ethical behavior
Each fellow will be asked on a quarterly basis to evaluate the rotations they participated in the previous three months. The primary focus of these evaluations is to ascertain the effectiveness of the rotation in meeting the educational goals as well as expectations of the fellow.
In addition to each rotation, the fellow is asked to discuss the program overall. Comments concerning conferences, clinic as well as the educational experience overall are solicited.
Finally, each fellow is asked to evaluate each attending with whom they have had contact with in the preceding three months. General and specific comments are encouraged.
- Attendance and punctuality are required at all division functions. These functions include, but are not limited to, rounds, fellows’ clinics, and conferences. Except in instances involving emergent patient care, faculty will excuse fellows from other duties to ensure attendance at these functions.
- Interactions with staff, patients, and colleagues are to be courteous and polite at all times.
- If a fellow is for any reason unable to meet a schedule requirement, he or she is responsible for identifying a replacement as soon as possible. This applies to consult, night, weekend, and holiday coverage, procedure, clinic appointments and conference presentations. It is the fellows responsibility to notify the fellowship director as soon as possible.
- Clinic attendance is the fellow’s responsibility. If a fellow will be unable to attend as scheduled, he or she must first obtain the approval of the fellowship director and then arrange alternate coverage. High quality patient care must be maintained.
- The Cardiology faculty attending is ultimately responsible for the performance of all cardiovascular procedures, including their prompt termination when he or she deems it necessary. The amount of time and degree of independence allotted a fellow for the safe and efficacious completion of a procedure will be determined solely by the faculty attending on a case-by-case basis.
- It is a fellow's responsibility to acquaint the patient with the steps involved in procedure preparation and performance, inform the patient of associated risks, and obtain the patient's signature on a consent form. The physician obtaining consent must date, time, and sign each form. It is divisional policy that the physician writes a note in the patients chart specifically stating that "consent was explained and signed".
- During each rotation, the fellow will be evaluated by Cardiology attendings and attending faculty from other departments with whom we work closely. This evaluation will be done verbally with ample opportunity for the fellow to discuss this evaluation. Written evaluations of each fellow are performed on a quarterly basis via Eval. This allows for a more comprehensive evaluation of the fellow’s overall performance during his training. An evaluation form based on the standard American Board of Internal Medicine evaluation form shall be used. The fellow will also have the opportunity to evaluate each rotation, as well as the faculty on a quarterly basis.
- Requests for vacation time should be made through the fellowship coordinator during the first week of the year or earlier. (Twenty working days of vacation are permitted annually. These days may not be carried over into the following year.) Approval from the fellowship director is required. Generally, vacation will not be granted the last three weeks of July and during consult rotations. Flexibility will be allowed for job interviewing, but use of vacation time for multiple interviews is encouraged. Time off for study and board review courses likewise will be considered vacation. It is recommended, but not required, that vacation be taken in five-day or ten-day blocks.
View our Expectations for Each Level of Training.
