GME Times
The UIC Graduate Medical Education Newsletter
February 2008
Vol. 5, No. 8
Suggestions? Comments?     
Please let us know what you would find useful in the GME Times. Call 312-996-2933 or send us email.
  
GME Resident HotLine - 312-996-8662
Confidentiality is Assured

If you have an issue relating to your residency program that you don't feel comfortable discussing with your chief resident or program director, call the GME Resident HotLine. Your  message will be received only by Cathy Canfield-Jepson, the Director of Graduate Medical Education, and Dr. L. J. Sandlow, the College of Medicine Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs. Confidentiality is assured.



  
In Brief
•   GME Resident HotLine: 312-996-8662
•   Core Curriculum
•   PGY1 Teaching Skills Workshops
•   NetLearning & HIPAA
  
Inside
•   Exit Seminar
•   Forwarding University Email
•   GME Core Curriculum
•   Highlighting GME 115:  Focus on Patient Safety
•   PGY1 Residents: Teaching Skills Workshops
•   University Health Services Annual or Biannual Wellness Checks & TB Surveillance

  
In Brief
   Core Curriculum
•   Select "Core Curriculum" from the GME Office homepage.
•   Select "Access the Core Curriculum"
•   Click on "Go to...GME CORE Login."
   PGY1 Teaching Skills Workshops: Sign up for your workshops now. See the full article in this issue for a REVISED SCHEDULE.
   NetLearning & HIPAA
•   Select "NetLearning" from the GME Office homepage.

  
Forwarding University Email
University electronic correspondence is sent to your University email address (e.g., your-netid@uic.edu). If your program allows you to use an alternate email address, you must set up email forwarding and update it if your change your alternate email account.
To forward your email from your University email address:
•   Go to the UIC homepage, and select “Computing” from the left menu.
•   Select “Academic Computing and Communications Center (ACCC)” from the body of the page.
•   Select “Email & Calendar” from the body of the page.
•   Select “Email - Change netid@uic.edu email forwarding address” from the Email Tools section.
•   On the UIC WWW Identification Service page, enter your netid without the “@uic.edu.”
•   Enter your netid password on the next UIC WWW Identification Service page.
If you currently have email forwarding in effect, it will be listed at the top of the page. For example:
•   Current email routing:
•   Email sent to your-netid@uic.edu is currently being routed to mailto:person1234@yahoo.com your-email@example.yahoo.com
If you do not have email forwarding in effect or need to change the account to which you forward your email, see the instructions in the “New email routing” section:
•   Click on the “2)” radio button.
•   Fill in the email address where you want to receive email sent to your-netid@uic.edu.
•   Click on the “CHANGE EMAIL ROUTING” button to submit the change.
The change takes effect immediately.

  
Exit Seminar
Residents and fellows who attended the recent Exit Seminar this month were treated to dinner and a wealth of useful information for those in the final year of their programs. If you were unable to attend and would like a copy of the handouts, please call the GME Office, 312-996-2933 and we'll send a copy of the handouts via campus mail to your program. Following are key points covered by the Exit Seminar speakers.
Entering Practice: Legal Issues to Consider before Signing a Contract
The first speaker,  Barbara A. Weiner, Attorney at Law, discussed types of employment relationships, governmental regulations which can effect your relationship with a hospital or private practice, key contract terms to specifically address in your contract with a hospital or private practice, the physician recruitment agreement, and special considerations before becoming a partner. Her key things to remember are:
•   Your goal is to find a practice where you will want to spend the remainder of your professional life. Check it out carefully before signing a contract by spending several days at the practice to see how it really works.
•   Do not enter into any agreements without review of the contracts by an experienced health law attorney. A few hours with a health law attorney can save you from making very costly decisions. Your choice of employer is an important investment in your future.
•   Find yourself a good accountant.
•   Then, find yourself a good insurance agent. Disability insurance is critical.
Ms. Weiner may be reached at 847-266-2040, via email to barbaraweiner@att.net, or through her website at www.barbaraweiner.com.
What if You Couldn't Practice Medicine?
Insurance Consultants, Dory A. Rodriguez and David J. Lumsden, covered the following topics:
•   What is disability insurance? Is it difficult to qualify for a plan medically or financially?
•   How a combination of individual disability insurance (IDI) and group long-term disability (LTD) insurance provide the best coverage.
•   What should you look for in IDI and LTD coverage benefits?
•   Why should you consider getting an individually owned policy while still in residency? Does it really make a difference if you wait until after residency?
•   Is there a policy which UIC residents and fellows can obtain that is special to UIC?
Ms. Rodriguez and Mr. Lumsden may be reached through Lumsden & Associates, Inc., at 800-789-6315 or 217–789-9894.
Structuring Your Business Career: Tax & Financial Concerns
Eunice Sullivan, CPA, from S&P Tax Solutions, Ltd., discussed the following:
•   Differences to consider between worker status as an employee or as an independent contractor
•   Business considerations including entity formation, tax filings, operational issues, business expense items, employee benefits, records retention, and separating business and personal assets
•   Choice of the right business entity: Sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, S-corporation and corporation
•   Personal planning for: Tax payment options, sources, and requirements; individual tax rates; and wealth accumulation strategies
•   Development of an advisory team: Attorney, accountant, insurance and investment advisors, personal and business bankers, and others as needed
Ms. Sullivan’s handout includes a record retention guide for both personal and business records. She may be reached at 847-849-8660. Or you may contact Sheldon Halterman, CPA, at 847-849-5295.

  
GME Online Core Curriculum
Telephone: 877-DME-ONLN (877-363-6656)
The general GME Core Curriculum requirement for all residents and fellows is to complete four modules per year during your training program.
•   If you began a three-year or longer residency or fellowship program on or after June 1, 2007, you must first complete GME 114, “Introduction to the General Competencies,” followed by six required modules, GME 101, 103, 106, 107, 111 and 115, and then a minimum of three elective modules to complete a total of 10 modules. Please check with your program director for program-specific Core Curriculum requirements which may exceed the 10-module requirement.
•   If you began your residency or fellowship prior to June 1, 2007 and your program does not have specific module requirements, you may choose modules according to your own interests in order to complete four modules per year or a total of 10 modules for a three-year or longer program.
•   For a full description of the 2007-2008 Core Curriculum requirements, see the July 2007 issue of the GME Times by selecting “GME Times” from the GME Office homepage.
•   Always check with your program director to find out if your program has additional and/or program-specific requirements in addition to those listed in the July 2007 issue of the GME Times.

  
GME Core Curriculum -  Highlighting GME 115:  
Focus on Patient Safety
Module Description:
In a landmark report published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1991, results from the Harvard Medical Practice Study shook the foundations of health care delivery in the United States. Contrary to the first rule of medical practice, the report demonstrated that tens, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of patients were dying or suffering significant injury as the result of their treatment in the American healthcare system. In this module you will look beyond the blame game to find out what you, your colleagues, and your institutions can do to address this blot on the quality and efficacy of American healthcare.
Educational Objectives:
•   Define patient safety in terms of the medical literature.
•   Demonstrate an analysis of systems in regard to patient safety.
•   Create a plan for addressing weaknesses in the healthcare delivery system.
•   Describe the importance of communication and teamwork skills in patient safety.
ACGME / ABMS Competencies Addressed:
•   Patient Care
•   Provide care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective
•   Communicate effectively
•   Gather essential and accurate patient information
•   Practise-based Learning & Improvement
•   Analyze practice experience and perform practice-based improvement activities using a systematic methodology
•   Systems-Based Practice
•   Advocate for quality patient care and assist patients in dealing with system complexities

  
GME Core Curriculum - PGY1 Residents: Teaching Skills Workshops
To fulfill mandatory first-year Core Curriculum requirements, PGY1 residents must complete a total of three Teaching Skills workshops including the workshop presented at GME New Resident Orientation last June or at GME Midyear New Resident Orientation in January 2008.
In March, the following Teaching Skills Workshops will be offered:
•   Using Questions and Feedback to Enhance Clinical Reasoning:  Wednesday, March 5, 2008,  3:30 - 5:00 PM
•   Teaching Procedural Skills, Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 3:30 - 5:00 PM
To access brief descriptions of the workshops as well as the 2007-2008 schedule, select “Teaching Skills Program for Residents” from the GME Office homepage.
Registration is required. To register, send email to faculty_dev_dme@uic.edu at least two weeks before the workshop you'd like to attend. Please list in your email your first, second and third choices. You will be registered for two workshops on a first-come basis. Residents in offsite programs do not need to register by email unless they miss one or more of the workshops provided at their locations.
Participation in each workshop is limited. The sooner you register, the more likely it will be that you will be able to attend the workshops of your choice. After each workshop, your program director will receive an update documenting your attendance.
The 1.5-hour Teaching Skills Workshops are highly interactive and are held in the Department of Medical Education, Room 988 College of Medicine East (CME), 808 South Wood Street. CME is located on the southwest corner of Wood and Polk Streets.

  
University Health Services Annual or Biannual Wellness Checks/TB Surveillance
All residents and fellows must return for an annual (or biannual*) wellness check/TB surveillance which includes vitals and a QuantiFERON-TB Gold whole-blood test UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED BY HEALTH SERVICES TO RETURN SOONER OR MORE OFTEN.
*Residents and fellows in the following programs must report to Health Services for their wellness check and TB surveillance biannually unless directed to return sooner:
•   Emergency Medicine
•   Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine
•   Internal Medicine including the following subspecialties: Infectious Disease & Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
•   General Surgery
•   Pathology
•   Pediatrics
If your residency or fellowship program is not on the above list, you must report to Health Services annually for your wellness check and TB surveillance. Please contact University Health Services if you have any questions about this requirement, 312-996-7420.
CONTINUING RESIDENTS/FELLOWS PLEASE TAKE NOTE:
All continuing residents and fellows should read GME Policy # 6, “Resident Health Policies” and contact  their Program Coordinators immediately if they have not yet fulfilled their annual or biannual wellness check requirement. Following is an excerpt:
Section 6.5      Inoculations and Referrals
Subsection    C.
Annual or Semi Annual TB Screening is required for all residents. This is coordinated through UHS [University Health Services] and the Residency Coordinator. The Resident Agreements for PGY2-PGY7 residents will not be completed until the resident is compliant with annual and/or semi annual TB screening.