Thomas Kramer

The implications of core competencies for psychiatric education and practice in the US.

Physician competence is a universal concern, one that Canada and the US have addressed in differing, but also in similar, ways. Focusing on the roles physicians play, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) has implemented a uniform procedure for developing and assessing competencies. The US does not have a parallel body but has instead different organizations responsible for different phases of medical education from residency through practice. These groups are working with 6 categories of core competencies to be used for assessment purposes. The categories are patient care, medical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, practice-based learning and improvement, professionalism, and systems-based practice. This article presents the US core competencies for psychiatric practice as they are currently being implemented through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc.

Psychiatry and the Internet

AbstractWe have another guest fot this issue’s column. Robert Hsiung, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Chicago, and with his “Dr. Bob” Web sites, among others, has established himself as one of the leading psychiatrists active on the Internet and the World Wide Web. Many, if not most of us, have taken advantage of the resources he has created online, and know of his presentations at American Psychiatric Association annual meetings and other forums. We asked Dr. Hsiung three questions about psychiatry and the Internet. His thoughtful responses follow. We hope you enjoy this Q&A.—Thomas Kramer, M.D., and Robert Kennedy, M.A.