GUIDELINES FOR RESIDENT PHYSICIAN TRAINING IN CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE

Objectives: To define a curriculum that outlines the core knowledge re sidents should possess upon completion of graduate training in order t o be able to formulate and initiate a treatment plan for the criticall y ill patient. Data Sources: Requirements for training program certifi cation as outlined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical E ducation; consensus opinion of adult and pediatric critical care physi cians, nurses, and pharmacists with multidisciplinary experience and e xpertise in the critical care teaching environment. Data Synthesis: Be cause of concerns about variability between the training requirements of the five major specialties, and in keeping with the concept of crit ical care as a multispecialty discipline, preference was given to expe rt consensus opinion over certification requirements. Conclusions: A c urriculum was developed that defines the core cognitive and procedural skills and special certifications residents should possess upon compl etion of residency training in order to be able to formulate and initi ate a treatment plan for the critically ill patient. Special skills un iquely required for pediatric and adult patient populations are deline ated.