TRAINING IN BASIC COMPUTER SKILLS FOR ACADEMIC PHYSICIANS - THE CERTIFICATE OF ADDED QUALIFICATION APPROACH

Background: In the course of an academic fellowship program, many of t he physicians participating expressed the need for computer skills tra ining. Purpose: The purpose of the tutorial program was to promote the effective and efficient learning of academic computer skills within t he context of a busy fellowship program. Methods: A series of self-ins tructional tutorials was developed, including competency tests and pra ctice tasks. Physician fellows participated in the voluntary computer skills tutorial program. Topics included system software, word process ing, and graphics. Competency testing led to a ''Certificate of Added Qualification,'' (CAQ) in computer skills. Results: Eleven of 20 (55%) physician fellows completed all CAQ requirements during their fellows hip program. The results of a follow-up questionnaire indicated that 9 5% of the CAQ participants reported using computers at least several t imes per week. Conclusion: By focusing on the tasks computer novices i mmediately need to perform, and keeping the instruction ''lean,'' one can help academic medicine faculty acquire computer skills in an effec tive and efficient manner.