Gyn-medicine residency, other reforms proposed by new ACOG president.(News)(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

WASHINGTON -- The new president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists plans to study the use of behavioral assessment techniques in evaluating candidates for ob.gyn. residencies.

Dr. Douglas W. Laube, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, announced his plan to form a task force to look at the use of these techniques. Such a change in the selection process for residents could help supplement the information traditionally used such as test scores and grades, he said.

"These measures, while predictive of cognitive achievement, do not tell us about a person's values, communication skills, professionalism, and other humanistic qualities that define good doctors," Dr. Laube said at the annual meeting of the College.

Businesses have long used these techniques in helping to select mid- and upper-level professionals. And now those ideas may be making their way into the medical field. The Center for Innovation, a unit of the National Board of Medical Examiners, is analyzing these behavioral assessment techniques to see how they could be adapted for use in medicine, according to Dr. Laube. "I would like obstetrics and gynecology to be on the ground floor," he said.

These approaches could also be used in the career counseling and development offices of medical schools to give students a more realistic idea of what to expect from a career in obstetrics and gynecology, he said.

Dr. Laube also plans to explore other changes to ob.gyn. residency programs. For example, he plans to begin a discussion on the idea of a combined gynecology-medicine residency for students interested only in ambulatory care. This "4-year blend" could help to improve the training currently provided in each specialty. There would be ...