January 23, 2017

As a student at the University of Wisconsin, I had some appreciation of the importance of hockey as a fast, hard-hitting game of endurance and strategy.  But I came to appreciate hockey as an example of disciplined and rigorous team work, resilience, almost psychic communication, and exquisite timing during the 1980 Olympics.   As the US Hockey […]

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January 11, 2017

Hello everyone.  You may have noticed, I took a break from writing the blogs over the holiday season.  Now, the new year has begun; we’re all back to work.  So, if you are thinking about accreditation, the big question is: “How do we begin the Self Study process? “ As Mark Twain wrote, “the secret […]

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November 27, 2016

Welcome to the inaugural posting in a new series exploring the purpose of the self study in the accreditation process. I recently read Marie Kondo’s quirky best sellers: “the life-changing magic of tidying up; the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing” and the sequel “spark joy”.  They are fun, easy reads, full of anthropomorphic observations and […]

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October 24, 2016

This is the final posting in the series: Consortium Accreditation Standards. The next posts will be exploring Self Studies. The Accreditation Standard 8 — Trainee Services focuses on ensuring that the trainee is fully embraced and supported as a highly qualified member of the professional healthcare community.  All of which got me to thinking about community, […]

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October 10, 2016

As I’ve been thinking about Accreditation Standard 7- Staff, I’ve thought of mentors and colleagues who inspired and encouraged me and others whose negative approach was counterproductive.  The common theme in both groups was the profound impact that the actions of a single individual can have on others and on entire communities of practice.   It’s […]

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October 1, 2016

As I sat down to write this blog about administration and operations, I remembered my first experience years ago when we’d moved to a new state.  I needed to change my driver’s license and register my car.   We’ve all had those encounters that seem to define how things shouldn’t be done.  Judith Viorst describes the […]

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September 21, 2016

The other night I was mesmerized by the harvest moon. There were low lying clouds on the horizon and clear skies above.  With majestic progress, the night moon emerged from the cloud bank — a huge, pale, apricot colored orb. The face of the man in the moon was clearly visible.  It was awe-inspiring. The Moon […]

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September 15, 2016

Second only to politics, the big topic of discussion in DC right now is the Metro (rail and bus) system.  After years of lackadaisical (being kind) management that culminated in two underground rail fires resulting in death and hospitalization, as well as a number of city bus drivers who viewed pedestrians as moving targets in […]

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September 6, 2016

This is a time of transitions.  Summer is waning.  Leaves have begun their shift from hues of green to the vibrancy of fall.  Program Directors are welcoming new trainees while celebrating the accomplishments of departing trainees.  New trainees are learning about their local communities; mastering their new EMRs; acclimating to various clinics.  New graduates have […]

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