Medical Knowledge Assessment by Hematology and Medical Oncology In-Training Examinations Are Better Than Program Director Assessments at Predicting Subspecialty Certification Examination Performance.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Next Accreditation System requires training programs to demonstrate that fellows are achieving competence in medical knowledge (MK), as part of a global assessment of clinical competency. Passing American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certification examinations is recognized as a metric of MK competency. This study examines several in-training MK assessment approaches and their ability to predict performance on the ABIM Hematology or Medical Oncology Certification Examinations.

Developing an in-training examination for fellows: the experience of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) developed its own test -- the Medical Oncology In-Training Examination (MedOnc ITE) -- as a tool to assess trainees' knowledge of the clinical oncology subspecialty, establish consistency in educational standards across training programs, identify areas of strength and weakness in individual programs, and stimulate intraprogrammatic reading and discussion. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Outcome Project provided additional incentive for ASCO to develop an ITE. The examination was developed in 4 years.