THE BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW, A METHOD TO EVALUATE ACGME COMPETENCIES IN RESIDENT SELECTION: A PILOT PROJECT.

Interviews are a key part of the recruiting process in resident selection. Most programs use an unstructured resume-based interview. In 1999, the ACGME endorsed six competencies including behaviors as well as knowledge.

Doppler-derived myocardial systolic strain rate is a strong index of left ventricular contractility.

Background: Myocardial fiber strain is directly related to left ventricular (LV) contractility. Strain rate can be estimated as the spatial derivative of velocities (dV/ds) obtained by tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE). The purposes of the study were (1) to determine whether TDE-derived strain rate may be used as a noninvasive, quantitative index of contractility and (2) to compare the relative accuracy of systolic strain rate against TDE velocities alone.