Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Milestones are designed only for use in evaluation of residents in the context of their participation in
ACGME-accredited residency programs. The Milestones provide a framework for the assessment of the
development of the resident in key dimensions of the elements of physician competency in a specialty or
subspecialty. They neither represent the entirety of the dimensions of the six domains of physician competency,
nor are they designed to be relevant in any other context.
Advisory Group
Mobola Campbell-Yesufu, MD, MPH Subha Ramani, MBBS, MMed, MPH
Gretchen Diemer, MD Brijen Shah, MD
Jodi Friedman, MD C. Christopher Smith, MD
Janae Heath, MD Abby Spencer, MD, MS
Benjamin Kinnear, MD Nicole Swallow, MD, FACP
This document presents the Milestones, which programs use in a semi-annual review of resident performance, and then report to
the ACGME. Milestones are knowledge, skills, attitudes, and other attributes for each of the ACGME Competencies organized in a
developmental framework. The narrative descriptions are targets for resident performance throughout their educational program.
Milestones are arranged into levels. Tracking from Level 1 to Level 5 is synonymous with moving from novice to expert resident in
the specialty or subspecialty. For each reporting period, the Clinical Competency Committee will review the completed evaluations
to select the milestone levels that best describe each learner’s current performance, abilities, and attributes for each
subcompetency.
These levels do not correspond with post-graduate year of education. Depending on previous experience, a junior resident may
achieve higher levels early in his/her educational program just as a senior resident may be at a lower level later in his/her
educational program. There is no predetermined timing for a resident to attain any particular level. Residents may also regress in
achievement of their milestones. This may happen for many reasons, such as over scoring in a previous review, a disjointed
experience in a particular procedure, or a significant act by the resident.
Selection of a level implies the resident substantially demonstrates the milestones in that level, as well as those in lower levels
(see the diagram on page vi).
Level 4 is designed as a graduation goal but does not represent a graduation requirement. Making decisions about readiness for
graduation and unsupervised practice is the purview of the program director. Furthermore, Milestones 2.0 include revisions and
changes that preclude using Milestones as a sole assessment in high-stakes decisions (i.e., determination of eligibility for
certification or credentialing). Level 5 is designed to represent an expert resident whose achievements in a subcompetency are
greater than the expectation. Milestones are primarily designed for formative, developmental purposes to support continuous
quality improvement for individual learners, education programs, and the specialty. The ACGME and its partners will continue to
evaluate and perform research on the Milestones to assess their impact and value.
Examples are provided for some milestones within this document. Please note: the examples are not the required element or
outcome; they are provided as a way to share the intent of the element.
Some milestone descriptions include statements about performing independently. These activities must occur in conformity to
ACGME supervision guidelines as described in the Program Requirements, as well as to institutional and program policies. For
example, a resident who performs a procedure independently must, at a minimum, be supervised through oversight.
A Supplemental Guide is also available to provide the intent of each subcompetency, examples for each level, assessment
methods or tools, and other available resources. The Supplemental Guide, like examples contained within the Milestones, is
designed only to assist the program director and Clinical Competency Committee, and is not meant to demonstrate any required
element or outcome.
Additional resources are available in the Milestones section of the ACGME website. Follow the links under “What We Do” at
www.acgme.org.
Seeks data from Independently obtains Reconciles current data Uses history and Models effective use of
secondary sources, with data from secondary with secondary sources secondary data to guide history to guide the need
guidance sources the need for further for further diagnostic
diagnostic testing testing
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Not Yet Assessable
Identifies common Interprets common Identifies and interprets Integrates subtle Teaches the predictive
abnormal findings abnormal findings uncommon and complex physical examination values of the examination
abnormal findings findings to guide findings to guide
diagnosis and diagnosis and
management management
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Not Yet Assessable
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Not Yet Assessable
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Not Yet Assessable
Formulates management Develops and implements Develops and implements Develops and Creates and leads a
plans for a common management plans for management plans for implements value- comprehensive patient-
chronic condition, with common chronic multiple chronic based (high value) centered management
guidance conditions conditions comprehensive plan for the patient with
management plans for highly complex chronic
multiple chronic conditions, integrating
conditions, recommendations from
incorporating pertinent multiple disciplines
psychosocial and other
determinants of health
Formulates management Develops and implements Develops and implements Develops and Develops and implements
plans for acute common management plans for an initial management implements value- management plans for
conditions, with guidance common acute conditions plan for patients with based (high value) patients with subtle
urgent or emergent management plans for presentations, including
conditions in the setting of patients with acute rare or ambiguous
chronic comorbidities conditions conditions
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Not Yet Assessable
Identifies the required Performs assigned Identifies clinical Integrates telehealth Develops and innovates
components for a telehealth visits using situations that can be effectively into clinical new ways to use
telehealth visit approved technology managed through a practice for the emerging technologies to
telehealth visit management of acute augment telehealth visits
and chronic illness
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Not Yet Assessable
Patient Care
The resident is demonstrating satisfactory development of the knowledge, skill, and attitudes/behaviors needed to advance in the training
program. The resident is demonstrating a learning trajectory that anticipates the achievement of competency for unsupervised practice that
includes the delivery of safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable care.
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Not Yet Assessable
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Not Yet Assessable
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Not Yet Assessable
Medical Knowledge
The resident is demonstrating satisfactory development of the knowledge, skill, and attitudes/behaviors needed to advance in the training
program. The resident is demonstrating a learning trajectory that anticipates the achievement of competency for unsupervised practice that
includes the delivery of safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable care.
Demonstrates Reports patient safety Participates in disclosure Discloses patient safety Models the disclosure of
knowledge of how to events through of patient safety events to events to patients and patient safety events
report patient safety institutional reporting patients and families families (simulated or
events systems (actual or (simulated or actual) actual)
simulated)
Demonstrates Describes local quality Contributes to local Demonstrates the skills Creates, implements, and
knowledge of basic improvement initiatives quality improvement required to identify, assesses sustainable
quality improvement (e.g., community initiatives develop, implement, quality improvement
methodologies and vaccination rate, infection and analyze a quality initiatives at the
metrics rate, smoking cessation) improvement project institutional or community
level
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Identifies key elements Performs safe and Performs safe and Models and advocates Improves quality of
for safe and effective effective transitions of effective transitions of for safe and effective transitions of care within
transitions of care and care/hand-offs in routine care/hand-offs in complex transitions of care/hand- and across health care
hand-offs clinical situations clinical situations offs within and across delivery systems to
health care delivery optimize patient outcomes
systems, including
outpatient settings
Demonstrates Identifies specific Uses local resources Participates in changing Leads innovations and
knowledge of population population and effectively to meet the and adapting practice to advocates for populations
and community health community health needs needs of a patient provide for the needs of and communities with
needs and disparities and inequities for the local population and specific populations health care inequities
population community
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Describes basic health Delivers care with Engages with patients in Advocates for patient Actively engaged in
payment systems consideration of each shared decision making, care needs with influencing health policy
patient’s payment model informed by each consideration of the through advocacy
patient’s payment models limitations of each activities at the local,
patient’s payment regional, or national level
model
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Systems-Based Practice
The resident is demonstrating satisfactory development of the knowledge, skill, and attitudes/behaviors needed to advance in the training
program. The resident is demonstrating a learning trajectory that anticipates the achievement of competency for unsupervised practice that
includes the delivery of safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable care.
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 2: Reflective Practice and Commitment to Personal Growth
Identifies the factors that Analyzes and reflects on Institutes behavioral Challenges one’s own Coaches others on
contribute to gap(s) the factors which change(s) to narrow the assumptions and reflective practice
between ideal and actual contribute to gap(s) gap(s) between ideal and considers alternatives in
performance, with between ideal and actual actual performance narrowing the gap(s)
guidance performance, with between ideal and
guidance actual performance
Actively seeks Designs and implements Independently creates Uses performance data to
opportunities to improve an individualized learning and implements an measure the
plan, with prompting individualized learning effectiveness of the
plan individualized learning
plan and when necessary,
improves it
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Professionalism 3: Accountability/Conscientiousness
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
*This subcompetency is not intended to evaluate a resident’s well-being. Rather, the intent is to ensure that each resident has the fundamental knowledge of
factors that impact well-being, the mechanism by which those factors impact well-being, and available resources and tools to improve well-being.
Professionalism
The resident is demonstrating satisfactory development of the knowledge, skill, and attitudes/behaviors needed to advance in the training
program. The resident is demonstrating a learning trajectory that anticipates the achievement of competency for unsupervised practice that
includes the delivery of safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable care.
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Uses verbal and non- Communicates Facilitates Adapts communication Models flexible
verbal communication information, including interprofessional team style to fit communication strategies
that values all members basic feedback with all communication to interprofessional team that facilitate excellence
of the interprofessional interprofessional team reconcile conflict and needs and maximizes in interprofessional
team members provides difficult feedback impact of feedback to teamwork
the team
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
Communicates using Selects direct (e.g., Appropriately selects Models effective written
formats specified by telephone, in-person) and direct and indirect forms and verbal
institutional policy to indirect (e.g., progress of communication based communication
safeguard patient notes, text messages) on context
personal health forms of communication
information based on context, with
assistance
Comments:
Not Yet Completed Level 1
This rating represents the assessment of the resident’s development of overall clinical competence during this year of training:
____Superior: Far exceeds the expected level of development for this year of training
____Satisfactory: Always meets and occasionally exceeds the expected level of development for this year of training
____Conditional on Improvement: Meets some developmental milestones but occasionally falls short of the expected level of development for
this year of training. An improvement plan is in place to facilitate achievement of competence appropriate to the level of training.
____Unsatisfactory: Consistently falls short of the expected level of development for this year of training.