Evaluation of clinical competence in pulmonary disease.

The American Board of Internal Medicine has called upon directors of pulmonary disease training programs to establish systems to evaluate, document, and substantiate those components of overall clinical competence considered essential for certification in the subspecialty. Many of these can be assessed only by repeated direct observations. In particular, proficiency is now required in endotracheal intubation, fiberoptic bronchoscopy, mechanical ventilatory support, thoracentesis and percutaneous pleural biopsy, percutaneous arterial puncture, vascular monitoring, calibration and operation of hemodynamic recording systems, and supervision of the technical aspects of pulmonary function testing. The goal of this expanded evaluation program is to ensure that the public and the profession can identify through certification, physicians with demonstrated excellence in the practice of pulmonology.