ASCCP - Practice Recommendations

PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS: Mentorship

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	COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM INTRODUCTION The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) is a national multi-disciplinary organization that represents obstetrician-gynecologists, family physicians, pathologists, nurse practitioners and other licensed health care practitioners. The ASCCP is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians. The mission of the Society is to provide the highest quality of continuing medical education specific to the understanding of diseases of the lower genital tract and the use of colposcopy in evaluating the lower genital tract. To accomplish this mission, the Society provides postgraduate courses, a biennial scientific meeting, online CME programs, and enduring materials such as CD-ROM programs, slide collections, videoguides, etc. The following curriculum (download PDF file below) serves as a foundation for didactic colposcopy education, the first tier of the ASCCP's three-tiered program in comprehensive colposcopy training. A “mentorship”, i.e. a hands-on period of supervised colposcopy training, and a comprehensive examination comprise the second and third tiers of the program. The colposcopy curriculum includes the necessary and basic principles considered the foundation of knowledge required to evaluate, diagnose and manage lower genital tract disease in women. The Society recommends this curriculum for all didactic comprehensive colposcopy training purposes including postgraduate medical education courses and residency colposcopy modules. The Society strongly recommends that the minimum acceptable training requirements for a colposcopist include completion of a didactic program, a mentorship program, and an examination to document colposcopic proficiency. Basic Colposcopy Curriculum