Skip to main content
Read the technical standards issued by the Graduate Medical Education Committee that all residents and fellows are expected to meet.

Technical Standards

The Graduate Medical Education Committee has specified the following non-academic criteria (“technical standards”) that all residents/fellows are expected to meet in order to participate in the medical education program and the practice of medicine. As appropriate, individual training programs may add more specific standards to these criteria.
  • Observation
    The resident/fellow must be able to participate actively in all demonstrations and laboratory exercises in the basic medical sciences and to assess and comprehend the condition of all patients assigned to him or her for examination, diagnosis and treatment. Such observation and information acquisition usually requires the functional use of visual, auditory and somatic sensation.
  • Communication
    The resident/fellow must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients in order to elicit information; describe changes in mood, activity, and posture; assess non-verbal communications; and effectively and efficiently transmit information to patients, fellow house staff, students, faculty, staff and all members of the health care team. Communication skills include speaking, reading and writing as well as the observation skills described above.
  • Motor
    The resident/fellow must have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion and other diagnostic maneuvers; be able to perform basic laboratory tests; possess all skills necessary to carry out diagnostic procedures; and be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients.
  • Intellectual
    The resident/fellow must be able to measure, calculate reason, analyze and synthesize. Problem solving, the critical skill demanded of physicians, requires all of these intellectual abilities: conceptual, integrative and quantitative. In addition, the resident/fellow must be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures. The resident/fellow must have the capacity to perform these problem-solving skills in a timely fashion.
  • Behavioral and Social
    The resident/fellow must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his or her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients and others. Residents/fellows must also be able to tolerate taxing workloads, function effectively under stress, adapt to a changing environment, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, commitment, and motivation are personal qualities that each resident/fellow should possess.

Accommodations for Residents with Disabilities

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1974, IU School of Medicine provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with a disability.