What is a FIT Portfolio?

Your FIT Portfolio is a master compilation of the items that document your progress in, and ultimately completion of, the FIT program.  The purpose of requiring FITs to maintain their FIT Portfolio throughout their program tenure is to provide a non-burdensome, meaningful and educational practice for FITs to track documentation of their FIT progress, which will be used by the FIT committee to make assessments regarding progress and graduation. The FIT portfolio is made up of:

• Narrative Personal Statement: This statement is typically a 1-1.5 page essay that should explain in a narrative fashion where the feels they are in the process, and may include any realizations they have made about themselves, what they feel they need to work on, what areas they have experienced personal growth in, etc. This statement is a self-evaluation tool that should include reflection on thier journey towards competency as it relates to both personal awareness and skill building.  
• Updated Learning Plan: FITs are asked to update their learning plan so that it contains overall goals for the year, specific objectives which will lead to those goals, learning activities that will lead to attainment of their objectives, and methods for evaluating their progress.
• Letter from Guide: This letter should convey evidence of FIT growth and progress toward  thier learning goals, as well as provide specific examples of how they have demonstrated competence.

• (Optional) Additional Letter from Faculty: If FITs have had encounters with Faculty and would like to ask them to write a letter, thet are welcome to do so. This letter should be sent by a faculty with whom  the FIT has worked in ACH courses or in other capacities (through ACH or at their home institution). These letters should discuss the FITs knowledge and competence as they relate to personal awareness and/or skills work. This additional Faculty letter will be a required part of the annual review process for 2021, so we encourage FITs to seek Faculty connections! 

What is the FIT Progress Tracker?

The Progress Tracker displays the required skills components of the FIT program first by the 4 core domains: Facilitation, Workshop Content & Development, Coaching, and Personal Awareness.  Each core domain is then broken down into its respective Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs).  Finally, each EPA is then broken down into specific microskills.  The tracker allows for a qualitative assessment of each EPA, with space for faculty narrative assessment (specific and illustrative) and FIT narrative assessment. Need access to the FIT tracker? Email Rachel Poarch at [email protected] for support. 

When to update and submit your FIT Portfolio?

Submit: January (If you started the FIT program in January, your FIT Portfolio would be due in the fall of the same year, and annually thereafter for each additional year you are in the program).
Update: It is suggested that you update your FIT Progress Tracker regularly. 

As a FIT, your primary venues for demonstrating and receiving feedback on your skills are Winter Course and ENRICH, attendance at which are required of all FITs.  Therefore, you should aim to update this document at least once after Winter Course and once after ENRICH.  This will not only allow for more real-time reflection and steady progress, but will also make it easier each year when you submit your full FIT Portfolio!

Who should sign off on your microskills and provide a narrative for your EPAs?

Any ACH faculty member may sign off on your microskills and provide a narrative for your EPAs.  This could include a faculty member in in whose Winter Course personal awareness group or ENRICH learning group you participated or assisted with, a faculty member in whose Winter Course FIT Skills session you participated, a faculty member in whose Winter Course or ENRICH workshop you participated, or your ACH Guide.  The goal is to capture a variety of faculty’s assessment of you to paint a picture of your progress and abilities.  

What are faculty responsible for?

• Entrustment decision(s) resulting in signing off on individual EPAs.
• Direct observation of the FIT
• Honest feedback to the FIT
• Please note that any one individual faculty member is not the sole determinant of the FIT's readiness to graduate from the FIT program.  The decision regarding readiness to graduate will be made by the FIT Committee on the basis of reviewing multiple pieces of data from multiple sources.

The criteria only apply to those FITs who entered the program prior to Fall 2017.  
Those who entered the program Fall 2017 or later are subject to competency in the 4 core domains and subsequent EPAs and microskills.

The Core Competencies of the FIT Program are divided into seven primary domains which are described below.  Appendix I.2 delineates the level of attainment required for each sub-domain for advancement to the next level in the FIT Program.

The criteria only apply to those FITs who entered the program prior to Fall 2017.  
Those who entered the program Fall 2017 or later are subject to the "Annual Assessment" guidelines further down on this page.

Procedure:

As soon as you decide you would like to advance, notify the FIT co-directors and Rachel Poarch, ACH Program Manager, of your intent to do so with your goal advancement dates.  Once you have received confirmation from the FIT co-directors and Rachel of your goal advancement date, you can begin compiling your materials.  

All materials should be sent directly to Rachel at [email protected]. 

In order to ensure the most honest and thoughtful recommendations, we ask that you waive your right to see your recommendation letters.  Therefore, please instruct your letter writers to send their recommendation letters directly to Rachel.

Required Materials:

The criteria only apply to those FITs who entered the program prior to Fall 2017.  
Those who entered the program Fall 2017 or later are subject to the "Annual Assessment" guidelines further down on this page.

Procedure:

As soon as you decide you would like to graduate, notify the FIT co-directors and Rachel Poarch, ACH Program Manager, of your intent to do so with your goal graduation date.  Once you have received confirmation from the FIT co-directors and Rachel of your goal graduation date, you can begin compiling your materials.  

All materials should be sent directly to Rachel at [email protected]. 

In order to ensure the most honest and thoughtful recommendations, we ask that you waive your right to see your recommendation letters.  Therefore, please instruct your letter writers to send their recommendation letters directly to Rachel.

Required Materials:

• 2 letters of recommendation from ACH faculty- These should be sent by faculty with whom you have worked in ACH courses or in other capacities. These letters should discuss your knowledge and competence in psychosocial medicine and teaching.  They should also provide an opinion about your readiness to become faculty of the ACH.
• 1 letter from your Faculty Guide- This letter should convey evidence of your growth and progress toward your learning objectives, as well as provide specific examples of how you have demonstrated competence in the areas required to become a FIT 3.
• Personal Log- List and brief description of related activities you’ve been involved in (Including ACH and non-ACH trainings and workshops you co-facilitated) as a FIT 3
• Evaluations from ENRICH co-facilitation
• ENRICH Co-Facilitation form

Optional Materials:

• (Effective 3/16/18)- Elective reflection narrative- This should summarize your personal growth through your FIT journey, as well as provide feedback to the FIT committee about the FIT program experience.

This only applies to those FITs who joined the program prior to Fall 2017.

Goals:

1. Learn about each FIT’s accomplishments in the past year and progress towards learning goals
2. Review FIT-Guide relationship
3. Identify any individual or systems barriers to progress in the upcoming year
4. Receive feedback about the FIT program
5. Identify ways in which the FIT program can best support each person, including specific learning opportunities at the upcoming courses

Process:

• If an FIT is not applying for advancement during a given calendar year, they will be asked to submit:
  • an updated learning plan
  • an ACH Guide/FIT Evaluation form 
  • (both documents are located on the "Forms, Documents & Policies" page.
• Annual review process will be completed following the Winter Course each year, with the materials from the FITs due by the co-directors’ deadline
• Within 6 weeks of receipt of materials, a conference call will be scheduled with the FIT, his/her guide, and a FIT co-director or committee member
• The FIT co-director or committee member will report back to committee on each FIT’s progress
• If any areas of concern are raised by the FIT, the guide, the committee member, or the committee as a whole, a follow-up phone call with one of the FIT co-directors may be scheduled.

Process for FITs currently on Leave of Absence (LOA):

The current LOA policy states that the FIT on leave should keep the FIT committee apprised of her activities and plans vis-à-vis the FIT program.  This policy now specifies that there should be yearly contact from the FIT on LOA with the FIT committee.  The annual check-in process for FITs on LOA will be as follows:

• FITs on LOA will be expected to submit a letter to the FIT committee at least annually (due on September 15) describing their activities during the past year (or since the last update) and their future plans regarding the FIT program (such as when they hope to end their leave or if they still will remain on leave for the foreseeable future).
• Within 1 month of receipt of this letter, an FIT co-director will schedule a call with the FIT on leave in order to foster an ongoing connection between the FIT program and the FIT, even while on LOA.