Teaching the new competencies using the gap analysis approach.

(Fam Med 2006;38(4):238-9.) Editor’s Note: In this month’s column, Hershey Bell, MD, and Stanley Kozakowski, MD, remind officebased teachers of their important role in assessing how well learners achieve different competencies. They also recommend a “gap analysis” approach for helping learners self-assess their level of competency and plan how they will improve. Dr Bell is with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pa, and Dr Kozakowski is with the Hunterdon Medical Center Family Medicine Residency in Flemington, NJ. I welcome your comments about this feature, which is also published on the STFM Web site at www. stfm.org. I also encourage all predoctoral directors to make copies of this feature and distribute it to their preceptors (with the appropriate Family Medicine citation). Send your submissions to williamh@bcm. tmc.edu. William Huang, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, 3701 Kirby, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77098-3915. 713-798-6271. Fax: 713-798-7789. Submissions should be no longer than 3–4 double-spaced pages. References can be used but are not required. Count each table or figure as one page of text.