Criteria for training centers

PREREQUISITES

1. A Training Program in Sexual Medicine must provide a balanced education in the knowledge, skill, attitudes and behaviors required for the practice of modern Sexual Medicine.
2. At the end of the training period and the assessment, trainees will be qualified to provide high quality care to sexual medicine patients.
3. The training program should provide exposure to the whole breadth of sexual medicine.
4. The minimum duration of Sexual Medicine training is 18 months.

CRITERIA & GUIDELINES ORGANISATION

1. Institutions and trainers taking part in the training of Sexual Medicine trainees must be able to provide broad-based opportunities that include both clinical and academic experiences in Sexual Medicine.
2. Positions with exposure to a limited area of sexual medicine should seek collaboration with others such that together they provide exposure to the whole breadth of sexual medicine.
3. Rotations must be based on a clear statement of the value of each position to the teaching program as a whole.
4. Each position should offer significant educational opportunities relevant to the overall program.
5. There should be one trainer (Program Director) with primary responsibility for the entire program.
6. There should be one trainer (Educational Supervisor) with primary responsibility for a trainee for the duration of training in a particular position.
7. All trainers in the program should demonstrate commitment to the program in terms of clinical, educational and academic support.
8. The training capacity of the program will be determined by the number, qualifications and commitment of the faculty and the workload of the various departments.

FACILITIES AND RESOURCE

1. Each participating institution/trainer must provide adequate clinical facilities. These will include diagnostic and therapeutic facilities.
2. Each participating institution/trainer must provide adequate educational facilities. These will include space, educational aids, office space, computer access and library facilities including online access to the major international journals.
3. Each participating institution/trainer must provide adequate administrative support.
4. Research facilities, although not mandatory for accreditation, are desirable in that they enrich the academic environment of the program.

FACULTY

1.    Program Director – Each TPSM should be headed by a Program Director.

The Program Director
a.    Will oversee the whole programme
b.    Will ensure that trainees have access to a balanced and comprehensive experience
c.    Will allocate an Educational Supervisor for each trainee
d.    Will ensure that the progress of trainee is regularly evaluated

2.    Educational Supervisor  – Each Trainee will have an educational supervisor.

The Educational supervisor will provide educational support for the trainee for the duration of the training. This will include:
a.    Regular meetings with the trainee
b.    Setting of educational objectives
c.    Providing regular feedback to the trainee
d.    Mentoring where appropriate.

3.    Trainer. The other trainers, those with special expertise in different sexual medicine domains, should contribute to the education/experience of the trainee in order to provide a significant depth of knowledge in a variety of subjects, and will provide assessment and feedback for the trainee.

4.    Trainee. The trainee will be expected to agree learning objectives at regular intervals with their educational supervisor. These will be appraised and assessed at regular intervals. They will keep a learning record and a logbook of their clinical experience.

APPLICATION & CERTIFICATION PROCEDURE

1.    To apply for certification a Program seeking accreditation should submit the following documents (in English):
a.    Contact details for the Training Program
b.    A description of the Training Program

This will include, as a minimum:
i.     A description of all the posts
ii.    Timetables within each post
iii.    Clinical facilities
iv.    Workload figures
v.    Educational facilities
vi.   Academic facilities
vii.   A named Program Director
viii.  A list of Trainers and Educational supervisors with their areas of expertise
ix.    List of publications of each trainer in the last two years
x.     Previous teaching experience of each trainer

2.    The training Program is evaluated on the basis of a scoring system which assesses the following domains:

a.    Educational program
b.    Supervising staff
c.    Educational support
d.    Clinical and educational facilities
e.    Academic support

3.    A review visit to the center by MJCSM representative will follow before the final decision
4.    The MJCSM will make the final decision about accreditation of the program and duration of that accreditation.
5.    The usual duration of accreditation is 5 years.
6.    A response letter will be forwarded to the Program Director. It will include

a.    A statement of approval if the application is successful
b.    For failed applications, areas of non-compliance with the criteria and suggestions to improvement will be stated

7.    If there are substantial changes to the program during the certification period, it is the duty of the Program Director to notify the MJCSM.
8.    Before the end of the certification period, the Program Director will be notified about the need for re-certification.