How many times has someone evaluated your competency since you’ve become a locum tenens? Once? Twice? A million times? You went to school, passed the boards, negotiated a contract with a locum tenens firm, got credentialed and privileged by a hospital’s medical staff, and now—one more thing—it’s time for your focused professional practice evaluation (FPPE).

What’s this FPPE thing all about, anyway?

Simply stated, there’s a Joint Commission requirement that all medical staffs evaluate the competency of newly appointed practitioners. So even though your locum tenens firm and the medical staff already think you’re a great practitioner and want to work with you, they need to see you in action.

They do this through FPPE. It can be done by having a more senior practitioner watch you treat your first several patients, or conduct a chart review of those patients. The details of FPPE are left up to each medical staff. Other types of reviews may include:

• Proctoring
• Simulation
• External peer review
• Discussions with those involved in the care of the patient

So if you get a letter from the medical staff saying, “Welcome! We need to review your competency,” don’t feel singled out. They send it to everyone. Really.

Looking for more information about how the credentialing process works? Check out the Credentialing Resource Center blog at www.credentialingresourcecenter.com/blog.