May 17, 2021

Access the ACGME's COVID-19 Section

Visit the COVID-19 section of the ACGME website for access to a range of materials, including ACGME Guidance Statements, Frequently Asked Questions, institutional and well-being resources, and more.

Two Weeks Left to Access On-Demand Content!

REGISTER NOW! 

There’s still time to access the on-demand content from the 2021 ACGME Annual Educational Conference, which includes a variety of thought-provoking educational sessions, information from our poster presenters, and wellness sessions and activities. Register now and gain access through June 1, 2021.

Learn more about the conference and register. Email questions to registration@acgme.org.

Save the Date!
2022 Annual Educational Conference
February 24-27, 2022
Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando, Florida

Registration for the 2022 Annual Educational Conference will open in late fall 2021.

NEW! ACGME Program Requirements for Review and Comment

The following Program Requirements and Recognition Requirements and accompanying Impact Statements are posted for review and comment, here:

Comment Deadline: June 30, 2021
Vascular Surgery (Integrated)
Vascular Surgery (Independent)

Register for June Workshops! The Basics of Accreditation Workshops

The May workshops have filled, but there are still spots left for those whose specialties are covered in the June workshops. The Basics of Accreditation for New Program Coordinators workshops will be held virtually in May and June. Participation is available on a first come, first served basis. This two-part, specialty-specific workshop series helps new program coordinators understand ACGME accreditation practices and processes..

For details, visit the Basics of Accreditation page on the ACGME website.

Register Now for Developing Faculty Competencies in Assessment

Registration for ACGME faculty development courses is open! Led by ACGME senior staff members and selected expert instructors from around the country, Developing Faculty Competencies in Assessment helps participants build effective assessment programs for their residency or fellowship program. Offered virtually, sessions are highly interactive and use multiple learning approaches, including virtual simulations, to provide participants with approaches and tools for effective assessment.

Two virtual, six-day courses are available, beginning October 10 and October 31, 2021. For details and to register, visit the Developing Faculty Competencies in Assessment page on the ACGME website.

NEW! Self-Study and 10-Year Accreditation Site Visit Update

In support of its mission, the ACGME remains committed to achieving a balance between assurance (regulatory) and improvement (continuous improvement) of educational programs and graduates’ outcomes.

Previously, the review of the program Self-Study was incorporated into the 10-Year Accreditation Site Visit process. Due to postponements of Self-Study dates, as well as deferrals of 10-Year Accreditation Site Visits resulting from the ACGME’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is no longer the case. The program Self-Study will not be reviewed during an accreditation site visit and the Self-Study will not correlate with the date of the next accreditation site visit.

For programs that have already completed and submitted their Self-Study, the ACGME is developing a process for reviewing and providing feedback.

Programs with postponed Self-Studies will not be required to complete a Self-Study until further notice (at least through July 2022). This deferral period will allow the ACGME to develop a sustainable model for improvement and assurance for its nearly 13,000 accredited programs and allow programs to recover from the impact of COVID-19.

No other programs will be scheduled for a Self-Study until further notice. Institutional Self-Studies will proceed according to the Institutional Review Committee’s announced plan.

Email questions to self-study@acgme.org.

NEW! Webcast for Program Directors and Coordinators on ADS Changes

Update: Changes to the Accreditation Data System (ADS) and COVID-19 Pandemic Questions
The webcast will provide information about the ADS annual update information and the COVID-19 pandemic questions to help designated institutional officials, program directors, and institutional and program coordinators better prepare for and effectively complete the 2021 Annual Update.

Register Here
Thursday, May 27, 2021
12:00-1:15 p.m. Central 

The recorded webcast will be available in Learn at ACGME within a week of the live presentation. 

NEW! ACGME Addresses Medically Underserved Areas and Populations

In support of its mission to improve health care and population health, the ACGME is working to enhance physician workforce development in communities that face physician shortages in various specialties. As part of this effort, the ACGME has developed an accreditation framework for Medically Underserved Areas and Populations.

Learn more about this work and the development of an ACGME Rural Track Program designation.

Email questions about this designation process to muap@acgme.org.

NEW! JGME Articles for the Week

Improving Diversity in Pediatric Residency Selection: Using an Equity Framework to Implement Holistic Review
Jyothi Marbin, MD; Glenn Rosenbluth, MD; Rachel Brim, MD; Edward Cruz, MD, MPH; Alma Martinez, MD, MPH;  Margaret McNamara, MD
Between 2017 and 2020, University of California San Francisco Pediatrics Department identified structural, interpersonal, and individual biases in existing selection processes and developed mitigation strategies in each area, which led to an increased number of matched underrepresented in medicine (UiM) residents. Interventions included creating a shared mental model of desirable qualities in residents, employing a new scoring rubric, intentional inclusion of UiM faculty members and learners in the selection process, and requiring anti-bias training for everyone involved with recruitment and selection.

Analysis of Supervisors' Feedback to Residents on Communicator, Collaborator, and Professional Roles During Case Discussions
Alexandre Lafleur, MD, MHPE; Luc Côté, MSW, PhD; Holly O. Witteman, PhD
By recording clinical case discussions in radiology and internal medicine, this study quantified how much of the supervisors’ feedback time targeted residents’ intrinsic roles of communicator, collaborator, and professional. Knowing the opportunities that case discussions represent, supervisors could improve by aligning their feedback on intrinsic roles with residents' needs, and by using more questions to establish a dialogue with residents on how to embody those roles.

Revised Milestones Available

Updated versions of Milestones are now available for the following specialties and subspecialties. Programs will officially start using the new Milestones documents in July 2021, with the first reporting in January 2022. Supplemental Guides have also be created as a companion tool for most specialties, and are available in both a Word and PDF format on the specialty Milestones pages.

Nuclear Radiology

View all the specialties and subspecialties with completed revised Milestones and their effective dates in the document at the top of the Milestones Overview page on the ACGME website.

Email questions to milestones@acgme.org.

Milestones 2.0 Review and Comment

New drafts of the Milestones for the specialties/subspecialties listed below are available for review and comment. The Milestones reporting data, along with other survey results and comments, informed the changes. The Work Groups also created Supplemental Guides to enhance understanding of the Milestones.

THIS WEEK! Deadline: Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Email questions to milestones@acgme.org.

Volunteers Needed for Milestones Work Groups

Volunteer for a Work Group reviewing the current Milestones and determine what, if any, changes need to be made, by specialty. Members of the GME community are invited to serve on these work groups.

Nominees must be proficient in one or more of the Competencies, be familiar with the Milestones, and need not be physicians. Participants will be selected based on multiple criteria, including level of expertise, specialty and regional diversity, and need.

Deadline: Sunday, May 23, 2021
Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
Critical Care Anesthesiology
Neurotology
Obstetric Anesthesiology
Pediatric Anesthesiology
Pediatric Otolaryngology

Email questions to milestones@acgme.org.

Milestones Year-End Reporting Open through June 25