Policy of the Graduate Medical Education Committee
Section:  Resident Supervision/Work Environment
Subject: Disaster or Interruption of Patient Care
Number: 3.600
Date Developed: 10/2007
Last Review/Revision: 2/09
Replaces:   ACGME Requirements: Institutional I. B. 8

 Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to address administrative support for GME programs and residents in the event of a disaster or interruption in patient care.  This policy is established to protect the well being, safety and educational experience of residents enrolled in our training programs. 

Policy

The definition of disaster will be determined by the ACGME as defined in their published policies and procedures. Following declaration of a disaster, the GMEC working with the DIO and other sponsoring institution leadership will strive to restructure or reconstitute the educational experience as quickly as possible following a disaster. 

Procedure

1.         As quickly as possible and in order to maximize the likelihood that residents will be able to complete program requirements within the standard time required for certification in that specialty, the DIO and GMEC will make the determination that transfer to another program is necessary.

2.        Once the DIO and GMEC determine that the sponsoring institution can no longer provide an adequate educational experience for its residents, the sponsoring institution will to the best of its ability arrange for the temporary transfer of the residents to programs at other sponsoring institutions until such time as UAMS College of Medicine is able to resume providing the experience. Residents who transfer to other programs as a result of a disaster will be provided by their Program Director with an estimated time that relocation to another program will be necessary. Should that initial time estimate need to be extended, the resident will be notified by their Program Director using written or electronic means identifying the estimated time of the extension.

 3.         If the disaster prevents the sponsoring institution from re-establishing an adequate educational experience within a
             reasonable amount of time following a disaster, the permanent transfers will be arranged.

 4.         The DIO will be the primary institutional contact with the ACGME and the Institutional Review Committee Executive
            Director regarding disaster plan implementation and needs within the sponsoring institution.

5.         In the event of a disaster affecting other sponsoring institutions of graduate medical education programs, the program leadership at UAMS College of Medicine will work collaboratively with the DIO who will coordinate on behalf of the College of Medicine the ability to accept transfer residents from other institutions. This will include the process to request complement increases with the ACGME that may be required to accept additional residents for training. Programs currently under a proposed or actual adverse accreditation decision by the ACGME will not be eligible to participate in accepting transfer residents.

6.         Programs will be responsible for establishing procedures to protect the academic and personnel files of all residents from loss or destruction by disaster. This should include at least a plan for storage of data in a separate geographic location away from the sponsoring institution.