Graduate Medical Education Committee

Purpose:
The Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) is a standing committee in the College of Medicine. The GMEC in collaboration with the Designated Institutional Official (DIO) forms an administrative system that oversees ACGME-accredited programs of the sponsoring institution. 

 

Responsibilities:
The GMEC has the following responsibilities, which are based on the ACGME Institutional Requirements:

 Hold the authority and responsibility for the oversight, administration and quality of the ACGME-accredited programs, even when education occurs at other sites. 

Assure compliance with ACGME Common, specialty/subspecialty-specific Program, and Institutional Requirements 

Provide sufficient resources to ensure the effective implementation and support of programs to include: DIO and program director financial support and protected time; salary support and resources for administration of the GME Office and all programs; access to adequate communication resources and technological support; and access to specialty-specific reference material. 

Establish a policy that addresses administrative support for GME programs and residents in the event of a disaster or interruption in patient care.   

Establish policies and procedures regarding resident recruitment and appointment and must monitor each program for compliance.   

Ensure that programs select from among eligible applicants and that those applicants who are invited for an interview receive, in writing or by electronic means, the terms, conditions, and benefits of their appointment.   

Provide residents with appropriate financial support and benefits to ensure that they are able to fulfill the responsibilities of their educational programs. 

Assure that residents are provided with a contract and monitor programs with regard to implementation of the terms and conditions of appointment.   

Ensure that residents are informed of and adhere to established educational and clinical practices, policies, and procedures in all sites to which residents are assigned. 

Ensure that programs provide residents with a four-month advance written notice of intent for non-promotion or non-renewal of appointment.   

Provide residents with professional liability coverage and with a summary of that coverage. 

Provide hospital and health insurance benefits for the residents and families to begin upon the first recognized day of their respective programs.   

Provide access to insurance for disabilities resulting from activities that are part of the educational program.  

Provide access to confidential counseling, medical, and psychological support services. 

Establish and implement policies and procedures regarding the quality of education and the work environment.

Ensure that programs provide effective educational experiences for residents that lead to measurable achievement of educational outcomes. 

Ensure that residents participate on committees and councils whose actions affect their education and/or patient care. 

Ensure that residents participate in an educational program on impairment including substance abuse and sleep deprivation. 

Provide an educational and work environment in which residents may raise and resolve issues without fear of intimidation or retaliation. 

Provide services and develop health care delivery systems to minimize residents’ work that is extraneous to their GME programs’ educational goals and objectives.   

Ensure a healthy and safe work environment.   

Ensure that communication mechanisms exist between the GMEC and all program directors  

Ensure that program directors maintain effective communication mechanisms with site directors at each participating institution for their respective program.  

Monitor programs’ supervision of residents and ensure that it is consistent with safe and effective patient care; educational needs of residents; progressive responsibility; other applicable common and specialty-specific requirements. 

Communication between leadership of the medical staff regarding the safety and quality of patient care that includes participation in such education and the accreditation status of programs.   

Assure that each program provides a curriculum and an evaluation system that enables residents to demonstrate achievement of the ACGME general competencies. 

Review all ACGME program accreditation letters of notification and monitor action plans for the correction of citations and areas of non-compliance. 

Review the Sponsoring Institution’s letter of notification and develop and monitor action plans for the correction of citations and areas of non-compliance. 

Review and approve requests and reports prior to submission to the ACGME. 

Oversee all phases of educational experiments and innovations that may deviate from Institutional, Common, and Program Requirements.  

Oversee all processes related to reductions and/or closures of programs, major participating institutions and the sponsoring institution.  

Establish a policy that addresses interactions between vendor representatives/corporations and residents/GME programs. 

Develop, implement and oversee an internal review process of all ACGME-accredited residency/fellowship programs.

 GMEC Membership

The Dean of the College of Medicine appoints all members to the GMEC and its subcommittees in June of each academic year.  Appointed members are clinical faculty members especially program directors, interested volunteers, residents/fellows, administrators from the hospitals, DIO, GME Director, Assistant Dean for HS Affairs, and Program Coordinator Organization chair.

Resident/Fellow Selection: One peer-nominated resident/fellow is solicited from each Department Chair/Program Director each July.  Other Residents may be appointed by the GMEC Chair to represent special groups (AAMC-ORR, AMA Resident Section).

In order to accomplish its responsibilities, the GMEC is organized with subcommittees and an executive committee:

GMEC Subcommittees

  1. Professional Communication Subcommittee: The subcommittee will focus on handovers, developing and sending a short survey following the PIF requirements to all programs. The responses will serve to reveal any severe problems and point toward future systematic improvement projects related to handoffs. Any problems identified this year will be mentioned to the program and examined by the GMEC for patterns for a systematic problem and addressed.

  2. Internal Review Subcommittee: Coordinates and implements the Internal Review Process; reviews accreditation correspondence with the ACGME.

  3. Citation Subcommittee: Citations common among programs. Develop best practices guidelines for the program evaluations citation..

  4. Performance Improvement Subcommittee: Continue the processes of in-house and ACGME survey monitoring during the coming year and work to identify quality indicators of "high-quality" programs.

  5. Resident Council: Provides a forum for resident/fellow discussion and input into all matters pertaining  to GMEC activities.  The Council works to assure effective communication among residents/fellows and provides a step in the process for addressing concerns in a confidential manner. Members of the Resident Council also serve on one of the other GMEC subcommittees.

  6. Duty Hours and Patient Safety: Oversee duty hour monitoring for sponsoring institution and report annually. Develop a Quality Improvement Resource Toolbox for program directors that is hosted online, helps identify projects and nurtures physician leadership in quality improvement, to support the ACGME intent of facilitating resident understanding of and participation in quality improvement. Develop an instrument for inquiry into faculty supervision from the resident perspective.

  7. Finance Subcommittee: Develops GME budget for next fiscal year, monitors disbursement of GME funds, and develops protocol.  Meets monthly.  Chaired by the past chair of the GMEC, membership consists of: associate dean for GME , assistant dean for housestaff affairs, representatives from ACH, UAMS Medical Center and CAVHS who have the authority to commit resources, the current chair of the GMEC, the director of GME, and the chair of the Resident Council.  The subcommittee will recommend stipends and administrative budget to the Residency Position Allocation Committee. 

Subcommittee membership selections are made by members themselves according to their interest or availability at the standing subcommittee meeting times. Residents serve on 2 subcommittees: the Resident Council and another subcommittee. 

 

           Subcommittees have a chair who is appointed by the GMEC chair. The members of the Resident Council elect a
           chair and two vice-chairs.

GME Executive Committee
 This is the governing committee that reviews and approves the activities of the subcommitteesand oversees program and institutional administration issues that may not be covered through a subcommittee’s activities.  Representatives from the major participating hospitals will act as a liaison between the GME Committee and the medical staff and governing body of the hospital.

1. Chair: Appointed by the Dean to a 2-year term to coordinate all activities of the GMEC

2. Chair-Elect: Appointed by Dean to a 1-year term

3. Self-Reflection/Assessment Subcommittee Chair—Appointed by the GMEC Chairman

4. Citation Subcommittee Chair: Appointed by the GMEC Chair

5. Performance Improvement Subcommittee Chair—Appointed by the GMEC Chairman

6. Resident Council Chair—Elected by the members of the Resident Council

7. Duty Hours/Patient Safety Subcommittee Chair: Appointed by the GMEC Chairman

8. Finance Subcommittee Chair: Appointed by the GMEC Chair

9. Associate Dean for GME/Internal Review Subcommittee Chair—Dean’s representative from the College of Medicine

10. GME Director

11. Office of educational Development volunteer

12. Chair of the Program Coordinator Organization

13. Assistant Dean for Housestaff Affairs

14. UAMS MC Representative—Medical Director of University Hospital or his/her designee

15. ACH Representative—Medical Director of Arkansas Children’s Hospital or his/her designee

16. VAH Representative—Medical Director of Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System or his/her designee

Attendance/Responsibilities

Members are expected to attend at least 50% of the subcommittee meetings on which they serve and 50% if they serve on the executive committee. At least one resident will be in attendance at every meeting.  A meeting may not be held without resident attendance. 

 

Executive committee and subcommittee members will participate in internal reviews. Clinical Department Chairs assure that faculty and resident/fellow members are free from departmental duties to fully participate in GMEC activities.

Organization/Meeting times

A GMEC kickoff is conducted in August each year for all members to orient all to the work of the GMEC, establish GMEC goals, implement strategies for the year, and establish mutually satisfactory meeting times. Following the organizational kickoff, the GME Executive Committee meets monthly. Subcommittees meet at a minimum during the months of October, December, February, and April. Minutes of subcommittee meetings are distributed to members of the GME Executive Committee.

Reports

The Associate Dean for GME provides an annual report on all activities of GME to to the governing body of the sponsoring institution and the organized medical staff of major participating institutions. Reports from the GMEC are provided periodically to the Clinical Department Chairs group.

Urgent Action Mechanism

When urgent issues arise that require a quick action, the GME Executive Committee can be represented by a collective decision made by the DIO, GMEC Chair and GME Director.

 

Re  Revised 7/22/03, 4/10/06, 5/30/07, 7/31/08, 7/29/09, 4/12/10, 6/14/10

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Last modified: 08/31/11