Hints for Success in the Job |
| 1. | Make Directing the residency/fellowship your career. |
| 2. | Negotiate protected time to do the job well. |
| 3. | At least twice a year, review the ACGME program requirements. These are available through the ACGME website (www.acgme.org). It also contains proposed changes in the requirements which you should review. |
| 4. | Review the last accreditation letter from the ACGME, noting all citations. |
| 5. | Choose a designated program coordinator (administrative assistant) who should be supported to attend the ACGME workshop on Mastering the Accreditation Process, held in March in Chicago. Plan to attend this or a similar workshop at least 2 years prior to your external accreditation site visit. |
| 6. | Delegate some of the administrative responsibilities to a program coordinator or chief resident. |
| 7. | Review the quarterly ACGME Bulletins, the AMA GME News, and the monthly Program Director Updates from the Associate Dean for GME. |
| 8. | Notify the ACGME in writing about changes in leadership (e.g. new program director, department chair) |
The 'survival tips' presented here were compiled from suggestions made by the Executive Directors of the Residency Review Committees (RRCs) and the Institutional Review Committee (IRC) and selected members of the ACGME Field Staff. The intent is to offer common-sense, ready-to-implement advice to new program directors.
As soon as possible after being appointed, new program directors should inform the ACGME offices in writing of their appointment if their predecessor has not already done so. The letter should include all relevant contact information, including mailing address, voice telephone and fax numbers, and electronic mail address. The program director's current curriculum vitae (CV) should be enclosed. The letter should be addressed to the appropriate RRC Executive Director. the names and addresses of all RRC Executive Directors can be found on the ACGME World Wide Web page (http://www.acgme.org).
Next, all new program directors should visit the ACGME's Web page. In addition to general information about the ACGME and the accreditation process and the name and phone number for the RRC Executive Directors and Accreditation Administrators (this can be found both at each RRC's individual Web page or in the ACGME Information section). The Web page contains comprehensive accreditation information for each specialty. Program directors should visit the page for their specialty and review the documents, and download the Program Requirements and the Program Information Forms to allow them to familiarize themselves with these working documents. In addition, it is helpful to become familiar with the Institutional Requirements, which apply to all residency programs.
Third, new program directors, and more seasoned ones, should review and
periodically re-review the ACGME accreditation information for their
program. This includes:
| 1. | A copy of the program's most recent ACGME accreditation letter. If one is not already available in the program files, it can be obtained from the RRC team. The program director should note any comments or citations for correction; any requests for progress reports; and the tentative date for the next site survey. Program directors should contact the Executive Director of the RRC if there are sections in the letter they do not fully understand. |
| 2. | A copy of the most recent ACGME-required internal review of the program. This document may be obtained from the institution's Designated Institutional Official of Office of Medical Education. the ACGME does not maintain a file of the documents resulting from the internal review, as they are considered 'confidential' documents, to ensure that the internal review is comprehensive and openly identifies and discusses the programs strength and weaknesses. After reviewing these documents, the program director should note any comments or requests for follow-up reports from the institution's Graduate Medical Education Committee based on the internal review. |
| 3. | A copy of the institution's most recent ACGME Letter of Report. All program directors are entitled to receive a copy of this letter from their Designated Institutional Official or Office of Medical Education. The letter of Report provides the results and status of the institution's current Institutional Review. Program directors should note any comments or citations in the Letter of Report that may impact upon their program and seek resolution with the institution. |
| 4. | A copy of the institution's mission statement, vision statement, and statement of commitment to graduate medical education. This should allow the program director to become familiar with the institution's reasons for being involved in physician education and the specific institutional goals for GME. |
| 5. | A copy of the program's history, which should be studied in detail. It is important to compile and review all recent notification letters the program has received form the RRC to ensure that previous areas of noncompliance have been corrected. |
| 6. | Appropriate ACGME references and resource documents. In addition to the information on the ACGME Web site referenced above, this includes a copy of the "Graduate Medical Education Directory" (Green Book), which contains the ACGME program and institutional requirements, a list of ACGME-accredited GME programs and other information relevant to program directors and directors of graduate medical education. In addition, the ACGME Annual Report, the Essentials for Programs in Graduate Medical Education, and the ACGME Bulletin may provide useful information for program directors. Copies of these ACGME documents may be obtained by calling the ACGME offices. |