Common Program Requirements (Residency)
©2023 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Page 8 of 47
[The Review Committee must further specify minimum dedicated
time for program administration, and will determine whether
program leadership refers to the program director or both the
program director and associate/assistant program director(s).]
Background and Intent: To achieve successful graduate medical education, individuals
serving as education and administrative leaders of residency programs, as well as
those significantly engaged in the education, supervision, evaluation, and mentoring of
residents, must have sufficient dedicated professional time to perform the vital
activities required to sustain an accredited program.
The ultimate outcome of graduate medical education is excellence in resident
education and patient care.
The program director and, as applicable, the program leadership team, devote a
portion of their professional effort to the oversight and management of the residency
program, as defined in II.A.4.-II.A.4.a).(16). Both provision of support for the time
required for the leadership effort and flexibility regarding how this support is provided
are important. Programs, in partnership with their Sponsoring Institutions, may provide
support for this time in a variety of ways. Examples of support may include, but are not
limited to, salary support, supplemental compensation, educational value units, or
relief of time from other professional duties.
Program directors and, as applicable, members of the program leadership team, who
are new to the role may need to devote additional time to program oversight and
management initially as they learn and become proficient in administering the
program. It is suggested that during this initial period the support described above be
increased as needed.
In addition, it is important to remember that the dedicated time and support
requirement for ACGME activities is a minimum, recognizing that, depending on the
unique needs of the program, additional support may be warranted. The need to
ensure adequate resources, including adequate support and dedicated time for the
program director, is also addressed in Institutional Requirement II.B.1. The amount of
support and dedicated time needed for individual programs will vary based on a
number of factors and may exceed the minimum specified in the applicable
specialty/subspecialty-specific Program Requirements. It is expected that the
Sponsoring Institution, in partnership with its accredited programs, will ensure support
for program directors, core faculty members, and program coordinators to fulfill their
program responsibilities effectively.
II.A.3. Qualifications of the program director:
II.A.3.a) must include specialty expertise and at least three years of
documented educational and/or administrative experience, or
qualifications acceptable to the Review Committee;
(Core)
Background and Intent: Leading a program requires knowledge and skills that are
established during residency and subsequently further developed. The time period
from completion of residency until assuming the role of program director allows the