The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) today released a final set of revisions to the professional standards that all accredited U.S. residency and fellowship programs follow. The new requirements, which take effect July 1, 2017, reinforce a culture of patient safety and physician well-being in residency training programs by strengthening the focus on patient-centered, team-based care.
While the total number of hours per week that first-year residents work will not change, the revised requirements return first-year residents to the same schedule as other residents and fellows, re-establishing the commitment to team-based care and seamless continuity of care while also ensuring professionalism, empathy, and the commitment of first-year residents to their patients. The limit on continuous work for first-year residents will return to 24 hours, a limit that has been in place nationwide for all other residents and fellows, plus up to four hours to manage necessary care transitions.
For more on the revised requirements, please read:
- ACGME press release
- Memo from ACGME Chief Executive Officer Thomas J. Nasca, MD, MACP
- Letter of support from the Council of Medical Specialty Societies
