ACEP and EMRA sent a June 4 letter urging the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to seek more input from the full emergency medicine community regarding any changes to EM residency training requirements.
Why we wrote: Many EM organizations wrote ACGME two weeks ago regarding its pending decision on residency program length. We declined to sign that and sent a separate, stronger letter.
We said: ACGME must listen to the EM community before making critical decisions about residency program length requirements. Early input from all involved parties – from trainees to faculty to program leadership – will lead to a clearer, stronger path forward.
“Stakeholder input needed to be more directly emphasized,” said ACEP President L. Anthony Cirillo, MD, FACEP. “We wanted to make sure the ACGME leadership heard loud and clear that we believe there should be a more involved process and a more transparent process.”
ACEP and EMRA want to see engagement across EM on these major decisions, including an outline of a clear process for stakeholder input, and a timeline for decisions and implementation, the letter asserts.
What’s next: ACGME met this weekend and a decision could be reached soon. ACEP and EMRA will continue to monitor the status of this process and fully support our members, programs and trainees.
