Committees and Members Selection Process

Description of Review Committees: There are three types of Review Committee(s): Specialty Review Committee, Transitional Year Review Committee, and Institutional Review Committee. Each sets accreditation standards, provides peer evaluation of programs or Sponsoring Institutions to assess the degree to which these comply with the published educational requirements, and confers an accreditation status on each program or Sponsoring Institution with regard to meeting those standards.

Description of Recognition Committee: The Osteopathic Recognition Committee grants recognition of the osteopathic principles dimension of ACGME-accredited programs that meet the Osteopathic Recognition Requirements.

Composition of Review Committees: Review Committees have physician members, at least one of whom is a resident at the time of appointment, and a public member. Members (except the resident and public member) are nominated by Review Committee-specific appointing organizations, and are confirmed by the ACGME Board of Directors. The nominating organizations are 1) the American Medical Association (AMA)’s Council on Medical Education, 2) the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) specialty board that certifies physicians within the specialty, 3) the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) for specialties that have had accredited osteopathic programs, and, in most cases, 4) the professional college or other professional organization or society associated with the specialty.

The Institutional Review Committee and Transitional Year Review Committee have physician members, including a resident and a public member, appointed by the ACGME Board of Director’s Executive Committee and confirmed by the ACGME Board of Directors.

Composition of the Recognition Committee: The members of the Osteopathic Recognition Committee are nominated by the AOA and confirmed by the ACGME Board of Directors.

Appointment of Review Committee Members (Except Resident Members)
The process takes approximately 12 months from the call for nominations until the member’s term begins. Each appointing organization provides two candidates for any vacant position; the Review Committee selects one candidate based on professional qualifications, geographic distribution, and Committee diversity to recommend to the ACGME Board of Directors for confirmation. Qualifications considered for physician members include:

• ABMS or AOA certification
• Active involvement in graduate medical education (GME)
• Substantial experience in the administration and/or teaching of the specialty (e.g., as a program director, active faculty member, or participating site director)
• Knowledge of the accreditation process
• Association with a program in good accreditation standing (i.e., a program that does not have probationary status)

Qualifications considered for public members include:

• Professional and educational experience
• Prior committee, board, and group experience
• Personal or patient experience with the health care system

Individuals who meet these qualifications and are interested in serving on a Review Committee should indicate their interest to one of the specialty-specific appointing organizations in order to be considered for nomination.

Appointment of IRC and TYRC Members (Except Resident Members)
The process takes approximately 12 months from the call for nominations until the member’s term begins. Candidates are solicited from ACGME member organizations (the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), ABMS, American Hospital Association (AHA), AMA, AOA, and College of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS)), the ACGME Board of Directors, the ACGME’s Council of Review Committee Chairs, and the GME community at large. Qualifications considered include:

• Association with an institution or transitional year program in good accreditation standing (i.e., one that does not have probationary status)
• Familiarity with the institutional review process and the Institutional Requirements or the program review process and the Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in the Transitional Year, as appropriate
• Experience with or current responsibility for implementation of the requirements
• Experience in institutional administration, institutional oversight, and/or institutional review or with a TY program as appropriate

Qualifications considered for public members include:

• Professional and educational experience
• Prior committee, board, and group experience
• Personal or patient experience with the health care system

Appointment of Resident Members to Review Committees
The process takes approximately 12 months from the call for nominations until the member’s term begins. The Review Committee Executive Director requests nominations through the ACGME e-Communication and/or via letter to the specialty-specific professional organizations that have resident groups.

Review Committee resident members are also members of the ACGME Council of Review Committee Residents (CRCR). The CRCR meets twice each year; it advises the ACGME Board, providing valuable input and feedback about resident matters, GME, and accreditation.

The required nomination documents vary slightly by Review Committee, but usually include:

• A letter of recommendation
• A statement of support from the program director
• Curriculum vitae
• Letter from the resident outlining his/her educational goals, professional interests, and intent to serve, if selected

Resident members must be enrolled in an ACGME-accredited residency or fellowship program at the time of appointment, and may not serve more than one year beyond completion of residency or fellowship.

Similar to the process of selecting non-resident members, the Review Committee reviews the nomination documents and selects one candidate to recommend for confirmation by the ACGME Board of Directors.

Appointment of Osteopathic Recognition Committee Members, including Resident Members The process takes approximately 12 months from the call for nominations until the member’s term begins. The AOA nominates candidates for any vacant AOA position and the ACGME Executive Committee nominates candidates for any vacant allopathic position; the Osteopathic Recognition Committee selects one candidate based on professional qualifications, geographic distribution, and Committee diversity to recommend to the ACGME Board of Directors for confirmation. Qualifications considered include:

• Appropriate specialty certification
• Active involvement in GME
• Substantial experience in administration and/or teaching (e.g., as a program director, active faculty member, or participating site director)
• Knowledge of the accreditation process
• Association with a program in good accreditation standing (i.e., a program that does not have probationary status)

Resident members must be enrolled in an accredited residency or fellowship program at the time of appointment, and may not serve more than one year beyond completion of residency or fellowship.

Individuals who meet these qualifications and are interested in serving on the Osteopathic Recognition Committee should indicate their interest to the AOA or ACGME as appropriate.