- End-of-rotation evaluation tools;
The former program director’s files will be a useful resource. But if there’s anything you can’t find, pick up the phone and call a colleague. Every fellowship program director was once in your shoes, and they will always be willing to help.
Renée Bacher is a health and medical writer based in Louisiana.
What Is a Fellowship Program Director?
Fellowship program directors develop, oversee and work to improve fellowship programs, according to the ACGME website. Based on the most current accreditation requirements, they implement changes and prepare for accreditation site visits and review by the ACGME Review Committees.
Additional key roles and responsibilities at most institutions:
- Coordinate interviews with prospective fellows;
- Gather evaluations after interviews;
- Handle orientation for new fellows;
- Organize curriculum and training activities; and
- Mentor fellows.
Decoding the Acronyms: A Cheat Sheet for New Fellowship Program Directors
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is the governing body for all graduate medical education and is responsible for accrediting your fellowship program.
The ACGME Residency Review Committee (RCC) is responsible for developing the core competencies fellows must acquire during their training. These competencies include:
- Patient care (PC)
- Medical knowledge (MK)
- Practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI)
- Systems-based practice (SBP)
- Interpersonal communication skills (ICS)
- Professionalism
The Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) is led by the designated institutional official (DIO) within a hospital system. The GMEC comprises mostly program directors (PDs) and staff. The GMEC is the first stop for anything a PD wants to bring to the ACGME, whether a major change in one’s program or designating a new program director.
The Program Evaluation Committee (PEC) falls under the PD’s purview and meets annually to review the program and make plans for the next academic year. It’s generally chaired by a faculty member (not the PD) and comprises faculty, at least one fellow and other stakeholders. This committee should be as inclusive as possible to represent different views and perspectives on how to improve the program. The PEC creates a document called the annual program review (APR) that sets program goals for the following year.
The Clinical Competency Committee (CCC), comprising the main teaching faculty in your program, meets twice a year to evaluate fellows. The CCC gathers data from a variety of feedback forms to identify areas in which fellows are excelling and areas that need improvement. It also determines how to provide the most productive and effective feedback, which can be given to fellows at their bi-annual meetings.
The Accreditation Data System (ADS) is a web-based system used to collect, organize and incorporate accreditation data to send to ACGME. ACGME data are used by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) system, meaning you should not have to replicate data entry.
The Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) is an ACGME accreditation site visit every 24 months that focuses on patient safety, as well as fellow and faculty well-being and professionalism.
Prospective fellows apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and match through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), also known as “the match.”
