ACGME

ACGME stands for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. It is a private, nonprofit organization in the United States that accredits residency and fellowship programs and defines the standards and evaluation methods used to judge graduate medical education. Through its accreditation activities, the ACGME aims to ensure that training programs prepare physicians to deliver safe, high-quality care.

ACGME was established in 1981 through the consolidation of prior accrediting bodies responsible for graduate medical education. Since then, it has developed a framework of common program requirements, specialty-specific requirements, and a set of educational milestones used to assess resident progress.

Core functions include accrediting programs, conducting reviews and site visits, issuing accreditation decisions (ranging from initial accreditation to probation and withdrawal), and providing guidance for program improvement. The ACGME introduced the six core competencies—patient care, medical knowledge, professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice—and, later, milestones to measure resident development within those domains. In 2013–2014, it launched the Next Accreditation System to move from episodic reviews toward ongoing oversight, annual program updates, and data-driven quality improvement.

The governance structure includes a board of trustees and multiple committees comprising leaders from medical schools, teaching hospitals, residents, and the public. In addition to U.S. GME, the ACGME operates an international program arm, ACGME-I, to promote and assess graduate medical education standards abroad.

ACGME accreditation is widely regarded as the standard for U.S. graduate medical education. Its work supports patient safety and quality improvement by ensuring that training programs meet consistent educational requirements and provide meaningful assessment of residents' competencies.