Coalition for Physician Accountability Releases Report on Learner Transitions from Medical Schools to Residency Programs in 2020

The Coalition for Physician Accountability, of which the ACGME is a member, released a report and recommendations on learner transitions from medical school into residency programs in 2020.

The Coalition for Physician Accountability is a membership organization that engages in discussion and collaboration on matters of common relevance to improve the quality of health care. It was established to promote professional accountability by improving the quality, efficiency, and continuity of the education and assessment of physicians. Recently, the coalition created several work groups to develop common recommendations that address urgent issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and physician education.

This report and recommendations represent one work group's guidance for learners, schools, institutions, and organizations preparing for medical school graduates' transitions into their PGY-1 appointments. 

Read the full report and recommendations
Read the Planning Committee for the Undergraduate Medical Education-Graduate Medical Education Review Committee's final report

Detailed recommendations were made on how institutions and programs should proceed with the following:

• 2020 Match participation agreements;
• residency appointments;
• transitions to a new location to begin a residency program;
• flexibility in requirements;
• early medical school graduation;
• delayed medical school graduation/delayed arrival in residency programs;
• resident obligations regarding pre-employment health screening or quarantine;
• impact of transitioning to a clinical environment during the COVID-19 pandemic; and,
• international medical graduates.

The goal of the recommendations is to promote public and professional safety by mitigating the effects of pandemic-related disruption in the transition to graduate medical education (GME). The work group considered the needs of learners, medical schools, organizations involved in GME, and organizations with regulatory responsibility, and balanced those with the interests of patients, communities, and the public.

The Coalition's other work groups have published on related topics:

Read more: Maintaining Quality and Safety Standards Amid COVID-19
Read more: Medical Students in the Class of 2021: Moving Across Institutions for Post Graduate Training
Read more: Safeguard the Public, Protect our Health Care Workforce during the COVID-19 Pandemic