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The ACGME at a Glance

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  • The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is a private, non-profit council that evaluates and accredits medical residency programs in the United States.

  • The ACGME was established in 1981 from a consensus in the academic medical community for an independent accrediting organization. Its forerunner was the Liaison Committee for Graduate Medical Education, established in 1972.

  • The mission of the ACGME is to improve health care by assessing and advancing the quality of resident physicians’ education through accreditation.

  • The ACGME's chief executive director is Thomas J. Nasca, MD, MACP .

  • In academic year 2006-07, there were 8,355 ACGME-accredited residency programs in 126 specialties and subspecialties. The number of active full-time and part-time residents for academic year 2005-06 was 107,245.

  • The ACGME has 28 review committees (one for each of the 26 specialties, one for a special one-year transitional-year general clinical program, and one for institutional review). Each residency committee comprises about 6 to 15 volunteer physicians. Members of the residency review committees are appointed by the AMA Council on Medical Education and the appropriate medical specialty boards and organizations. Members of the Institutional Review Committee and Transitional Year Committee are appointed by the ACGME Executive Committee and confirmed by the Board of Directors.

  • The ACGME's member organizations are the American Board of Medical Specialties, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies. Member organizations each appoint four members to the Board of Directors, which also includes two resident members, three public directors, the chair of the Council of Review Committee Chairs and a non-voting federal representative.