Graduate medical education (GME) office for an academic medical center (AMC) or teaching hospital is responsible for maintaining ACGME accreditation of its residency and fellowship programs as well as fulfilling a variety of other responsibilities.
Editor's Note: This publication first appeared on ECG Management Consultant's website.
The graduate medical education (GME) office for an academic medical center (AMC) or teaching hospital is responsible for maintaining ACGME accreditation of its residency and fellowship programs. Beyond compliance-related issues, the office may fulfill a wide variety of functions and responsibilities. These responsibilities range from tactical and operational activities, such as reporting and communication, to strategic activities like portfolio alignment and linking GME programs to physician workforce planning initiatives. Table 1 provides a high-level overview of the services a GME office provides.
GME Office Size and Scope
As part of an assessment to help a leading health system reorganize its GME office for two of the nation’s most prestigious teaching institutions, ECG’s academic healthcare team conducted a comparative analysis of peer organizations’ GME office structures. Our consultants reviewed seven large AMCs to summarize their office resources.
Given the variation in the functions fulfilled by each GME office, there was substantial variability in the staff head count and associated FTEs within the office.
- Most offices staffed positions supporting accreditation and evaluations, finance and administration, data analysis and IT, and communications.
- Head count ranged from 5 to 16 individuals (or approximately 5 to 12 FTEs).
- Offices supported between 85 and 290 programs each, which is a ratio of approximately 8 to 20 programs and 70 to 240 filled (accredited) positions per staff member (head count).
- Some offices received additional support from other departments within the health system and/or at the medical school (e.g., finance, data analytics, communications), which affects the overall size of the office.
- AMCs that have a close relationship and are more integrated with a medical school have smaller GME offices because there are additional business support FTEs for the residency and fellowship programs within the medical school. Continue reading >>
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