ACGME Approves Academy Request for Increased Protected Nonclinical Time for Core Family Medicine Faculty

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME) new program requirements for family medicine residencies that took effect July 1, 2023, already have an important revision, to be implemented at this time next year. Thanks to the advocacy of American Academy of Family Physicians, six other family medicine organizations, and residency programs across the country, ACGME has approved a significant increase in protected educational time for core faculty teaching in family medicine residencies.

The revised requirements issued Sept. 30, 2022, included just 0.1 full-time equivalent for core faculty for educational and administrative responsibilities that do not involve direct patient care—far less than what was required prior to a 2019 change that removed dedicated educational time mandates for faculty.

Pre-2019, sponsoring institutions had to provide 0.7 FTE for family medicine residency program directors for educational and administrative responsibilities and 0.6 FTE per core faculty member for educational time (including both nonclinical work and resident supervision).

AAFP Vice President of Medical Education Karen Mitchell, MD, FAAFP—a past president of Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and former family medicine residency program director at Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield, MI—explained that additional faculty time is even more important now, with the new program requirements featuring individualized learning plans and more electives tailored to a resident’s future practice. Thus, more time will be needed for assessing, evaluating, and coaching residents; career planning and education; curriculum development; and creating and administering learning opportunities.

As reported by AAFP, starting July 1, 2024, core family medicine residency faculty will devote 60% of their time to teaching, administration, scholarly activity, and supervising patient care within the program.