This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kuvin, J. T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kuvin, J. T. Related Collections Other Ethics and Policy

(Circulation. 2008;118:525-531.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.

Controversies in Cardiovascular Medicine

Have Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education initiatives improved the education of cardiology fellows?

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Initiatives Improve the Education of Cardiology Fellows

Jeffrey T. Kuvin, MD

From the Division of Cardiology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Mass.

Correspondence to Jeffrey T. Kuvin, MD, Director, Cardiovascular Education and Fellowship Training, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington St, Box 315, Boston, MA 02111. E-mail jkuvin@tuftsmedicalcenter.org

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

	Introduction

 
Training cardiovascular specialists in the present era is highly complex. The list of topics and procedures continues to grow; the required knowledge base for providing cutting-edge clinical care and passing examinations is increasing; and technologies and research are advancing rapidly. Cardiology fellows face a changing template of demands from training programs, governing bodies, professional societies, and potential employers. At the completion of the cardiovascular fellowship training process, it is imperative that graduates are highly capable and complete physicians. Certainly, strict accreditation and adjudication of the fellowship training process are necessary to ensure the highest-quality training of cardiologists and other healthcare providers.

Response by Bashore and Wang p 531

Established in 1981, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is a private, not-for-profit organization that evaluates, accredits, and oversees >100 000 postgraduate medical trainees in nearly 8400 training programs representing 126 specialties and subspecialties in the United States. Cardiovascular fellowship programs represent a large portion of these trainees. There are presently 177 general cardiology fellowship programs with 2362 filled positions. In addition, there are 95 electrophysiology and 130 interventional subspecialty cardiology fellowship programs with 173 and 290 filled spots, respectively. The member organizations of ACGME include the American Board of Medical Specialties, American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies. Each member organization appoints 4 members to the Board of Directors, which also includes 2 resident members, 3 public directors, the chair of the Council of Review Committee Chairs, and . . . [Full Text of this Article]

;