Core Competencies and the Next Accreditation System

Abstract

Graduate medical education (GME) in the United States has undergone a fairly radical change in the last 15 years. This change happened in two interrelated phases, firstly with the introduction of the six domains of core clinical competency (Core Competencies), and secondly with the implementation of the Next Accreditation System (NAS). Both Core Competencies and the NAS were introduced by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This chapter will review the role of the ACGME and the reasons for the introduction of Core Competencies, along with their description and significance, and describe the NAS and its implementation. The ACGME is a private, nonprofit council that evaluates and accredits residency training programs in the United States. It is based in Chicago, Illinois. It was established in 1981 from a consensus in the academic community regarding the need for an independent accreditation agency. According to the ACGME website, its mission is to improve health care by assessing and advancing the quality of resident physicians' education through accreditation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)