Residency Accreditation Toolkit: Non-Clinical Curriculum

The ACGME Program Requirements specify a number of non-clinical activities that residents must participate in.

The ACGME Program Requirements do not specify the frequency or amount of conference time required. They do specify a number of non-clinical activities that residents must participate in. They also specify “structured curriculum” in certain content areas that clearly require non-clinical educational time. These requirements are scattered throughout the Requirements’ Curriculum section and include:

  • IV.C.2. The program must provide instruction and experience in pain management if applicable for the specialty, including recognition of the signs of addiction.
  • IV.C.3. The program must provide a regularly scheduled forum for residents to explore and analyze evidence pertinent to the practice of Family Medicine.
  • IV.C.14.a) This experience must include a structured curriculum in prenatal, intra-partum, and post-partum care.
  • IV.C.16. Residents must have experience in diagnosing and managing common dermatologic conditions
  • IV.C.18. There must be a structured curriculum in which residents are educated in the diagnosis and management of common mental illnesses.
  • IV.C.19. There must be a structured curriculum in which residents address population health, including the evaluation of health problems of the community.
  • IV.C.20. There must be specific subspecialty curricula to address the breadth of patients seen in family medicine
  • IV.C.22.a) This curriculum should prepare residents to be active participants and leaders in their practices, their communities, and the profession of medicine.
  • IV.C.22.b) Each resident should be a member of a health system or professional group committee. (Detail)
  • IV.C.22.c) Residents must receive regular reports of individual and practice productivity, financial performance, and clinical quality, as well as the training needed to analyze these reports. (Detail)
  • IV.C.22.d) Residents must attend regular FMP business meetings with staff and faculty members to discuss practice-related policies and procedures, business and service goals, and practice efficiency and quality. (Detail)
  • IV.D.3. Resident Scholarly Activity
  • IV.D.3.a) Residents must participate in scholarship.
  • IV.D.3.b) Residents should complete two scholarly activities, at least one of which should be a quality improvement project.“

To meet these requirements programs typically have weekly conference time for residents that varies from daily hourly sessions to weekly half-day sessions.The requirements do allow for creativity in these curricula, and many programs are developing and sharing novel methods of educating their residents in these areas.A good place to start searching for teaching resources is STFM's website under the “Teaching Resources” menu. The Teaching Resources tab includes the Family Medicine Residency Curriculum Resource.

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STFM's AI Assistant is designed to help you find information and answers about Family Medicine education. While it's a powerful tool, getting the best results depends on how you phrase your questions. Here's how to make the most of your interactions:

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