Residency training oversight(s) in surgery: the history and legacy of the accreditation council for graduate medical education reforms

Abstract

Despite a quarter century of discourse since a sentinel event in New York City raised the question of appropriate oversight for graduate medical education, many questions remain unanswered. Even with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education rules in place, some opportunity remains to examine handoff methodology, the relationship of duty hours to education, and the impact of fatigue on resident performance. Neurophysiologic adjuncts applied concomitantly to evaluation of didactic performance offer promise for data-driven definition of the optimal shift. Concurrently, the merits of specialty-specific oversight of graduate medical education remain under active consideration.