ACGME | Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Procedures for Submitting Proposals for Experimentation or Innovative Projects

Since responsible innovation and experimentation are essential to improving professional education, experimental projects based on sound educational principles are encouraged. Requests for experimentation or innovative projects that may deviate from the program requirements must be approved in advance by the RRC, and must include the educational rationale and method of evaluation. The sponsoring institution and program are jointly responsible for the quality of education offered to residents for the duration of such a project.

Programs that wish to submit a proposal must hold full accreditation or continued full accreditation status.

The proposal for experimentation or innovative project should be submitted in writing (hardcopy or electronically) to the RRC Executive Director. The request should include the following:

A cover letter explaining in detail the educational rationale for the proposal; the program requirement for which a waiver or exception is requested should be explicitly referenced;
The targeted training level (CA-1, -2, -3, subspecialty fellows);
The proposed time frame for the proposal;
An explanation of how the trainees will be supervised and by whom during the trial project;
An explanation of the method(s) to be used, and at what intervals, to assess the project’s outcomes;
If any concerns about the program were cited in the RRC's last notification letter, the program director should explain how these have been addressed;

NB: An experimental or innovative project may not be used to correct an existing deficiency in the program.
The cover letter must be co-signed by the program director and the DIO (Designated Institutional Official) or the Chair of the institution's GMEC (Graduate Medical Education Committee).

In general such proposals will be reviewed at a meeting of the RRC. Check the ACGME Web site (www.acgme.org) for the RRC meeting dates. Requests, including all necessary documentation, should be received no later than eight weeks prior to the meeting date.

Where the timing of an RRC’s decision may be a factor in a proposal’s implementation, it may be possible for the RRC to provide an earlier decision on a request. In such unusual cases, the program director should first contact the RRC Executive Director by telephone or e-mail to discuss the details of the situation.