Home | ACGME Glossary of Terms | Search | Site Map | Application Support | Legal | Contact Us
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Residents Program Directors & Coordinators Designated Institution Officials General Public ACGME Home








Use of Community Health Centers

The following are guidelines for program directors who propose using a Community Health Center as a Family Medicine Center. The RRC will focus on these points in the evaluation of such proposals.
  1. The program director must have authority and responsibility for the educational program of the residents and be able to ensure that the Program Requirements are met. Documented evidence that the program director will have sufficient control over the educational activities in the CHC must be provided. This should involve assurance of control over the numbers of patients that will be seen by residents and their assignment to resident panels in family groups (appointment system), hospitalization of patients where residents can follow them under the supervision of program faculty, hours of operation, etc. A signed agreement between the Board of the CHC and the residency must be submitted with the proposal.

  2. The facility must have all of the areas specified in the Program Requirements for a Family Medicine Center. If the space utilized by the residency in the CHC is not designated for the program’s exclusive use, the program must provide evidence that the integrity of the educational program will be preserved. The RRC will determine the acceptability of the proposed arrangements.

  3. The appointment and assignment of faculty preceptors in the CHC must be under the control of the program director who must ensure the presence of qualified faculty, to monitor their development and evaluation and to ensure their availability for the needs of the residency. The requirements for preceptor availability are the same as for FMC’s.

  4. Residents and patients in the CHC must have access to adequate laboratory and imaging facilities as well as to other required clinical services and consultation, as expected in any Family Medicine Center.

  5. The support staff of the CHC (nursing, billing, clerical) must be adequate for service and education.

  6. The patient charts and record system must be adequate and in compliance with the requirements for 24-hour accessibility, documentation of resident experience, audits, etc.

  7. Residents must be able to admit and care for their continuity patients, including obstetrical patients and those in nursing homes, who are hospitalized from the CHC and patients must have access to their physicians or designated substitutes after clinic hours.

  8. Behavioral science education must be integrated into the residents’ experiences in the CHC in the manner that is expected in all FMC’s.

  9. There must be adequate peer interaction among residents who are assigned to the CHC as well as formally structured mechanisms for the integration of these residents into the full residency. This must involve an initial period of orientation as well as regular attendance at conferences.