As we look ahead to a world that is slowly reopening, with the distribution of vaccines and the warmer weather making it easier to get outside, we must also look back at a difficult year that has affected everyone in the ACGME community.
April 18-24 is National Volunteer Week and the ACGME would like to recognize and thank the hundreds of volunteers who offer their time and expertise to further the mission of the ACGME. Despite many of the 750+ volunteers being on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19, they have seamlessly continued their work with the ACGME. The work of the ACGME would not be possible without its volunteers, and we are especially grateful for them this year. All told, volunteers donated approximately 80,000 hours of their time this past year amid a global pandemic.
Volunteers are integral to the make-up of the ACGME, serving on the Board of Directors, Review and Recognition Committees, Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) Program committees, the Coordinator Advisory Group, Milestones Work Groups, and numerous task forces and committees; writing and revising Program Requirements and Milestones; supporting programs and initiatives like Physician Well-Being, and the list goes on. They help with the vast amount of constant oversight, review, resource development, and more, providing their expertise, experience, and depth of knowledge and enabling the ACGME to fulfill its role in ensuring the excellence of American graduate medical education.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, volunteers are no longer able to come into the ACGME office in Chicago. All meetings, congresses, and conferences have been fully remote since late March 2020. The already difficult work of volunteers became even more challenging and fragmented, yet they have responded with patience and resolve.
Thank you to all who volunteer with the ACGME for your continued hard work and dedication!
Join us and volunteer!
Opportunities to contribute through committees, task forces, working groups, and more are always available and constantly changing. We announce these openings through various channels, including on our LinkedIn and Twitter accounts, so follow us to stay up to date. If you do not already receive our weekly e-Communication announcements and are interested, email ACGMECommunications@acgme.org to be added to the distribution list. You can also review the content of the e-Communication each week on the ACGME Blog.
To view available Milestones volunteer opportunities, visit the Engagement page of the Milestones section of the ACGME website.
Review and Recognition Committees annually solicit new members for various roles. To nominate yourself or a colleague for membership, visit the applicable specialty's section of the website to confirm availability.