About UF GME
Graduate Medical Education (GME) is that critical period of training following medical school that prepares physicians for independent practice. It is during these years of intense work that the medical school graduate acquires the skills, attitudes and knowledge necessary to enter private practice or academic medicine. The residency lasts from three to seven years, with the surgical specialties usually having longer training periods. GME is an apprenticeship where the graduate physician assumes increasing levels of responsibility for the care of patients under the supervision of faculty. The goal is for residents to be independent practitioners at the end of their training.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is the national body charged with certifying institutions and programs that sponsor GME. In the United States there are 100,362 residents training in 7,960 programs in 120 specialties and subspecialties. The University of Florida College of Medicine is the sponsoring institution for GME programs in Gainesville, Jacksonville and Pensacola. In Jacksonville there are 300 residents in 20 programs. The primary teaching hospital in Jacksonville is Shands Jacksonville. All University of Florida residencies are accredited by the ACGME.
University of Florida programs attract residents from all regions of the United States. Overall, 50 - 70 percent of the graduates of UF residency programs practice in Florida.
The ACGME requires that programs confirm that all residents receive instruction and demonstrate competency in six domains - patient care, medical knowledge, professionalism, practice based learning, communication skills and system based practice. All UF programs have embraced this concept and a number of innovative projects in conjunction with medical student teaching are in progress. In addition, the ACGME has mandated that residents can work no more than 80 hours per week, on average. The programs and hospitals are meeting these requirements while preserving the educational components of GME.