What predicts residency accreditation cycle length? Results of a national survey

To determine whether residency program baseline characteristics, program director characteristics, and the date of the most recent Accrediation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) site visit would affect program accreditation cycle length.

A survey asked about cycle length as well as program and program director characteristics. The survey was sent to all 391 accredited internal medicine residency programs registered with the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine in March 2005. Bivariate and multivariate regressions were performed to find factors independently associated with cycle length.

The mean cycle length was 3.8 years among respondents (70% response rate). Program characteristics associated with longer cycle length included having a higher three-year American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) board pass rate. Program characteristics associated with shorter cycle length included being reviewed by the Residency Review Committee in Internal Medicine (RRC-IM) shortly after the July 2003 ACGME program requirement changes, being a university-based program, and having a large percentage of voluntary teaching faculty. Program director characteristics associated with longer cycle length included time spent in clinic. Other program and program director characteristics had no effect on cycle length.

Several program and program director characteristics are associated with RRC-IM cycle length. Programs should be wary of the dates of their Residency Review Committee site visits in relation to ACGME programmatic rule changes. The percentage of voluntary faculty at each program, the ABIM board pass rate, and the amount of time the program director spends in clinic also affect a program's cycle length.