School of Medicine Statement of Commitment to Graduate Medical Education

Mission: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Medicine (SOM), as an Institutional Sponsor of Graduate Medical Education (GME), is committed to providing an organized educational program to its residents while ensuring safe and appropriate care for patients in an ethical and scholarly environment. Through the sponsorship of GME programs, this Sponsoring Institution will train the future generations of physicians necessary to provide the healthcare and education for the communities we serve.

Commitment: To provide effective educational experiences that lead to measurable achievement of educational outcomes, the Sponsoring Institution will partner through agreements with approved patient care facilities for resident education. Therein, the institution will provide guidance and supervision of residents while facilitating their professional, ethical, and personal development and will further ensure that the patient care provided by residents is safe and appropriate.

The UTRGV SOM confirms its commitment to GME by ensuring the provision of the necessary administrative, educational, financial, human, and clinical resources. The UTRGV SOM will further ensure the availability of adequate resources for resident/fellow education, including: financial support and protected time for the program directors to effectively carry out educational, administrative, and leadership responsibilities, as described in the Institutional, Common, and specialty-/subspecialty-specific Program Requirements; support for core faculty members to ensure both effective supervision and quality resident/fellow education; support for professional development applicable to program directors’ and core faculty members’ responsibilities as educational leaders; support and time for the program coordinators to effectively carry out responsibilities; and resources, including space, technology, and supplies, to provide effective support for each of its Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited programs. The Sponsoring Institution, in partnership with its ACGME-accredited programs and participating sites, will provide all residents/fellows with financial support and benefits to ensure that they are able to fulfill the responsibilities of their ACGME-accredited programs.

The UTRGV SOM will ensure that the DIO has sufficient financial support and protected time to effectively carry out educational, administrative, and leadership responsibilities; that the DIO engages in professional development applicable to responsibilities as an educational leader; and sufficient salary support and resources are provided for effective GME administration.

As Sponsoring Institution for GME, the UTRGV SOM, through existing reporting mechanisms and the Designated Institutional Official, and in collaboration with the Graduate Medical Education Committee, will ensure substantial compliance with ACGME Institutional Requirements, Common and specialty-/subspecialty specific Program Requirements, and the ACGME Policies and Procedures. Regular assessment of all educational programs is an essential component of this commitment.

The Governing Body (Dean of the SOM) and the Designated Institutional Official support this statement of commitment.

Endorsed by the Dean of the School of Medicine on March 8, 2021 and approved by the Graduate Medical Education Committee on March 11, 2021.