In a landscape where accreditation requirements evolve, and resident expectations grow more complex, the PEC can no longer be seen as a once-a-year requirement to fill. The PEC has the power to influence nearly every aspect of program quality, from educational design to how feedback shapes real change.
It should function as an active, ongoing process that ensures your program stays aligned with both its mission and the realities of modern medical training. In this post, we’ll explore why meeting more often matters, what the PEC is truly responsible for, and how to make increased engagement possible without adding unnecessary burden.
How Often Should The PEC Meet?
According to the ACGME’s Common Program Requirements, the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC) must meet at a minimum of once per academic year. This meeting is required to complete the Annual Program Evaluation (APE), a comprehensive review of the program’s goals, outcomes, and improvement initiatives.
However, this requirement is just a minimum. Meeting once a year allows programs to meet the standard on paper, but it often leaves little room for responsive improvements or meaningful engagement with ongoing data and feedback. If your PEC is only gathering annually, you’re likely missing key opportunities to course-correct and innovate in real-time. Learn how to grow your program’s PEC effectiveness with our PEC: Best Practices webinar.
Benefits Of Having PEC Meetings More Than Once A Year
If your program is keen on being in a “continuous improvement mode,” the PEC should be meeting on a regular basis. This can mean as much as monthly throughout the entire academic year. This frequency is often necessary, given the PEC’s long list of responsibilities, including to:
- plan, develop, implement, and evaluate educational activities of the program;
- review and make recommendations for revisions of competency-based curriculum goals and objectives;
- address areas of non-compliance with ACGME standards; and
- document formal, systematic evaluation of the curriculum at least annually
When these responsibilities aren’t met, the program’s quality suffers and diminishes outcomes for residents. On more than one occasion, I have worked with programs that have residents who do not feel that the program improves based on evaluations (“Satisfied that program uses evaluations to improve”). When I ask if the PEC meets more than once a year, the answer is usually “no.”
The PEC is your greatest vehicle for improving this perception. This is not only because you are required to have residents on the PEC, but also because the PEC is the most tangible way you can demonstrate program improvements to all of your residents.
How Increasing Expectations Impact Program Evaluation Committee Meetings
As the PEC takes on a more active role in shaping program quality, it must also be prepared to respond to a rapidly evolving GME environment. Accreditation standards, institutional priorities, and resident expectations are dynamic, and your PEC program should be, as well.
Although the proposed revisions to the ACGME Institutional Requirements, initially slated for implementation on July 1, 2025, have been postponed indefinitely, their content signals important shifts in expectations for Sponsoring Institutions.
These include strengthened integration of interprofessional education, equity-focused training, and resident participation in patient safety initiatives. While the formal timeline remains uncertain, program-level awareness and alignment with these evolving priorities will be essential for ensuring institutional readiness and continued accreditation success.
Learn more about helping your program adapt to these changes in our newsletter detailing how to adapt to changing ACGME institution requirements.
How To Increase PEC Meetings Frequency
Many programs struggle to prioritize regular PEC meetings. Faculty and staff are often balancing heavy loads. Further, the lack of a standing schedule or an agenda that balances compliance and continuous improvement can cause the PEC to easily fall off the radar.
Fortunately, these problems have actionable solutions. Programs can encourage consistency and impact by adopting a few simple strategies:
- Establish a recurring calendar hold during the academic year.
- Invite all residents to attend. While the ACGME requires peer-selected representatives, programs that invite all their residents encourage shared ownership and boost morale.
- Use a living agenda document to track unresolved items, follow-ups, and ongoing initiatives.
- Align PEC discussions with upcoming milestones, such as ADS updates, accreditation cycles, or survey results.
- Engage a GME consulting firm to facilitate PEC planning, offer an external perspective, or provide structure and tools that help your team build sustainable meeting practices.
For more strategies on building PEC engagement and momentum, explore our on-demand webinar: Activating the Power of the PEC.
PEC Best Practices: How Partners In Medical Education Can Help
Meeting the evolving expectations of the ACGME requires more than annual compliance. It demands strategic coordination, thoughtful data analysis, and a well-functioning PEC that can respond to change and drive progress.
Partners in Medical Education offers a suite of GME consulting services and online GME education tailored to your program’s needs. Our team of expert consultants is ready to help your program foster a culture of continuous growth.