Common GMEAS Acronyms Guide

Common GMEAS Acronyms
ACRONYM MEANING DEFINITION
AAMC Associationof AmericanMedical Colleges Thisassociationrepresentsall accredited USandCanadianmedical schools
supportingthe entire spectrumof education,research,andpatientcare
activities.
 You will use theirERASandGME Track applications.
ABMS AmericanBoardof Medical Specialties Thisnon-profitorganization coordinatesinformationregardingmedical
specialtiesandcertificationinmedicine.Itisthe central organizationunder
whichthe 24 certifyingmedical boards,includingthe ABP,function.
 Use theirwebsitetoconfirmyourprogramfaculty’s“specialty/field”in
WebADS,andto findlostprogramalumni.
ABP AmericanBoardof Pathology Thisorganization’s missionistopromote the fieldof pathologyandthe
continuingcompetencyof practicingpathologists. Theycertifydoctorsto
practice pathology.TheirBookletof Informationdetailswhatisrequiredtosit
for boards.
 Use theirPATHWayapplication duringresidenton-boarding, annual
changeover,andgraduation.
ACGME AccreditationCouncil forGraduate Medical Education The ACGME accreditsresidencyandfellowshipprogramsinthe USto ensure
trainingprogramsmeetspecialty-specificqualitystandards.
 Use theirwebsiteforprogramrequirements,milestones,RRCcontact
information andotherresources,aswell asWebADS,case logandsurvey
applications.
ACLS AdvancedCardiacLife Support One of the cardiopulmonaryresuscitation(CPR) certifications.The othersare
BLS, ATLS, PALS andNRP. ACLSreferstoa setof clinical interventionsforthe
urgenttreatmentof cardiac arrest,stroke andother life-threateningmedical
emergencies,aswell asthe knowledge andskillstodeploythose
interventions. More advancedthanBLS.
 Your institutionwill requirepathology residentstobe certifiedineither
BLS or ACLS, you may have to track compliance.
ADS
or
WebADS
AccreditationDataSystem Thisis an ACGME web-basedapplicationthatallowsauthorizedprogram
directorsof accreditedgraduatedmedical educationprogramstoinput
program data.
 Thisis the systemusedforcommunicationwiththe ACGME,andto enter
changesto yourprogram, residentsandfaculty.Youwill use thisoften.

AFI Areafor Improvement The ACGME may use thisphrase whenmakingaccreditationdecisions.Itis
not as seriousasa citationbutshouldbe consideredawarning.
AP AnatomicPathology One of twobranchesof pathology,the otherbeingclinical pathology,that
diagnosisdiseasethrough the macroscopic,microscopic,biochemical,
immunologicandmolecularexaminationof organsandtissues.
 AP-Onlyisone of the three residencytracksa pathologyresidentcandoto
sitfor boards.The othersare CP-OnlyandAP/CP.
AP/CP AnatomicPathology/Clinical Pathology CombiningbothAnatomicandClinical Pathologyintoone discipline.
 AP/CPisone of four residencytracksapathologyresidentcandoto sitfor
boards.The othersare AP-Only,CP-OnlyandAP/NP.
AP/NP AnatomicPathology/Neuropathology Two yearsof AP trainingandtwoyears of neuropathologytraining.
 AP/NPisone of fourresidencytracksa pathologyresidentcando to sitfor
boards.The othersare AP/CP, AP-Only andCP-Only.
APC Associationof PathologyChairs The APC isa non-profitsocietywhichservesasthe voice of academic
departmentsof Pathologyinthe US,Canadaand PuertoRico.APCexiststo
provide leadershipandadvocacy forthe dynamicdiscipline of pathologyand
to enable academicdepartmentstomeetthe demandsof theirthree
missions - medical education,researchandpractice.The APCprovides
education,training,informationresourcesandnetworkingopportunitiesfor
chairs,residencyprogramdirectors(throughPRODS),programcoordinators
(throughGMEAS) andothersections. See GMEAS.
APE Annual ProgramEvaluation The requiredannual evaluationof the program.Closelylinkedtothe PEC.See
ACGME programrequirementsforspecifics.
 The APEs will be reviewedaspart of the program’sACGME self-studyat
leasteverytenyears.
ASCP AmericanSocietyof Clinical Pathologists ASCPisthe world’slargestprofessional organizationforpathologistsand
laboratoryprofessionals. Theyprovide education,certificationandadvocacy
on behalf of patients,pathologistsandlaboratoryprofessionals.
 ASCPadministersthe RISEandRISE Firstexams,hasnational meetings
residentscansubmitabstractsforpresentationat,publishespathologytexts,
has an on-line pathologyquestionbank(PRISE) andLaboratoryManagement
University(LMU) that programsor residentscanpurchase,hasa Resident
Council residentscanapplytobe on,and offersgrants.

BLS Basic Life Support One of the cardiopulmonaryresuscitation(CPR) certifications.The othersare
ACLS,ATLS, PALSand NRP. BLS isa level of medical care whichisusedfor
victimsof life-threateningillnessesorinjuriesuntil theycanbe givenfull
medical care at a hospital.LessadvancedthanACLS.
 Your institutionwill requirepathology residentstobe certified ineither
BLS or ACLS, youmay have to track compliance.
CAP College of AmericanPathologists CAPis the leadingorganizationof board-certifiedpathologists, serves
patients,pathologists,andthe publicbyfosteringandadvocatingexcellence
inthe practice of pathologyandlaboratorymedicine worldwide.CAP
accreditslaboratoriesthattesthumansamples.
 CAP has national meetingsresidentscansubmitabstractsfor presentation
at, has a ResidentForumforall pathologyresidents,hasa House of Delegates
residentscanapplytobe on,and offersgrants. Yourprogram may have
residentsparticipateinaCAPinspectionora mockCAP inspection.
CCC Clinical CompetencyCommittee A committee comprisingthree ormore membersof the teachingfacultywho
advisesthe programdirectorandreviewsthe progressof all residentsinthe
program. This committee’sresponsibilitiesinclude reviewingall resident
evaluations, andrecommendingresident Milestonestothe PD.Meets semi-
annually.See ACGMEprogram requirementsforspecifics.
 You will have tocompile dataforthe CCC to reviewandtake minutes.
CLER Clinical LearningEnvironmentReview The ACGME CLER provides the professionandthe publicabroad viewof
sponsoringinstitution’sinitiativestoenhance the safetyof the learning
environmentandtodetermine howresidentsare engagedinthe patient
safetyandqualityimprovementactivities.
 The institutionasawhole will undergoaCLER visit.Pathologyprograms
are usuallyminimallyinvolved.
COMLEX ComprehensiveOsteopathicMedical LicensingExam A three-level examination thatassessesmedical knowledge andclinical skills.
Studentsof osteopathic(DO) schoolsmustpassall levelstobe eligiblefor
licensure.There are three levelsbutlevel 2has twoparts, CE and PE. All DO
schools require studentstopasslevel 1and bothparts of level 2inorderto
graduate.Most if not all residencyprogramsrequire passageof level1and
bothparts of level 2inorderto begina residency.Residentsmustpasslevel 3
sometime duringtheirresidency.The rulesonwhentheselevelsmustbe

passedbyare setby individual institutionGMEoffice.The GME office may
alsoopt to accept USMLE inplace of COMLEX.
 You mayhave to track compliance. AlsoseeUSMLE.
CP Clinical Pathology One of twobranchesof pathology,the otherbeinganatomicpathology,that
diagnosisdiseasethroughthe laboratoryanalysisof bodilyfluidsand/or
tissues.
 CP-Onlyisone of the fourresidencytracksa pathologyresidentcandoto
sitfor boards.The othersare AP-Only,AP/CP andAP/NP.
DIO DesignatedInstitutional Official The individual atthe sponsoringinstitutionwiththe authorityand
responsibilityforall of the ACGME-accreditedprograms.
 You will have toknowwhothisisfor yourinstitution.
DO Doctor of OsteopathicMedicine One of twotypesof degreesforphysicianswhotraininthe US (the otheris
MD). Both degreesare licensedtopractice medicineinall statesinthe US.
The main difference betweenaMD and a DO is the philosophyof the
education.DOsare trainedthat all parts of the bodywork togetherand
influenceone another. AlsoseeMD.
EAM ERAS AccountMaintenance Thisis where programsupdate theirinformationforERAS.See ERAS.
ECFMG Educational CommissionforForeignMedical
Graduates
Responsible forassessingthe readinessof graduatesof international medical
schoolsto enterresidency orfellowshipprograms inthe US. Actas the Dean’s
office forIMGs.
 Most if not all GME programs require IMGsto submitan ECFMG certificate
to be hired. Youwill have tomake sure newresidentswhoare IMGshave
this.
EHR/EMR ElectronicHealth/Medical Record A computerizedmedical recordcreatedinanorganizationthatdeliverscare,
such as a hospital orphysician'soffice.
EPA Entrustable ProfessionalActivity EPAsdescribe whatitis we expectaparticularspecialisttobe able todo
withoutsupervisionupongraduationfromresidencyandfellowship.Theyare
like milestonesbutinclude severalcompetencies.(Idon’tknowif many
programsuse these)
ERAS ElectronicResidencyApplicationService The service of the AAMC that transmitsthe applicationandsupporting
documentationfromapplicantstoprograms.NotassociatedwithNRMP.
 Most if not all residencyprogramsuse ERAStoreceive application
documents.

FCVS FederationCredentialsVerificationService Thisagencyprovides apermanent,lifetime repositoryof primary-source
verifiedcore credentialsforphysicians. A service of the FSMB.
 You will receiverequestsfromFCVStoverifycurrentandprevious
residentsinyourprogram.
FISE FellowForensicIn-ServiceExamination The annual in-service examforforensicpathologyfellows administered by
the ASCP.
 If you are the PCfor thistype of fellowship,youwill likelyhave toregister,
pay forand proctor the exam.
FISHE FellowshipIn-Service HematopathologyExam The annual in-service examforhematopathologyfellows administeredbythe
ASCP.
FREIDA FellowshipandResidencyElectronicInteractive
Database Access
The AMA’s on-line database of ACGMEaccreditedprograms thatmedical
studentsuse tofindinformationonprogramstheywanttoapplyto.
 You will completethe AMA/AAMCannual National GMECensus survey
and thiswill populate FREIDA.
FSMB Federationof State Medical Boards Organizationrepresentingthe 70 medical andosteopathicboardsof the
UnitedStates,promotesexcellenceinmedical practice, licensure,and
regulation,toprotectthe public.Withthe NBME administersthe USMLE
exam.
 You will use theirFCVSapplication.
GME Graduate Medical Education The periodof didacticand clinical educationinamedical specialtywhich
preparesphysiciansforindependentpractice followingcompletionof
undergraduate medical education.Residenciesandfellowshipsare GME.
GMEAS Graduate Medical EducationAdministratorsSection The sectionof APC forprogram coordinators.See APC.
 GMEAS membersmayattendthe annual APCmeeting.APCalsohoststhe
GMEAS listserv.
H1b A type of work visa.Each institution’sGMEoffice determineswhichvisa(s)
theyaccept.
 Knowwhatvisasyourinstitutionacceptsandcommunicate thatto
applicants.

ICPI IntersocietyCouncilforPathologyInformation ICPIpublishesthe Directoryof TrainingProgramsinthe US and Canada. The
Directorylistspathologyresidencyandfellowship(bothACGMEaccredited
and nonACGME accredited) programs.
 If your programadvertisesinICPI,youwill have toupdate andpayfor your
program’slistingannually.
ICS Interpersonal and CommunicationSkills One of the six ACGME core competencies. The othersare MK,PBLI, PC,PROF
and SBP. Residentsmustdemonstrate interpersonal andcommunicationskills
that resultinthe effectiveexchange of informationandcollaborationwith
patients, theirfamilies,andhealthprofessionals.
IMG International Medical Graduate A physicianwhohasgraduatedfroma medical school outside of the US.Note
justbecause a trainee isanIMG doesn’tnecessarilymeantheyare nota US
citizenandneedavisa.
 IMGs will needanECFMG certificate tobe ina GME program.
J1 A type of educationvisa.Eachinstitution’sGMEoffice determineswhich
visa(s) theyaccept.
 Knowwhatvisasyourinstitutionacceptsandcommunicate thatto
applicants.
LOA Leave of Absence Broadly,thisisdefinedasanyapprovedtime awayfromwork.InGME terms,
LOA meanstime awayfroma residencythatgoesbeyondsickandvacation
time.Itcan be FMLA or not. It can be withpay or withoutpay.
 You will needtotrackyour residents’absencesincludingLOA.
Letterof Agreement See PLA
MD Medical Doctor One of twotypesof degreesforphysicianswhotraininthe US, the otheris
DO. Bothdegreesare licensedtopractice medicine inall statesinthe US.The
maindifferencebetweenaMD anda DO isthe philosophyof the education.
MDs are trainedina traditional medical educationstructure focusedonthe
basicsciencesandthe systemsof the body.Alsosee DO.
MBBS Bachelorof Medicine,Bachelorof Surgery A medical degree fromcountriesinthe UnitedKingdomor thatthat follow
the UK system.EquivalenttoaMD inthe US.
MK Medical Knowledge One of the six ACGME core competencies. The othersare ICS,PBLI,PC,PROF
and SBP. Residentsmustdemonstrate knowledge of establishedandevolving
biomedical,clinical,epidemiological andsocial-behavioral sciences,aswell as
the applicationof thisknowledge topatientcare.

MOC Maintenance of Certification The ABP has a MOC program which maintainstandards forpathologists to
provide qualitycare throughouttheircareers.
 If you alsoprovide administrative assistance tofaculty,youmayuse this.
MSPE Medical StudentPerformance Evaluation A summaryof academicprogressduringmedical school.Partof a medical
student’sapplicationforresidency.Formallythe Dean’sLetter.
NAS NextAccreditationSystem ACGME’s outcomes-basedevaluationsystemrequiring residencyprogramsto
demonstrate thatresidentshave the core competenciesandclinical skillsto
deliverqualitypatientcare andrespondtodevelopmentsinhealthcare
delivery.
NBME National Boardof Medical Examiners Administersthe USMLE exam. See USMLE.
NPI National ProviderIdentifier A unique 10-digitnumberassignedbythe USgovernmentto eachphysicianin
the US.
 You will have toreportNPInumbersfor some facultyandall residentsin
your programthroughWebADS.
NPISE FellowNeuropathologyIn-Service Examination The annual in-service examforpediatricpathologyfellows administeredby
the ASCP.
NRMP National ResidencyMatchingProgram Thisis a private,not-for-profitcorporation thatprovidesauniformdate of
appointmenttopositionsingraduate medical educationinthe U.S.
Administers“The Match” for residenciesmatchingmedical school graduates
and residencyprograms.NotassociatedwithERAS.
 If your programparticipatesinThe Match youwill use NRMPfor ranking
candidates.
PBLI Practice BasedLearningand Improvement One of the six ACGME core competencies. The othersare ICS,MK, PC,PROF
and SBP. Residentsmustdemonstrate the abilitytoinvestigateandevaluate
theircare of patients,toappraise andassimilate scientificevidence,andto
continuouslyimprove patientcare basedonconstantself-evaluationandlife-
longlearning.
PC PatientCare One of the six ACGME core competencies. The othersare ICS,MK, PBLI,PROF
and SBP. Residentsmustbe able toprovide patientcare thatis
compassionate,appropriate,andeffective forthe treatmentof health
problemsandthe promotionof health.

Program Coordinator That’s us!May have a differentjobtitle.Workscloselywiththe PD.
PD Program Director The physiciandesignatedwiththe authorityandaccountabilityforthe
operationof the residency/fellowshipprogram.Workscloselywiththe PC.
PDWS Program Director'sWorkstation The ERAS on-line programusedby mostresidencyprograms toreceive,sort,
review,evaluate,andrankapplicants.
 If you have a residencyprogram,will use PDWStoreceive applications.
PEC Program EvaluationCommittee Thiscommittee’sresponsibilitiesinclude:planning,developing,
implementing,and evaluatingeducational activities;reviewingandmaking
recommendationsforrevisionof competency-basedcurriculumgoalsand
objectives;andaddressingareasof non-compliancewithACGMEstandards.
Closelylinkedtothe PEC.See ACGME programrequirements forspecifics.
 The PEC will produce the APEwhichwill be reviewedaspartof the
program’sACGME self-studyatleastevery tenyears.
PGY PostGraduate Year A resident'scurrentyearof accreditedGME.
PIF Program InformationForm The PIF documentisa compilationof requestedinformationpreparedbythe
program directorinadvance of an ACGME site visit.Outof date term.
PISE FellowPediatricPathologyIn-Service Examination The annual in-service examforpediatricpathologyfellows administeredby
the ASCP.
PLA Program Letterof Agreement A PLA addressesGME responsibilitiesbetweenanindividual accredited
program anda site otherthanthe sponsoringinstitutionatwhichresidents
receive arequiredpartof theireducation.AlsocalledanAffiliation
Agreement.
 Your level of involvementinthese will dependonyourGME office.
PMID PubMedIdentifier A unique numberassignedtoall medical publications.
 You will have toreportPMID numbersforpublicationsof core facultyand
residentsinyourprogramthroughWebADS.
PRODS Program DirectorsSection The sectionof APC forprogram directors.
 GMEAS is underPRODS.
PROF Professionalism One of the six ACGME core competencies. The othersare ICS,MK, PBLI,PC
and SBP. Residentsmustdemonstrate acommitmenttocarryingout
professionalresponsibilitiesandanadherence toethical principles.

PSF PostSophomore Fellowship Some medical schoolsofferaPSF inpathology.Thisisa one yearexperience
where the medical studentworksandlearnsinpathology.Havingdone aPSF
doesnotshortenthe lengthof a pathologyresidency.
RISE Resident-InService Exam The annual in-service examforpathologyresidents administeredbythe ASCP
that all residencyprogramsparticipate in.There isalsoaRISE Firstexamfor
PGY-1 residents. There are alsoexamsforsome of the fellowships(seeFISE,
FISHE,NPISE,PISE andTMISE).
 You will likelyhave toregister,payforandproctor the exam.
RMS ResidentManagementSystem On-line systemsthatmanage logisticsof residencytrainingincludingduty
hour reporting,evaluations,andscheduling.
 Most programsuse MedHub/E*Value orNewInnovations.
ROL Rank OrderList The listof preferencessubmittedbyapplicantsandprograms throughthe
NRMP place applicantsintoresidencyandfellowshippositions. SeeNRMP.
(R)RC (Residency) Review Committee Thissub-groupof the ACGME setsaccreditationstandardsforspecialty
trainingprograms,providing peerevaluationtoassesscompliance withthe
publishededucational standards,andconferring anaccreditationstatus.
 You will be communicating withthe pathologyRRCthroughWedADS
often.
SBP SystemsBasedPractice One of the six ACGME core competencies. The othersare ICS,MK, PBLI,PC
and PROF. Residentsmustdemonstrate anawarenessof andresponsiveness
to the largercontextand systemof healthcare,as well asthe abilitytocall
effectivelyonotherresourcesinthe systemtoprovide optimalhealthcare.
SOAP Supplemental OfferandAcceptance Program The processthroughwhicheligibleunmatchedapplicantsapplyforandare
offeredpositionsbyprogramsthatdidnot fill whenthe matchingalgorithm
was processed. Previouslycalledthe scramble.See NRMP.
 If you use the NRMP Match anddo not fill all of youravailable residency
positions,yourprogrammaychoose to go throughSOAPto fill those
positions.
TAGME TrainingAdministratorsof Graduate Medical
Education
Certifiesprogramcoordinatorswhomeetacertain level of GME
comprehensionandestablishthe standardsof the PCprofession.
TJC The JointCommission They accreditall healthcare organizationsinthe US. Formally JCAHO.
TMISE TransfusionMedicine In-Service Exam The annual in-service examfortransfusionmedicine fellows administeredby
the ASCP.

TOC Transitionof Care The relayingof patientinformationbetweenindividualsorteamsin
transferringresponsibility forpatientcare.
USCAP UnitedStatesandCanadianAcademyof Pathology USCAPis a professionalsocietyforpathologiststhatprovide CMEprograms.
 Residentsmaysubmitabstractstothe USCAPannual meeting.
USMLE UnitedStatesMedical LicensingExam A three-stepexaminationformedical licensure inthe US.Can be takenby US
medical (MD) and osteopathicmedical (DO) students,andIMGs. There are
three stepsbutstep2 has twoparts, CKand CS. All US MD schools require
studentstopass step1 and bothparts of step2 inorderto graduate.Most if
not all residencyprograms require passageof step1 andboth parts of step2
inorder to beginaresidency.Residentsmustpassstep3 sometime during
theirresidency.The ruleson whenthesestepsmustbe passedbyare setby
individualinstitutionGMEoffice.
 You will have to track compliance. Alsosee COMLEX.
VAMC Veteran’sAdministrationMedicalCenter The governmenthospital systemforveteransof the armedforces.
 Your residentsmaydosome of theirtrainingata VA hospital.PLAswithVA
hospitalshave adifferentprocessthanothertrainingsites.
WebADS
or
ADS
Web-basedAccreditationDataSystem Thisis a web-basedsystemof ACGMEthat allowsauthorizedprogram
directorsof accreditedgraduatedmedical educationprogramstoinput
program data.
 Thisis the systemusedforcommunicationwiththe ACGME,andto enter
changesto yourprogram, residentsandfaculty. Youwill use thisoften.

Common Pathology Acronyms
AUT = autopsy
BB = bloodbank
BM = bone marrow
BST = bone andsoft tissue
BX = biopsy
CMS = CentersforMedicare and Medicaid
Services
CQI = continuousqualityimprovement
CT = cardiothoracic
CV = curriculumvitae
DOL = Departmentof Labor (visas)
DP = dermatopathology
DX = diagnosis
EAD = EmploymentAuthorizationDocument
(visas)
EBM = evidence-basedmedicine
EM = electronmicroscopy
EMR = electronicmedical record
ENT = ear,nose and throat
FISH = fluorescence in situhybridization
FNA = fine needle aspirate
FP = forensicpathology
FS = frozensection
FTE = full-time equivalent
GI = gastrointestinal
GU = genitourinary
GYN = gynecology
H&E = hemotoxylin&eosin(stain)
HIPAA = HealthInsurance Portabilityand
AccountabilityAct
HIT = healthinformationtechnology
HLA = humanleukocyte antigen
HP = hematopathology
HX = history
IHC = immunohistochemical
IRB = institutional reviewboard(forresearch)
IRIS= interns& residentsinformationsystem
JC = journal club
LIS = laboratoryinformationsystem
LN = lymphnode
LOR = letterof recommendation
MGP = moleculargeneticpathology
M&M = morbidityandmortality(conference)
MP = molecularpathology
MS = medical student
MT = medical technologist
NOID= Notice of Intent toDeny(visas)
NP= neuropathology
PA = patholoigists’assistant
PAD= preliminaryanatomicdiagnosis
PCR = polymerase chainreaction
PDSA = plan,do,study,act (QI)
PERM = Program ElectronicReview
Management(visas)
PHI = protectedhealthinformation
PIP= performance improvementprograms
PL = programlevel
PP= pediatricpathology
QA = qualityassurance
QC = qualitycontrol
QI = qualityimprovement
RC = residencycommittee
RCA = root cause analysis(QI)
RFE = RequestforEvidency(visas)
SO = signout
SP = surgical pathology
SWOT = strengths,weaknesses,
opportunities,threats(QI)
TAT = turn aroundtime
TM = transfusionmedicine
TRIG = trainingresidentsin genomics
TX = transplant

Common GMEAS Acronyms Guide

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Common GMEAS Acronyms Guide