CLEVELAND, Ohio — The anesthesiology residency program at University Hospitals Case Medical Center recently received accreditation for only six months, rather than the usual 3-to-5 years, because of a “technicality” that has been corrected, a spokeswoman said.
The shortened accreditation term recently became a conversation thread on a Student Doctor Network forum. One medical student who goes by the online name “Camel” said the accreditation was openly addressed at a residents’ interview.
“Apparently, it was a combination of six or so minor problems that were all found together,” Camel said. “All of them were fixed immediately… Some of the problems were things like an attending [physician] that was not board-certified teaching residents.”
A resident in the program also posted at Student Doctor Network: “We were all shocked with the 6 months [accreditation],” the poster wrote, adding that the short term was a result of “several minor citations,” which were addressed by residency program co-directors Dr. Matthew Norcia and Dr. David Wallace. “The bottom line is, Case/UH is a great place to train, and will continue to be,” the poster said.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredits the University Hospitals Case Medical Center anesthesiology program. A council spokeswoman did not return a reporter’s email seeking comment on the issue.
“This posting relates to only one residency program, for which we expect to have the 3-to-5 year accreditation back very soon,” University Hospitals spokeswoman Alicia Reale said in an emailed response to a reporter’s questions. “There was a technicality that put it on the 6-month status, but that has been corrected, and we are optimistic it will return to a multi-year accreditation.”
Reale added, “The program is extraordinarily influential, having been accredited for more than 40 years.”
