Washington, D.C., June 12, 2002 - Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) President Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., issued the following statement in support of the new standards for resident-physician duty hours approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education:

"The AAMC is pleased that the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has addressed the recent concerns raised about excessive duty hours for medical residents with a new plan to reasonably limit their hours and on-call schedules.

The key to implementing these new requirements will be adherence to the strong monitoring and enforcement standards outlined by the ACGME. We will work with our members to ensure they continue to closely supervise the learning environments of residents and remain committed to maintaining adequate rest and time-off as high priorities of their graduate medical education programs. The AAMC will also explore the effects this new policy may have on teaching hospitals faculty and work with our institutions to manage any economic impact.

Putting these standards into action will help us achieve one of our most solemn professional obligations: providing our residents with an education of the highest quality, while protecting the patients they care for."

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The Association of American Medical Colleges represents the 125 accredited U.S. medical schools; the 16 accredited Canadian medical schools; some 400 major teaching hospitals, including Veterans Administration medical centers; more than 105,000 faculty in 98 academic and scientific societies; and the nation's 66,000 medical students and 97,000 residents.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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