A Historical Look at TAGME

The idea of certification for program coordinators is not new. Prior to 2002, two attempts were made to develop a process. Both failed due to lack of interest or support. Then the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) instituted the Outcome Project and core competencies. This resulted in profound changes in graduate medical education that increased the scope and depth of the function of both the program director and program coordinator and resulted in a change in expectations. The responsibilities of the program coordinator increased bringing about the need for a higher level of skills, ability and knowledge that elevated the program coordinator from a clerical/secretarial position to the professional position of manager/administrator. This culminated in the formation of the National Board for Certification for Training Administrators of Graduate Medical Education Programs (TAGME).

In 2003, after a year of research and review, the Association of Residency Coordinators in Surgery (ARCS) unanimously voted to pursue certification for general surgery residency coordinators. At the same time, there was a question posed in the AMA e-zine, GME-E-letter, from a coordinator asking if anyone had considered certification for coordinators. That email was answered in the GME-E-letter with information regarding the efforts of the surgical coordinators. As a result, several hundred responses were received, all indicating a high level of interest from program coordinators across the nation and in many clinical specialties.

Four representatives from three clinical specialties, Diagnostic Radiology, General Surgery and OBGYN, met in Baltimore to discuss this grassroots interest in certification and to see if there was some commonality that could be used as a basis for setting standards. An on-line job analysis tool was developed and distributed by word of mouth. Over 450 responses were received in the next several months from program coordinators, GME personnel, and training program staff across many clinical specialties nationwide. During this time, the TAGME name was established and the mission and vision statements developed by the surgical coordinators were adopted. TAGME researched other certification bodies and developed their goals and objectives, and criteria for certification. An Open Forum was held prior to the 2004 Spring ACGME meeting at which 45 people participated from 15 clinical specialties, GME personnel and the AMA and AAMC. At this Forum, the concept of certification, the mission and vision statements and goals and objectives, the criteria for certification, and the timeline for development were all open to discussion and scrutiny. From that a formal working board was established including representatives and fact finders from 9 clinical specialties: Diagnostic Radiology, Emergency Medicine, Family Practice, Internal Medicine, OBGYN, Orthopedic Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and General Surgery.

By 2006, TAGME had created a robust certification process that set a national standard to assess the knowledge, skills and abilities of training administrators of graduate medical education programs.

Ruth H. Nawotniak, MS, C-TAGME
Visionary and Co-Founder, TAGME
Past President, TAGME
Chair, Media Committee, TAGME
General Surgery Residency Training Program Administrator
UB - SUNY