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Great question.
In the days when there were literally no docs to work in rural EDs, I could understand the rationale of allowing for somewhat laxed program accrediting guidelines. Times have certainly changed though. Given that the projected surplus of EM-trained docs by the end of this decade will be more than 2x higher than the number of neurosurgeons in the US (yes, the # of jobless EM docs alone will be >2x higher than all the brain surgeons we have), it absolutely makes sense from the patient-safety perspective to adjust the requirements to make sure we only produce extremely well-trained EM docs going forward.
Here's a list of the ACGME's current EM RRC members:
Maybe a good starting point, and potentially low hanging fruit, would be for people to take a look and see if they know any of these folks well enough to grab a coffee/beer with them. You could ask their rationale for how they determine the residency accreditation criteria, what they think of the current EM workforce situation, and if they think it makes sense to set the bar higher for new/continuing program accreditation since many EM residents in the near-future will be more likely to obtain unemployment benefits following graduation rather than a full time EM job.
I’ve worked with one of the members before and have had conversations about this. According to them, it was not in their power to change the requirements. Who am I to say they were lying? I’m not sure who would have the power if not them, though. Fwiw I regard this person fairly highly. However, they did grow easily frustrated with the thought they were contributing to oversupply and tried to dismiss my concerns without much substance.
With that being said, they are an academician still trying to climb the promotion ladder. I recognize at least a couple other names on the list in this position as well. I doubt even if they had the power to go against the grain and enact meaningful change that they would, given how it could negatively impact career trajectory. People at the highest levels of power in the ivory tower institutions usually don’t have much tolerance for those who ruffle some feathers.