What is CLER?
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recognizes the public’s need for a physician workforce capable of meeting the challenges of a rapidly evolving health care environment. The ACGME has responded to this need by implementing the Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) program.
The CLER program is designed to provide US teaching hospitals, medical centers, health systems, and other clinical settings affiliated with ACGME-accredited institutions with periodic feedback that addresses the following six focus areas:
- Patient Safety (PS)
- Health Care Quality (HQ)
- Teaming (T)
- Supervision (S)
- Well-being (WB)
- Professionalism (PR)
The feedback provided by the CLER Program is designed to improve how clinical sites engage resident and fellow physicians in learning to provide safe, high-quality patient care.
Get More Information About CLER

CLER Pathways Version 2.0
The CLER Pathways serve as a tool to promote discussions and actions to optimize the clinical learning environment.
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CLER Site Visit Information
The ACGME conducts CLER site visits to the hospitals, medical centers, and other clinical settings of accredited institutions that sponsor residency and fellowship programs.
Learn MoreUAMS CLER Initiatives
We are actively addressing different pathways through policy development and educational programming.
Policy Development
- Patient Safety and Teaming: See GMEC policy 3.800 Transitions of Care and Handoffs
- Patient Safety: Clean Hands are Safe Hands – a video produced by UAMS for its Hand Hygiene Initiative
- Healthcare Quality: Resident Quality and Safety Teams to start in April 2021, Read the Charter
- Well-Being and Burnout
- See our UAMS Resident Wellness website (includes resources on fatigue and mindfulness among other well-being resources)
For more information about CLER initiative development, email Dr. Atkinson at TNAtkinson@uams.edu.
CLER Educational Blackboard Modules
Contact Dr. Atkinson at for access to these modules.
Presentations
Dr. Atkinson can give the following presentations to your residents. Contact him for more information.
- Time Management
- Fatigue
- Burnout
- Professionalism
- Team Building
CLER Committee Members
The following are the 2020-2021 CLER committee members:
- Kate Franks
- Alisa Fujihashi, M.D. (resident member)
- Molly M. Gathright, M.D.
- Sarah M. Greenberger, M.D.
- Sarah E. Harrington, M.D.
- Alyssa D. Higgins, M.D. (resident member)
- Jacob Howard, M.D (resident member)
- Joseph Jimmerson, Ph.D., RN
- Mary Katherine Kimbrough, M.D.
- Thu Ha T Nguyen, M.D. (resident member)
- Trenda Ray, Ph.D., RN
- Thea Rosenbaum, M.D.
- Troy M. Schmit, MHA
- Carol R Thrush, Ed.D.