Guided Fellowship FAQs

Early career physicians attain ACP Fellowship in order to show their commitment to serving as leaders within internal medicine and their workplaces. Attaining the FACP® (Fellow of the American College of Physicians) credential distinguishes internal medicine physicians from their peers and is recognition of accomplishments and achievements over and above the practice of medicine. Fellows are authorized to use the letters FACP in connection with their professional activities for as long as their membership remains current. ACP Fellows have the right to vote, hold office, and sponsor applicants for Membership and Fellowship.

The ACP Guided Fellowship Program provides early career physicians with a structure to help ensure they meet the requirements for ACP Fellowship over a three-year program time period. It provides a framework for advancement to ACP Fellowship through the completion of professional development activities and provides support toward meeting all of the standards and requirements of ACP Fellowship that must be fulfilled in order to achieve the FACP credential. The Guided Fellowship Program encourages professional development among early career physicians. Upon successful completion of the program, a participant will be advanced to Fellowship, and the following application materials will be waived: application and two letters of sponsorship.

Guided Fellowship cohorts begin annually in January.

Guided Fellowship participants who complete the program requirements are eligible for Fellowship at the completion of the three-year program.

A one-time, one-year extension is available to Guided Fellowship participants who need additional time to complete the requirements to achieve FACP.

Physicians are eligible to enroll in the program following the end of residency completion as long as they were a dues-paid Resident/Fellow Member during the previous membership year, and have renewed their ACP membership for the current year.

Yes, fourth year chief residents who were dues-paid Resident/Fellow Members for the previous membership year and have renewed their ACP membership for the current year are eligible to enroll in the Guided Fellowship Program. If you are a third-year chief resident, you are eligible to enroll in the Guided Fellowship Program following the completion of your third year of residency.

Yes, physicians in a subspecialty fellowship may enroll following the end of residency as long as they were a dues-paid Resident/Fellow Member for the previous membership year and have renewed their ACP membership for the current year. Physicians in subspecialty fellowship may retain their status as a Resident/Fellow Member while in the Guided Fellowship Program.

No, unlike the standard application for ACP Fellowship, the Guided Fellowship application does not require you to identify sponsors or provide sponsorship letters.

Board certification is not required to enroll in the Guided Fellowship Program. However, board certification needs to be obtained prior to completing the program and being elected to ACP Fellowship.

There are a wide variety of teaching, leadership, community service, scholarly, professional, and ACP activities that can help you meet the requirements for ACP Fellowship. Learn more and view a list of eligible activities.

There are a variety of ways to meet the teaching requirement for ACP Fellowship, including being a Grand Rounds speaker; leading a workshop at a conference; teaching allied health professionals or residents; or giving lectures to the lay public where the primary focus is education on a medical topic.

The ACP Member Engagement Program has a number of opportunities to get involved in ACP activities. Local ACP chapters also provide additional opportunities to get involved.

Guided Fellowship Program participants can track their progress through a personalized Progress Dashboard. In your Progress Dashboard, you can review the list of suggested professional development activities and claim points for those that you have completed. Completed activities will display on your personalized Progress Dashboard. A minimum of 100 points is recommended over the course of the three-year program. Enrolled participants can view their Progress Dashboard at www.acponline.org/gfdashboard.

To support you in your career, ACP provides your workplace supervisor with annual progress letters to keep them updated on the professional development milestones you achieve as part of the Guided Fellowship Program. The program requires no time commitment of your supervisor. If a direct supervisor is not available, a mentor of your choice may serve in this capacity and receive updates on your progress.

The Guided Fellowship Program supports the professional development of early career physicians post-residency. Therefore, activities or work completed during residency cannot be applied to the program requirements.

Yes. If you attained an advanced degree prior to completing residency, such as an MBA, JD, MS, or MPH, you may claim this as a one-time activity and receive points toward program completion. All scholarly work done prior to residency also should be included in the CV, which can be uploaded to the Guided Fellowship Dashboard once enrolled in the program.

Yes, while the ACP Guided Fellowship Program begins in the January following the end of your training, activities should be tracked beginning July 1 following the end of your internal medicine residency.

There is a one-time enrollment fee of $175 due and payable upon enrollment in the Guided Fellowship Program. ACP membership must be maintained and dues must be paid all three years of the program. For more information about ACP member dues rates, see the US Membership Details or Global Membership Details.

Click here to watch a recording of the Guided Fellowship orientation.