Work hours of physicians in training have been the subject of debate for more than

4 decades. The profession sees them as emblematic of dedication to patients, whose needs may not be confined to a standard workday, whereas some members of the public view them with concern for the safety of patient care and the well-being of resident and fellow physicians. In July 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) established the first set of common work hour standards for accredited residency and fellowship programs, 1 and a revision was implemented in July 2011. 2 At that time, the ACGME made a commitment to review the program requirements after 5 years to assess their impact on the clinical education and patient care environment. During an 18-month period in 2015 and 2016, members of the ACGME Common Program Requirements Phase 1 Task Force (the ‘‘Task Force’’) revised section VI of the ACGME Common Program Requirements. The new requirements were implemented July 1, 2017. A separate task force was charged with the review of the remaining sections of the Common Program Requirements. Section VI addresses attributes of the learning and working environment, including resident/fellow work hours, supervision, clinical responsibilities, transitions of care, and patient safety. In this article, the members of the Task Force summarize selected elements of these standards, how they were developed, and the anticipated benefits for patient care and physician education. The 21-member Task Force consisted of ACGME board members, including a public member, Residency Review Committee (RRC) chairs, and resident members. We completed the work through 11 face-toface meetings and additional meetings via teleconference.