Following an announcement sent to the membership on the results of the Gaskill referendum voted on in March, 1986, Dr. Shelley Orgel, Chairman of the Board on Professional Standards, appointed a new Committee to implement nonmedical clinical training at accredited institutes of the American. Carl L. Davis was named as Chairman, with the Committee membership including Gerald Adler, Dale Boesky, Herbert Gaskill, Robert Gilliland, Stanley Goodman, Justin Krent, Stephan Levitan, and Phyllis Tyson. Orgel's charge to the Committee includes the formulation of a structural procedure for institutes and Board to follow in considering and acting upon nonmedical applicants, as well as the development of a method of reviewing the progress of candidates once they are accepted, and helping the institutes with any problems that may arise in this new training situation.
The Committee met for the first time in Washington to establish a tentative timetable. It will meet again for a weekend early in the Fall, prior to the Coordinating Committee meeting, to develop a specific proposal for institute guidelines and criteria for the granting of waivers. The Committee will report on its work and deliberations to the Board at the December meeting. If the Board approves the report, the Committee may be ready to proceed with its consideration of the first applications for waiver at the May, 1987 meeting. In his report to the Board in Washington, Dr. Davis indicated that institutes interested in training nonmedical clinicians would probably be asked to appoint one strategically placed individual able to work with the Committee over a long period of time, most likely either the Chairman of the Education Committee or the Selection Committee. In his report to the Board, Davis emphasized that the waiver to the institute on behalf of the individual applicant must be obtained prior to that applicant's acceptance as a candidate. Additionally, the Committee wishes to avoid a large backlog of people waiting to have their applications considered; to that end, Davis expressed hopes for toleration and assistance from the institutes. The process of implementation of the Gaskill Proposal must proceed gradually, he said, if the confidence of the 32% of the membership who voted against it is to be gained.