ACS General Surgery Oral Examination Prep Course Winter 2024

The virtual course includes didactic components to be completed individually prior to the course, didactic components completed as a group during the one-day course, as well as individual mock oral examinations conducted with each course participant by senior surgeons. The didactic content will highlight key concepts essential for responding during oral examinations, including the following:   

  • Approaching oral exam case scenarios (rapid thought organization)
  • Applying decision-making algorithms
  • Presenting care plans under examination conditions including initial clinical presentation, imaging/lab results, operative versus non-operative approaches, expected outcomes and management of complications, and longitudinal care
  • Recognizing common pitfalls and redirecting decisions that need to be modified

Each course participant will complete oral examinations with pairs of senior faculty members who will present case scenarios, pose questions based on the scenarios, and provide individualized verbal and written feedback to each participant.

 

Target Audience

  • Individuals preparing for the American Board of Surgery Certifying Examination.  

Learning Objectives

After completing the course, participants will be able to: 

  • Rapidly develop concise patient care plans in response to oral case scenarios
  • Succinctly convey care plans, including key decision points and rationale
  • Interact effectively with examiners
  • Apply principles of communication in virtual environments

Contact

  • For additional information, contact Daniel Cox, Administrator, dcox@facs.org, or 312-202-5053.
  • For any technical questions, contact learning@facs.org.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 0.00 Certificate of Completion
Course opens: 
01/05/2024
Course expires: 
01/05/2025

Course Purpose

The American College of Surgeons Division of Education is pleased to offer a new, innovative course especially designed to help candidates prepare for the general surgery certifying examination. The course focuses on the cognitive elements of responding to oral examination questions, such as rapidly organizing thoughts for presentation, applying decision-making algorithms, and conveying care plans with key decision points and rationale. The new ACS General Surgery Oral Examination Prep Course has been developed to assist individuals with preparing for the American Board of Surgery General Surgery Certifying Examination.

Course Dates

Courses will be offered on Tuesday, January 23rd and Friday, January, 26th. Prior to the course, participants will be asked to complete approximately two hours of didactic materials. On the day of the course, participants will be expected to be available from approximately 7:30 am to 3:00 pm Central Time.

 

Application Process

  • Tuesday, January 23, 2024

    Please submit the completed application form to ceprepcourse@facs.org no later than January 12, 2024.  Space is limited and notifications regarding acceptance will be e-mailed to the participants.

 

Fees, Cancellations and Refunds

Course Fees

  • ACS Members -  $950
  • Nonmembers -  $1,250

Please do not include payment when submitting the application form. Full payment of the course fee of $950 for ACS members and $1,250 for nonmembers will be due upon acceptance into the course. Accepted individuals can request invoices in lieu of the online payment method. All fees must be submitted by January 12. There is a $50 administrative fee for cancellations received by January 15. No refunds will be provided for cancellations received after this date.

 

Disclosure Information

In accordance with the ACCME Accreditation Criteria, the American College of Surgeons must ensure that anyone in a position to control the content of the educational activity (planners and speakers/authors/discussants/moderators) has disclosed all financial relationships with any commercial interest (termed by the ACCME as “ineligible companies”, defined below) held in the last 24 months (see below for definitions). Please note that first authors were required to collect and submit disclosure information on behalf all other authors/contributors, if applicable.

Ineligible company

The ACCME defines an “ineligible company” as any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services used on or consumed by patients. Providers of clinical services directly to patients are NOT included in this definition.

Financial Relationships

Relationships in which the individual benefits by receiving a salary, royalty, intellectual property rights, consulting fee, honoraria, ownership interest (e.g., stocks, stock options or other ownership interest, excluding diversified mutual funds), or other financial benefit.  Financial benefits are usually associated with roles such as employment, management position, independent contractor (including contracted research), consulting, speaking and teaching, membership on advisory committees or review panels, board membership, and other activities from which remuneration is received, or expected.  ACCME considers relationships of the person involved in the CME activity to include financial relationships of a spouse or partner.

Conflict of Interest

Circumstances create a conflict of interest when an individual has an opportunity to affect CME content about products or services of an ineligible company with which he/she has a financial relationship.

The ACCME also requires that ACS manage any reported conflict and eliminate the potential for bias during the educational activity.  Any conflicts noted below have been managed to our satisfaction. The disclosure information is intended to identify any commercial relationships and allow learners to form their own judgments. However, if you perceive a bias during the educational activity, please report it on the evaluation. 
 

Speaker and Moderator Disclosures

This innovative course was developed by a core group of expert senior surgeons with many years of experience administering oral examinations, and the first pilot course was offered in 2021. Six additional courses have been administered following the pilot. The faculty listed below administer the mock oral examinations for these courses on a rotating basis.

Faculty Steering Committee

L.D. Britt, MD, MPH, DSc(Hon), FACS, FCCM, FRCSEng(Hon), FRCSEd(Hon), FWACS(Hon), FRCSI(Hon), FCS(SA)(Hon), FRCS(Glasg)(Hon), MAMSE, Co-Chair
E. Christopher Ellison, MD, FACS, MAMSE, Co-Chair
John B. Hanks MD, FACS
Amy P. Rushing, MD, FACS 
Kenneth W. Sharp, MD, FACS, MAMSE
Thomas F. Tracy Jr., MD, FACS
John A. Weigelt, MD, DVM, FACS 
Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, FSACME, MAMSE

Faculty Members

Mark I. Aeder, MD, MS, FACS 
Christopher P. Brandt, MD, FACS 
William G. Cioffi, MD, FACS 
Joseph A. Corrado, MD, FACS 
Lewis Flint, MD, FACS, MAMSE 
David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, MAMSE 
Lenworth M. Jacobs, MD, MPH, FACS, MAMSE 
Orlando C. Kirton, MD, MBA, FACS, MCCM, FCCP 
Ronald V. Maier, MD, FACS, FRCS Ed (Hon), FCSHK (Hon), FCCS (Hon), FASI (Hon),FISS (Hon), MAMSE 
Mark A. Malangoni, MD, FACS, MAMSE 
Kenneth L. Mattox, MD, FACS, MAMSE 
Fabrizio Michelassi, MD, FACS, MAMSE 
Lisa A. Newman, MD, MPH, FACS 
Alexander A. Parikh, MD, MPH, FACS 
Charles F. Rinker II, MD, FACS 
Michael G. Sarr, MD, FACS 
Marshall Z. Schwartz, MD, FACS, FRCS-Eng (Hon) 
J. Patrick Walker, MD, FACS 
Thavam Thambi, MD, MBA, FICS, FACS
Charles Friel, MD, FACS

Consultants

Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, FSACME, MAMSE - Nothing to disclose
Patrice Gabler Blair, DrPH, MPH - Nothing to disclose

Accreditation Information

This activity is not eligible for CME or CE credits.
 

Course Completion

To receive the Certificate of Completion, participants will need to complete the following:

  • Review all course materials
  • Attend the online course
  • Course evaluation

Available Credit

  • 0.00 Certificate of Completion
Please login or register to take this course.

Course Registration

You will be asked to register for the course and provide information to complete the registration process. Once you have completed the registration process, an email will be sent to you with the confirmation and course login information. 

Full payment of the course fee of $950 for ACS members and $1,250 for nonmembers will be due upon acceptance into the course. Accepted individuals can request an invoice in lieu of the online payment method.

All fees must be submitted by January 12. There is a $50 administrative fee for cancellations received by January 15. No refunds will be provided for cancellations received after this date.

 

To Start Course

Once you have completed the registration process, you will see the "Take Course" button above, click on the button to start/access the educational activity.