Accreditation Process

There are a number of operational steps that the American College of Surgeons will need to complete in order to support the Education Institutes seeking accreditation. The steps are described below:

1. The ACS Division of Education will schedule a survey; and depending on which level of accreditation the Education Institute is seeking; staff will determine the number of surveyors to send to the site to spend one day conducting the survey. The site visit will include the following activities:
   • The surveyors role is to collect and validate data and are not authorized to make accreditation decisions;
   • The surveyors will conduct interviews with the principals of the Education Institute, institution, and of the accreditation program;
   • The surveyors will review the necessary files and documentation to ascertain the Education Institute's level of compliance for each Standard and Criterion;
   • The surveyors will tour the institution's Skills/Education Institute;
   • An exit interview will be conducted in which a summary is provided to the Education Institute. The survey team will not provide any type of assessment as to the eventual status of the Education Institute with respect to its accreditation status;
   • In the event there are questions after the survey is completed, the Education Institute is to call the ACS directly. The Education Institute is not to contact the survey team, the reviewer, or the Committee.
2. The survey team will submit its report to the College indicating its findings.
3. After receiving the survey reports, the ACS Division of Education will prepare the report to be reviewed by a member of the ACS Accreditation Committee for Education Institutes. The Committee is the body that will complete the next level of review. The Committee also will meet twice per year to make accreditation decisions.
4. Staff will send the Committee a list of all the Education Institutes to be reviewed. At which time, members will note any real or perceived conflicts they have with any Education Institute(s), and will recuse themselves from those particular review(s). Staff will make assignments for review based on this information.
5. An individual member of the Committee is responsible for reviewing the Education Institute's application along with the surveyors' report. Upon review the committee member will submit a written report to ACS Division of Education staff with his/her recommendation.
6. Staff will prepare and send to all committee members a recommendation book in which the reports of all the Education Institutes under consideration for a specific meeting will be reviewed.
7. The committee members will present to the Committee their accreditation recommendation for each Institute they are assigned to review. The Committee will vote on each proposed recommendation. Once the recommendation is accepted, the Committee will vote to convert the recommendation into a final decision for each Education Institute reviewed. The initial term of approval will be for a three years.
8. The ACS Division of Education will prepare a letter informing the Education Institute of the decision made to become an ACS Accredited Education Institute. The letter will include the term of accreditation, the accreditation report approved by the Committee, and a list of all the members of the Committee and staff involved in the decision process.
9. If in the event an Education Institute is not accredited, the ACS Program for Accreditation of Education Institutes has a process for appeal in which an Institute can ask for a reconsideration of its decision.
10. Further input may be solicited from the Executive Director of the College, Board of Regents, and/or General Counsel as necessary.

Revised April 25, 2006

ACS Accredited Education Institutes

Division of Education