The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education is responsible for managing the accreditation program. Through the use of the ACS Accredited Education Institutes (AEI) Standards and Criteria, participating Institutes and Skills Centers ensure the delivery of the highest quality surgical education.
Comprehensive and Focused Education Institutes
There are two types of accreditation that may be sought: Comprehensive and Focused.
Both Comprehensive and Focused Education Institutes must meet rigorous standards for accreditation; however, Comprehensive Education Institutes must meet additional criteria, as compared to Focused Education Institutes.
Comprehensive Education Institutes, as compared to Focused Education Institutes, must serve a wider range of learners, with a broader scope of education and training programs; they must develop original curricula, offer faculty development programs and courses, and assess their education and training programs’ impact on patient outcomes and safety; they must have more space and staff to accommodate the higher volume of learners and scope of educational activities; they must additionally engage in research or other scholarly activities that advance the field of surgical education and training.
Focused Education Institutes are not required to pursue all of the above-noted activities, though they must meet criteria in each of the four standards, as specified in the Program Requirements.
Invest in the Future Leaders of Surgery—Apply to the ACS-AEI Fellowship Program
The Fellowship Program of the Consortium of ACS Accredited Education Institutes was established to improve the quality of surgical care by developing future leaders and scholars in the area of surgical education, simulation and training. Only AEIs are eligible to apply for accreditation.
Benefits of Accrediting Your Fellowship Program
- Fellows will possess the requisite knowledge and skills to serve as local and national resources in the field of simulation-based surgical education and training
- Fellows will learn education theory in simulation and practice
- Fellows will be trained to serve as future leaders of simulation centers and to run an AEI
- Fellows will develop expertise in simulation-based surgical education and training activities
- Fellows will be trained in creating and implementing major research and development projects involving simulation-based surgical education and training, including the management of research grants
“The fellowship helped me understand the educational foundations for the development of curriculum and assessment tools and the science behind the validation of simulations. It also gave me insight into building and running a simulation program from scratch.” — Sanket Chauhan, MD, Medical Director, Academic Simulation Program at Baylor University Medical Center, former University of Minnesota SimPORTAL Fellow
Program Information
Program Requirements
Fellowship Program Accreditation Standards & Criteria
Fellowship Program Accreditation Timelines
To request an application, contact Cathy Sormalis at csormalis@facs.org.