ACS Fundamentals of Surgery Curriculum

What is ACS FSC?

The ACS Fundamentals of Surgery Curriculum^® (ACS FSC) is a highly interactive, case-based, online curriculum that addresses the essential content areas that all surgical residents need to master in the early years of training. Developed by the American College of Surgeons Division of Education, the curriculum includes more than 108 simulated case scenarios in which residents are asked to recognize and assess symptoms and signs, order appropriate tests and procedures, evaluate data, and initiate appropriate actions.

Enrollment of first-year surgical residents by their program can:

Build learner confidence within the safety of a virtual environment.
Provide the same learning opportunities for all residents.
Emphasize critical thinking skills.
Supplement current educational programs.
Provide tools for program directors to track resident progress.

Goals and Objectives

The goal of the ACS Fundamentals of Surgery Curriculum^® is to ensure that first-year surgical residents have encountered simulations of the critical situations they will face in real life and have learned a safe way to approach each patient. The curriculum allows all residents to manage specific simulated case scenarios addressing essential content areas without the variability sometimes associated with clinical rotations. In addition, residents are able to learn, test various options, make errors, and engage in the self-assessment process without the concerns associated with real patients.

After successful completion of the ACS FSC, participants will be able to:

Manage surgical patients using a systematic approach—recognizing and assessing symptoms and signs, ordering appropriate tests and procedures, evaluating data, and initiating appropriate actions
Make appropriate decisions about involving other team members—notifying more senior residents, attending surgeons, or other health care professionals—or implementing independent decisions

Essential Content Areas

ACS FSC scenarios cover the following 14 essential content areas through 108 simulated case scenarios:

Patient and Workplace Safety
Preoperative Assessment
On-Call Issues
Pain Management
Unresponsive and Agitated Patients
Respiratory Management
Gastrointestinal Conditions
Wound Management
Nutritional Support
Fluid and Electrolyte Management
Cardiac Conditions
Vascular Conditions
Cardiothoracic Conditions
Oncology

Content Development Background

The content for the ACS FSC is based on Successfully Navigating the First Year of Surgical Residency: Essentials for Medical Students and PGY-1 Residents, developed by the ACS Division of Education. This document lists the critical cognitive, clinical, and technical skills needed as a foundation for education and training in all the surgical specialties. The ACS FSC Steering Committee identified the 11 modules* of essential content areas, core scenarios for the modules, and authors to develop the content. Under the guidance of Curriculum Director Patricia Numann, MD, FACS, and Associate Curriculum Director Richard Welling, MD, FACS, scenarios were written by small groups of surgeon authors using the best available evidence and expert consensus. Once complete, the scenarios were reviewed by a separate group of surgeon program directors who provided comments and feedback. The feedback was then collated and used to refine the scenarios as necessary. In addition, the electronic and interactive format of the scenarios was tested and critiqued with groups of residents from across the country.

*Three new modules have been added, two in 2014 and one in 2016, bringing the total to 14.

Testimonials

Program Director Feedback

“Residents like it. The time commitment is reasonable. Residents perform better overall, understand certain basic concepts better, and are more professional and confident. The only change in our program was the addition of the ACS FSC.”
“Residents have improved confidence in specific areas of knowledge. The ACS FSC is particularly relevant, useful, and adaptable to the core surgery training paradigm in Canada.”
“The interactive requirement of the ACS FSC requires active participation by the resident, and it is easy to document completion of the scenarios.”
“Based on a review of ABSITE questions, the material in the scenarios was relevant.”
“I think that working through the case scenarios contributed to excellent ABSITE scores.”

Resident Feedback

“It’s really nice to be chastised by the case scenarios for wasting time doing things that aren’t the most efficient use of your time, since as a medical student, you are rarely told what NOT to order or examine, and are only told when you forget to order something. So the default approach, at least for me, is to order everything I can reasonably think of ordering. Clearly, this isn’t an optimal approach to medicine, as it’s nice to have a program that gives you realistic guidelines as to how to efficiently approach and manage common problems.”
“The ACS FSC is a great simulation and the interface is very involving. A few cases actually had my heart racing as if it was a true emergency! The resource links are priceless.”
“It is very useful and fun!”
“I really enjoy it, and think it’s very useful for day-to-day patient management knowledge, things that are usually left out of textbooks and other resource materials, and things that we usually have to learn on the fly, with no small amount of difficulty and struggle.”

Enrollment

ACS FSC is purchased by program directors for residents in their surgical residency programs. All PGY-1s within a program must be enrolled. Enrollment provides a subscription for each resident and a complimentary administrator account. Enrollment begins on Match Day each year. Programs are given access upon payment, but no earlier from April 1. Access ends on March 31 of the following year.

Fees per resident for academic year 2026–2027

Early Enrollment Discount (Before or on April 30)

Resident Member: $248
Nonmember: $297

After April 30

Resident Member: $281
Nonmember: $341

Begin Your Enrollment

Sample Case Scenario

Experience an interactive scenario from the Safety Module. As you assume the role of a surgeon, this scenario puts you in the emergency room responding to a nurse’s call. You will examine the patient, interact with hospital personnel, and ensure that the patient is ready for a safe operation.

View Sample Scenario

Leadership

Curriculum Directors

James C. Hebert, MD, FACS
Patricia J. Numann, MD, FACS

ACS Staff

Stephanie Hermes
Senior Administrator, ACS FSC

Michelle Armstrong, MAEd, MA
Senior Manager, Programs to Enhance Resident and Medical Student Education

Tim Hotze
E-Learning Software Developer

Contact Us

For more information, email fundamentalsofsurgery@facs.org or call 312-202-5171

ACS Fundamentals of Surgery Curriculum® (ACS FSC)

Virtual Lives, Real Decisions, Essential Content