ACS General Surgery Oral Examination Prep Course

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education is pleased to announce the continuation of the ACS General Surgery Oral Examination Prep Course. This innovative course was specially designed to help candidates prepare for the American Board of Surgery 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.

Courses will be offered on Tuesday, February 14, and Friday, February 17, 2023. Before the course, participants will be asked to view approximately two hours of didactic materials. Participants will be expected to be available from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm CT on the day of the course.

Course Overview

The virtual course includes didactic components to be completed individually before 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 highlights key concepts essential for responding during oral examinations, including

• Approaching oral exam case scenarios (rapid thought organization)
• Applying decision-making algorithms
• Presenting care plans under examination conditions including initial clinical presentation, imaging and lab results, operative versus non-operative approaches, and management of complications
• Recognizing common pitfalls

Each course participant will complete three, 30-minute oral examinations with three different pairs of senior faculty members who present case scenarios, pose questions based on the scenarios, and provide individualized verbal and written feedback to each participant. In addition, group discussions will include hypothetical case scenarios illustrating various levels of performance.

Intended Participants and Learning Objectives

This virtual course was designed for candidates preparing for the American Board of Surgery Certifying Examination.  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

Application Process

The application window for the February courses has been extended. Please submit the completed application form to ceprepcourse@facs.org no later than January 27.

Space is limited, and notifications regarding acceptance will be e-mailed by January 31.

Fees, Cancellations, and Refunds

Please do not include payment when submitting the application form. Full payment of the course fee of $525 for ACS members and $625 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 February 3. There is a $50 administrative fee for cancellations received by February 8. No refunds will be provided for cancellations received after this date.

Those notified of their acceptance will need to confirm their participation and submit payment no later than February 3, 2023.

Additional Information

For additional information, contact Nicole Keating, MS, Senior Administrator, Surgical Skills Acquisition, Maintenance, and Validation, nkeating@facs.org or (312-202-5298), or Jamie Ciccone, Manager, Preceptorship, Coaching and Retooling, jciccone@facs.org or (312-202-5197).

Course Faculty

This innovative course was developed by a core group of expert senior surgeons with many years of experience administering oral examinations.

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, Chair
• 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

Faculty Members

• Mark I. Aeder, MD, MS, FACS
• William G. Cioffi, MD, FACS
• Joseph A. Corrado, MD, FACS
• Lewis M. Flint, MD, FACS, MAMSE
• David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, MAMSE
• Lenworth M. Jacobs, MD, MPH, FACS, MAMSE
• Gregory J. Jurkovich, MD FACS
• Orlando C. Kirton, MD, FACS, MCCM, FCCP, MBA
• Mio Kitano, MD, MS, FACS, FSSO
• Mark A. Malangoni, MD, FACS, MAMSE
• Kenneth L. Mattox, MD, FACS, MAMSE
• Mary C. McCarthy, MD, FACS, MAMSE
• Wayne Meredith, MD, MCCM, FACS
• Fabrizio Michelassi, MD, FACS, MAMSE
• Lisa A. Newman, MD, MPH, FACS
• Alexander Parikh, MD, MPH, FACS, FSSO
• Charles F. Rinker, MD, FACS
• Michael G. Sarr, MD, FACS
• William P. Schecter, MD, FACS, FCCM
• Carol E. H. Scott-Conner, MD, PhD, FACS, MAMSE
• Marshall Z. Schwartz, MD, FACS, FRCS-Eng (Hon)
• Douglas P. Slakey, MD, FACS
• Nathaniel J. Soper, MD, FACS, MAMSE
• Steven Steinberg, MD, FACS
• John Patrick Walker, MD, FACS
• John A. Weigelt, MD, DVM, FACS

Consultants

• Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, FSACME, MAMSE
• Patrice Gabler Blair, DrPH, MPH