Frequently Asked Questions about SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced

Consider whether you would like to purchase all SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced modules, SESAP 19 only, or a selection of modules. All packages are web-based and optimized for use on mobile devices with the same content and features as on the desktop web version. Bundled packages offer the best savings.

Visit the Order SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced webpage for more information and a complete list of packages and pricing.

You do not need to select a CME or NonCME version. The ordering system will provide the appropriate version based on your membership level. Surgeons who are eligible for CME credit will receive the CME version of the program and can decide whether they want to earn CME credit and for which modules. Individuals who are not eligible to earn CME credit, such as surgical residents, will receive the NonCME version.

SESAP 19 consists of 640 newly constructed, case-based, multiple-choice questions with critiques and supporting references. The questions address nine major content areas of general surgery: abdomen; alimentary tract; breast; emergency general surgery; endocrine; legal, ethics, quality, and safety; perioperative care; surgical critical care; and trauma.

SESAP 19 Advanced features 310 additional questions, plus 19 Controversial Items, for surgeons seeking further knowledge in specific areas. Six advanced modules cover content in abdomen and alimentary tract; breast; endocrine; melanoma, skin, sarcoma; surgical critical care; and trauma and emergency general surgery. 

Visit the SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced content webpage for a description of each module.

SESAP 19 Advanced addresses clinical problems and areas that are complex and may be more nuanced, specialized, or still evolving. The program format and features are similar to SESAP 19, with the addition of special questions at the end of each module called Controversial Items. Controversial items may have more than one correct answer and offer supporting data for different options that may be equally valid in complex problem management.

Visit the SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced content webpage for a description of each module.

SESAP 19 Advanced modules have as prerequisites the corresponding SESAP 19 modules. For example, the surgical critical care module of SESAP 19 is required to purchase the surgical critical care module of SESAP 19 Advanced. The prerequisite SESAP 19 module(s) and corresponding SESAP 19 Advanced module may be completed in any sequence.

Please note: Both the abdomen and alimentary tract modules of SESAP 19 are required to purchase the SESAP 19 Advanced abdomen and alimentary tract module. Both the trauma and emergency general surgery modules of SESAP 19 are required to purchase the SESAP 19 Advanced trauma and emergency general surgery module.

Subscribers who purchase all nine modules of SESAP 19 will fulfill all prerequisites for SESAP 19 Advanced.

If you purchase SESAP 19, you may return to add SESAP 19 Advanced modules.

If you purchase SESAP Select, you may return to purchase additional SESAP 19 or SESAP 19 Advanced modules. If you have not purchased the prerequisite modules of SESAP 19, you will have an opportunity to do so.

Purchases will be allowed through September 2028. Add modules online. 

Residents can purchase SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced, and resident members of the ACS will be offered significantly discounted pricing. Residents may not earn CME credit with SESAP. Visit the SESAP for Residents page for more details on popular features for residents, pricing, and how to place group orders for residency programs.

SESAP 19 is available only in electronic form. SESAP 19 Advanced is available only in electronic form.

SESAP is designed and licensed for individual use only. Institutions may not purchase SESAP for shared use, and multiple individuals may not use the same account.

Your receipt for a SESAP order will be sent to you by email, with the subject line, “ACS Order Confirmation.” You may also access the receipt by logging in to https://store.facs.org/ with your ACS credentials and navigating to “My Account” and then “Orders.” Click the “Details” button to view the invoice and print a copy. If you are an ACS member, you may also view, print, or email a receipt from the “Order Details” link on the purchase history page on your Surgeon’s Dashboard. There is one receipt per order transaction. For example, if you ordered SESAP Select and returned on a later date to order additional modules, you will have two receipts.

SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced orders are nonrefundable if any work has been completed in the program or if more than 30 days has passed since the time of purchase.

Once you have purchased SESAP19 and SESAP 19 Advanced, you may access the web-based program at sesap19.facs.org.

Log in with the same username and password that you used to purchase SESAP. ACS members, this will be your member account login credentials.

The web programs of SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced are also optimized for use on mobile devices by logging in to sesap19.facs.org on your mobile browser.

You can retrieve your username and reset your password.

If you are an ACS member, your SESAP login information is the same as your ACS member login and password.

SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced are compatible with Mac and PC desktop computers, as well as Apple and Android mobile devices. Please visit the SESAP Technical Requirements webpage for a complete list of technical specifications.

All CME credit for SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced must be claimed by October 1, 2028.

Web access will be discontinued on November 10, 2028, when the editions will be retired.

Internet access is required to utilize SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced.

Participants can earn up to 160 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ from SESAP 19, and up to 104 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ from SESAP 19 Advanced, all of which can be used for self-assessment purposes.

Surgeons who are eligible to earn CME credit can do so by completing the CME requirements in the online program. Participants will be asked to read each question, select an answer, and review the corresponding critique and preferred answer. Participants will test their mastery of the content by answering the same questions in a scrambled fashion and must achieve a cumulative score of 80 percent within three attempts. If the score is less than 80 percent, the participant will be asked to review the questions answered incorrectly and answer those questions again until 80 percent is achieved. If a score of 80 percent is not achieved after the third attempt, the participant will be asked to start the section over again. For further information, visit About SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced CME. 

All CME credit for SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced must be claimed by October 1, 2028.

Once you have successfully earned CME credits for a whole SESAP 19 or SESAP 19 Advanced module and completed an evaluation for the module, a “Claim” button will appear on the module tile on your CME Credits dashboard.

Clicking this button will initiate the CME claiming process for the module and change the button to read “Claimed.” To claim CME credit for all of your successfully completed modules at once, you may use the “Claim All Eligible CME Credit” button in the upper, righthand area of the CME Credits dashboard.

Claiming CME credits in the SESAP web-based program does not automatically transmit the credits to the American Board of Surgery (ABS). For instructions on how to transmit CME credits to ABS, please see the FAQ below.

Subscribers can access SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced CME certificates in the following ways:

• After claiming CME credit, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. Open the e-mail and click on the CME certificate link.
• While in the SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced program, you may download a certificate from the CME Credits Claimed page in the account menu or from the icon on the CME Credits dashboard.

To ensure your SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced CME data are transmitted appropriately from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) to the American Board of Surgery (ABS), please use the ACS MyCME Portal. You will need your ACS ID log-in. This will be your membership number or the ACS ID you received when you created your ACS account. If you need assistance with the ACS ID contact, use the Support button on Contact ACS page.

Step-by-Step Instructions to Access MyCME and Transmit Your CME Data

1. Log in to your MyCME Portal
2. Select the Board Certification tab
3. Enter the American Board of Surgery
4. Enter your ABS ID
5. Enter your Day and Month of birth
6. Next go to the Send CME Data tab

Toggle to Opt In (green) “Yes! I choose to opt in and permit the ACS to automatically transfer all my ACS-Accredited CME data."

If you have previously successfully transmitted your ACS-accredited CME credits to the ABS via ACCME, then you can skip steps 2-6, go directly to the Send CME Data tab, and Toggle to Opt In (green).

Once you have opted to automatically transfer your CME credits to the ABS, please allow 24 hours for the credits to appear in your ABS CME Repository.

You may opt out at any time.

For more information or to request assistance, contact mycme@facs.org.

SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced may help fulfill your state’s CME special regulatory requirements. Please visit CME State Requirements for a list of requirements by state.

Education Credits of Excellence are entirely optional and are designed to encourage further learning and to challenge surgeons who want to pursue a higher level of achievement. For each SESAP 19 and SESAP 19 Advanced module, surgeons who achieve a score of 100% on the first attempt of the CME Test will be recognized with Education Credits of Excellence for that module.

Surgeons are able and encouraged to study the items in the self-assessment portion as much as they wish prior to taking the CME Test. Those surgeons who achieve 100% on the first attempt of the CME Test for a module (including each part for modules with multiple parts) will receive a certificate for Education Credits of Excellence for module. Education Credits of Excellence are being offered by the ACS Division of Education, as supported by the ACS Board of Regents. Certificates for Education Credits of Excellence may be accessed in the SESAP web program.