ACS Online Quality Improvement Courses

The ACS Online Quality Improvement Courses are is designed to ensure the surgical workforce and other quality improvement staff are well-educated on the basic principles of surgical quality and safety.

The courses include six modules:

• Introduction to Quality Improvement: Quality improvement concepts and the rationale for investing in quality
• The Quality Improvement Process: How quality improvement happens and how to begin a quality improvement project
• Data Measurement and Analysis: How data is used throughout a quality improvement project and some of the fundamental tools that can help to display and analyze data
• Change Management: How change happens and the factors that affect the change process, and how implementation science can be used throughout a quality improvement project
• Patient Safety: The role of culture in maintaining and improving patient safety, the characteristics of high-reliability organizations, and how to evaluate and improve your institution’s safety culture
• Leadership and Teamwork for QI: What defines effective leadership and teamwork and how to develop and evaluate teamwork and leadership skills.

There are two QI courses with the six-module structure listed above: 

• The ACS Quality Improvement Course: The Basics
• The ACS Quality Improvement Basics Course (LMIC)

The ACS Quality Improvement Course: The Basics is intended for anyone working in a healthcare setting who is still learning the foundations of quality improvement, regardless of their role. The content is applicable across settings and cultural contexts. However, the examples and suggested resources in the course focus primarily on the U.S. healthcare system. This version of the course also includes a PDF workbook so you can apply the course content to your context and deepen your understanding of key concepts. This is a CME/CE-eligible course.

The new ACS Quality Improvement Basics Course (LMIC) will provide fundamental quality improvement knowledge to healthcare professionals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The examples and recommendations in this course are intended for a global audience, especially those working in low-resource countries. This course includes reflection questions in place of the workbook. This course is not CME/CE-eligible. 

Self-Paced Course

Both versions of the self-paced course are taken through EthosCE, a learning management platform. Developed with the latest in e-learning technology and according to the principles of the science of instruction, this interactive learning experience is designed to help course participants not only learn new information but also apply best practices in improving quality at their institutions. The maximum benefit of the course is best obtained by utilizing all of the course materials: knowledge check questions, interactive infographics and application activities, summary videos, tools, and resources.

We estimate that it will take about 20 hours to complete the self-paced course, accompanying workbook (if applicable), and exam.

Pricing

The ACS ties pricing for the courses according to ACS membership and income categories maintained by the World Bank. Please contact ms@facs.org if you have questions about the categories.

Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion after passing a 50-question exam based on the objectives of the course and submitting a course evaluation. If you have enrolled in the ACS Quality Improvement Course: The Basics and are eligible, you will also earn 20 CME/CNE credits upon completion of the course.

For any further questions, please contact qualityresources@facs.org.