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.

Course Layout

Courses will be offered on Friday, February 21, and Friday, February 28, 2025. Before the course, participants will be asked to view approximately two hours of didactic materials. Participants will be expected to be available from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm CT on the day of the course.

Each 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.

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

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

Fees, Cancelations, and Refunds

Space for the course is limited and on a first-come-first-serve basis. If space is full, you will be put on a waitlist and notified immediately when a spot opens. The fee for the course is $975 for ACS members and $1,275 for non-members. An invoice can be requested in lieu of the online payment method. Payment must be received no later than February 12th and if payment is not received by this date, your spot on the course will be forfeited to give to a candidate on the waitlist. If you wish to transfer your spot in the course to another candidate, you must notify ACS Staff no later than 3 days prior to the course. Cancellation Policy: There is a $75 administrative fee for cancelations received by February 14. No refunds will be provided for cancelations received after this date.

Additional Information

For additional information, contact Michelle McNeilly, Senior Manager, Continuing Education Programs and Lifelong Learning mmcneilly@facs.org or 312-244-0017 or contact Daniel Cox at dcox@facs.org or 312-202-5053.

Testimonials

• “After passing the real exam, I can undoubtedly say the material and clinical scenarios from the ACS General Surgery Oral Examination Prep Course were the most realistic of any other preparation courses. The faculty are extremely seasoned and have a lot of experience with the oral boards. Their feedback about my performance during the clinical scenarios was insightful and helped me focus on how to effectively deliver my responses. If you do any practice courses for the oral boards, it should be this one!”
• “Passing the American Board of Surgery General Surgery Certifying Examination is an important milestone for general surgeons. The ACS General Surgery Oral Examination Prep Course provides structured clinical scenarios where candidates can practice their exam-taking skills in a virtual environment. What’s unique about this course is that the exams are given by experienced faculty who are familiar with the examination process, and participants receive valuable and immediate constructive feedback about their strengths, weaknesses, and demeanor.”
• “ACS mock oral was very beneficial. It provides a similar experience as the real oral boards and the feedback was very helpful. Highly recommend!”

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
• E. Christopher Ellison, MD, FACS, MAMSE, Co-Chair
• John B. Hanks MD, FACS
• Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, FSACME, MAMSE
• Kenneth W. Sharp, MD, FACS, MAMSE
• Thomas F. Tracy Jr., MD, FACS
• John A. Weigelt, MD, DVM, FACS

Consultants

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