ACS Quality Improvement Course: The Basics

The ACS Quality Improvement Course: The Basics 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 course includes 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.

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.

Our initial preview of the course content in the format of conference sessions was at the 2021 ACS Quality and Safety Conference. The full version of the course is self-paced and available online.

The Workbook

All versions of the course include access to the ACS Quality Improvement Course Workbook. For each of the six modules of the course, the workbook provides activities to apply the course content to your unique context and deepen your understanding of key concepts.

Self-Paced Course

The self-paced course is 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, workbook activities, 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, and exam.

The self-paced course costs $249. A discounted rate of $199 is available for groups of 20+. If your group is based outside of the U.S., you may be eligible for an additional discount. For more information, please contact acsqualitycourse@facs.org.

Attendees of the course will receive a Certificate of Completion upon passing a two-hour exam based on the objectives of the course. This course also offers CME and CNE credit. In order to receive CME or CNE credit, you must both complete the course and pass the exam with a 70 percent or higher. The course qualifies for 20 hours of CME or CNE credit.

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