the american board of surgery key elements for new...

The American Board of Surgery Key Elements for New Coordinators

Association of Residency Coordinators in SurgeryNew Coordinators Workshop – April 29, 2009

Barbara Jalbert-Gerkens

The American Board of Surgery The American Board of Surgery −− www.absurgery.orgwww.absurgery.org

Key Points

! ABSITE ! QE Applications! Resident Roster vs. Roster Verification! New Requirements! Resources for Programs! Your Input


ABSITE – key points! The ABSITE is a tool for program directors to

assess the strengths and weaknesses within their own program. And as such:

" Residents contacting the ABS to discuss and/or obtain results will be directed to contact program;

" ABS does not provide transcripts to any third party, including the resident, ERAS, etc.;

" Advise residents to keep individual score report – it is their ONLY record;

" ABS does not condone the use of the ABSITE for promotion or fellowship selection.


! Make arrangements with host program for your resident who is on an outside rotation.

! To order, junior exam is for clinical levels 1 and 2; senior exam for clinical levels 3, 4, and 5.

! For residents in research/lab, clinical level is the last clinical year prior to entering research/lab.

! Program director can make final determination of exam level, junior vs. senior.

! Seating chart must accurately reflect each examinee location on exam day.

ABSITE – getting ready


ABSITE: Accommodations & Religious Exceptions

! Accommodations for the ABSITE is a program director decision and does not guarantee accommodations on the QE.

! See our policy “Examination of Persons with Disabilities”found on our website.

! For religious exceptions, the ABS requires that the ABSITE is given on Sunday; not any other day.

! Programs must notify the ABS in writing of any religious exceptions either before the exam or with the return of the answer sheets.


ABSITE – Unaffiliated Examinee! An examinee, who is not a resident in a program

must find a program whose director is willing to allow him/her to take ABSITE along with residents.

! Program must order and pay for booklet.

! Examinee’s results will be included along with the program’s results. Results will not be provided directly to examinee.

! It is the program’s discretion to say “No”.


! Junior exam has two versions: red and blue exam booklets with matching answer sheets.

! Make sure that an examinee with a red exam book has a red answer sheet.

! Senior exam is green.

! Stress to residents to complete answer sheet accurately.

ABSITE – day of exam


ABSITE – completion of answer sheet

Scoring and reporting of the ABSITE is basedentirely on what is entered in name, SSN#, program code, and PGY level fields.

Advise residents to double check what they entered.

No corrected reports provided for miscoding.


! Make sure that all exam books and answer sheets are counted and that answer sheets are not left in exam books.

! If an extra book was used on day of exam, program that used the book will be charged regardless of who took exam.

! Results will be posted on ABS website for only a limited time. Save all reports. ABS does not keep individual score reports; program summary reports are kept for 5 years.

! Included with results are: Explanation and Interpretation of Score Reports, ITE Score Graphs & Percentiles, and ABS Policy Regarding Examination Results.

ABSITE – after the exam


Next ABSITE

is January 30, 2010


! Application must be signed by program director.

" Notify the ABS of any change in program director and include the effective date of change as ABS is not always notified of such changes.

! Include copy of ACGME Resident Operative Experience Report with application.

! 42 months devoted to content areas of general surgery.

! 150 chief cases; 750 cases in five year.

! Provide documentation of satisfactory completion if training occurred in more than one program.

QE Applications - troubleshooting


Graduate Medical Education

Incorrectly grouped as yearly total

All vacations and leaves of absence must be listed in this section. This includes time taken for interviews, visa issues and early departure for fellowships, etc.

Each rotation must be listed.

No gaps allowed.


Chief Year Rotations

Not a content area of general surgery

> 4 months

Chief rotation?


Content Areas for General Surgery! Alimentary Tract! Abdomen and its Contents! Breast, Skin and Soft Tissue! Endocrine System! Head and Neck! Pediatric Surgery! Surgical Critical Care! Surgical Oncology! Trauma/Burns! Vascular Surgery! Thoracic surgery & transplantation are permissible

in the chief year


Reporting of Surgical Critical Care

# These sections cannot be left blank!# Resident should either enter data and resubmit the op report or

provide a detailed written description of Non-Operative Trauma and/or Surgical Critical Care experience.


Transplant Experience

! Resident must have either a rotation in transplant or operative experience in transplant. If not, send patient roster with application.

! ABS requires pre-operative, operative and post-operative experience in transplant.

! Objective is for resident to have direct patient care of transplant patients.


After Approval

! Resident will be notified to complete online exam registration and submit separate exam fee.

! Once processed, exam authorization letter will be mailed.! Advise residents to maintain a current email and mailing

address by using “My Records” on our website.! Schedule exam center with Pearson as soon as exam

authorization letter is received. ! Reminder – Centers, particularly urban centers fill up

quickly! Delay in scheduling a center will likely result in traveling outside local area.


Limitation on Number of Residency Programs

! 60 months of training completed in no more than three programs.

! This limit applies regardless of whether applicant completed training as non-designated preliminary or categorical resident.

! Applicants who were in more than 3 programs will be required to repeat one or more years of training to comply with this limit.


Licensure

! QE (written exam)" Must have current, full

and unrestricted medical license if taking QE more than 6 months following the completion of residency

! CE (oral exam)" Current, full and

unrestricted medical license is an absoluterequirement when taking CE, regardless of how soon following residency

Temporary, limited, or educational licenses are NOTacceptable, even if pursuing advanced training or fellowship.

Certification requires a current, full and unrestricted medical license.


Resident Roster for Current Academic Year

! Roster must include all non-designated preliminary, designated preliminary and categorical residents.

! Name and Social Security number as listed on the roster are used to create ABS records for each graduating chief.

! Number of graduating chiefs must match number of RRC-approved positions.

! If your program receives temporary approval for increase in resident complement, provide documentation to ABS. The ABS is not always notified.


Roster Verification! Program verifies whether each resident satisfactorily

completed 48 weeks of clinical activity by June 30 and indicates whether resident is continuing in program;

! For residents who did not satisfactorily complete 48 weeks or are off-cycle, an explanation must be provided;

! Verification is signed by program director and submitted to the ABS. This verification will be considered a standing record your resident’s training;

! The ABS will refer to this information when a resident applies to verify that he/she has satisfactorily completed five years of general surgery training.


! ACLS, ATLS, FLS Certification

" Can be completed at any time during training

" Provide evidence of successful completion

" Certification does not need to be valid at time of application

! Surgical Critical Care Requirements

" Minimum of 25 cases in surgical critical care patient management

" Minimum of one in each of the seven categories

New for 2009-2010


Resources for Programs

The “Training Programs” tab is a central location for information/policies related to surgery programs and residents. Only the Program Contact Information, Resident Rosters and ABSITE menu items are password protected.


Resources - continued

The “General Surgery Program Resources” menu item offers useful links to ABS publications, like the Booklet of Information and the ABS Newsletter.


Resources - continued

By clicking on the “Related Policies” option, you will find various ABS policies, such as “Examinations of Persons with Disabilities”, “Credit for Foreign Graduate Medical Education”, and “Limitation on Number of Programs”, etc.


On behalf of the ABS,thank you for your

efforts!

Questions?

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