Accredited Education Institute

The Center for the Future of Surgery has been accredited as a comprehensive – Accredited Education Institute (AEI) by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). An ACS-AEI addresses the educational needs of a broad spectrum of learners and advances the science of simulation-based surgical education. The overall goals of the ACS -AEI program are to enhance surgical patient safety, support surgeons’ maintenance of certification requirements, address the competencies that all surgeons and surgical residents need to achieve and demonstrate, and enhance access to contemporary surgical education. AEIs provide learners an opportunity to learn and practice new skills, and receive immediate feedback without compromising patient safety or comfort. AEIs also conduct innovative research to advance simulation-based surgical education.

The AEI accreditation program is a voluntary peer-review process. Institutions that successfully complete the process are accredited for a period of five years. To receive accreditation, an institution undergoes a stringent two-part review process that first requires an onsite survey conducted by a team of experienced surgeon site reviewers who have expertise in skills and simulation education. After determining the institution’s ability to demonstrate compliance with nineteen Criteria in five Standards (Personnel; Governance and Budget; Learners and Educational Resources; Educational Methodology; and Advancement of the Field), a site visit report is reviewed and assessed to determine compliance for each criterion. A formal recommendation is then made to the Accreditation Review Committee and is voted on by the committee, at which time a decision is made whether to grant a five-year accreditation.

There are two levels of accreditation, Comprehensive and Focused, each with specific requirements. The level of accreditation status differs based, in part, on the focus of the educational program, the learners served, the curriculum offered, and the technological support and resources available. The Center for the Future of Surgery as a comprehensive AEI, provides a comprehensive program which educates at least four learner groups, develops original curricula, offers a broad spectrum of education programs and has the resources and physical space necessary to conduct its educational activities. The institute is also dedicated to the advancement of the field through research and scholarly activities.

Established by the American College of Surgeons’ Division of Education, with approval from the Board of Regents, the AEI Consortium accredited its first institutes in 2006. Today the Consortium is a network of 86 Comprehensive and 10 Focused ACS-AEIs. The AEI program offers unique opportunities for collaborative research.

About the American College of Surgeons

The ACS is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the quality of care for surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The ACS has more than 82,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org.