ACS Objective Assessment of Skills in Surgery (ACS OASIS)

The American College of Surgeons Objective Assessment of Skills in Surgery (ACS OASIS) is a formative assessment that can be used to identify areas of strength and weakness in selected technical skills of junior-level surgical trainees (PGY-2). ACS OASIS uses simulation-based, time-limited stations with faculty assessors to measure resident performance on a series of technical tasks essential for surgical practice. Significantly, the ACS OASIS results will support surgical trainees, surgical educators, and program directors in tailoring learning activities to address individual and group needs in the competency-based education and training era.

ACS OASIS offers the following features:

• Individualized feedback regarding trainee performance at each station
• Benchmarking data for comparing residents across participating programs
• Detailed instructions for administering the assessment within surgical residency programs

ACS OASIS includes a comprehensive set of resources: validated rater checklists, standardized instructional videos, model instructions, objectives and stems. Furthermore, the assessment tool offers step-by-step model-building instructions with a list of required materials.

Eight Simulation Stations

• Lipoma
• Laparoscopic Appendectomy
• Laparotomy
• Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
• Ultrasound Guided Central Line Access
• Trocar Veress Needle Insertion
• Repair of Enterotomy
• Chest Tube Placement

Assessment Psychometrics

Development and Authors

In 2017, the American College of Surgeons Division of Education formed the ACS Committee on Objective Assessment of Skills in Surgery, consisting of seasoned surgical educators actively involved in residency programs and community-based settings across North America. Dr. Ajit K. Sachdeva and Dr. Mohsen M. Shabahang co-chaired the committee, working with the members to conceptualize and implement ACS OASIS. The primary goal of the Committee was clear: to create low-cost, simulated, reproducible, and objective assessment tools for surgical trainees in selected competency domains. Committee members established to identify eight stations, focusing on the essential technical skills that junior-level residents or surgical trainees should learn and master by the end of PGY2.

The ACS OASIS was pre-piloted to establish feasibility and to gather information regarding implementation at two sites. Following the pre-pilot, rater checklists, model instructions, and evaluation forms were refined based on feedback from faculty assessors and surgical trainees. ACS OASIS was piloted from 2021-2023 at several sites. Psychometric results indicated high discrimination between low and high-performing trainees, and acceptable inter-rater and inter-station reliability.

ACS OASIS Publication

Shabahang MM, Adetunji AA, Daley BJ, Mpinga E, Sudan R, Tillou A, Blair PG, Park YS, Lipsett PA, Jarman BT, Sachdeva AK. American College of Surgeons Objective Assessment of Skills in Surgery (ACS OASIS): A Formative Assessment of Junior Residents' Technical Skills. J Surg Educ. 2022 Nov-Dec;79(6):e194-e201. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.07.007. Epub 2022 Jul 25. PMID: 35902347.

Leadership Team

• Mohsen Shabahang, MD, PhD, FACS, Co-Chair
• Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, FSACME, MAMSE, Co-Chair
• Patrice Gabler Blair, DrPH, MPH
• Gyusung I. Lee, PhD

Project Development Advisors

A team of advisors from across the country helped develop OASIS.

Enrollment

Enrollment for the 2025 ACS OASIS is open from May 1–June 16, 2025.

Price

The cost of the 2025 ACS OASIS is $200 per resident (completing PGY-2 in June 2025)

Due Date

The due date of the assessment data submission to ACS for benchmark data comparison is August 31, 2025

Individual and program reports to participating programs are due September 30, 2025

Note: The 2025 ACS OASIS is intended for PGY-2 residents completing PGY-2 in June 2025. Due to the launch of the OASIS in May 2025, the timeline for the 2025 OASIS process is shifted by several months. Therefore, some PGY-2 residents may be assessed after completing the PGY-2 in June 2025. The OASIS reports from the ACS will be delivered to each participating residency program office by September 31, 2025. After this cycle, the 2026 OASIS will follow our regular timelines, including delivering the ACS OASIS reports by June 30, 2026.

Process

1. The participating program completes the enrollment application.
2. The program completes the payment.
3. The program is granted access to the ACS OASIS materials.
4. The program prepares the ACS OASIS stations by acquiring model materials and building the models. Creating models may take longer in some institutions.
5. The program conducts the assessments of its PGY-2 residents.
6. The program administrator enters the resident assessment data into the ACS database for benchmarking learner performance.
7. The ACS sends learner and program performance benchmark comparison data to the program director.

Confidential Results and Reports

Resident assessment data submission to the ACS will use unique participant codes with no identifiable information. Only the participating residency programs have the name-code matching table. The resident assessment data collected from multiple programs will be used to create an aggregated data set for nationwide benchmark comparison.

Following the assessments and submission of the data, program directors will receive confidential reports with data on the technical skills performance of their residents. Results list each surgical skills station, as well as the overall distribution of scores on the assessment with respect to the residency program and national benchmarks. These reports will allow program directors and each resident to recognize specific strengths and to develop learning plans to address focused areas for improvement.

Contact Us

For more information, e-mail acsoasis@facs.org or call 312-202-5782.