ACS Medical Student News: Summer 2022

Welcome to ACS Medical Students News. This quarterly newsletter will inform you informed on important opportunities and medical student initiatives throughout the College.  

Any feedback regarding this newsletter is greatly appreciated.  Past issues of ACS Medical Students News can be found on the Medical Student webpage.

Enjoy this issue,

Anita Johnson
Member Specialist, Division of Member Services

The ACS/ASE (Association for Surgical Education) Medical Student Core Curriculum addresses the competency-based surgical cognitive skills all medical students need—not just students interested in pursuing surgery—before they graduate.

Surgical and nonsurgical faculty, deans, and medical students at US medical schools conducted an extensive needs assessment to identify these essential surgery topics. The curriculum—developed in accordance with this consensus—provides the foundational elements of core surgical knowledge. The curriculum also can be used to develop standardized assessments of essential knowledge of medical students completing their core surgical clerkships.

You can access the curriculum at ACS/ASE Medical Student Core Curriculum.  The curriculum is available at no cost to faculty or students.

These online tutorial seminars are based on the content of the ACS/ASE Medical Student Core Curriculum and conducted by expert faculty in various surgical specialties. They highlight the foundational principles of surgery and are targeted for students who are in their core surgical clerkships.

You can access each of the 19 webinar recordings by visiting the National Tutorial Seminars for Medical Students website.  These webinars are available to view at no cost and have logged more than 280,000 views to date. Login today to view the newly streamlined seminars.

This joint program of the ACS and ASE provides materials that use simulation and simulators to help medical students:

• Have structured, uniform, and consistent learning experiences
• Acquire the essential surgical skills all physicians need
• Build a solid foundation for further training

The simulation-based modules can be used to teach clinical skills—from taking a history and physical and signing out a patient to inserting a central venous line with ultrasound guidance. The topics are aligned based on the year they are most often taught.

You can access the curriculum by visiting the ACS/ASE Medical Student Simulation-Based Surgical Skills Curriculum website.  The curriculum is offered at no cost to faculty or students.

American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress

October 16-18, 2022

San Diego Convention Center, CA

The ACS Division of Education invites students from all four years of medical school to participate in a special three-day program designed especially for them. Programming varies from day to day, and students are welcome to attend all or selected portions of this three-day program. Students must register for both Clinical Congress and the Medical Student Program at facs.org/clincon2022. ACS Medical Student Members can attend free of charge.

Some of the planned presentations and activities are listed below:

• How to Be a Cut Above
• Mastering the Surgical Residency Interview
• Skills Workshops
• Mock Interview Practice
• Networking with Specialty Surgeons, Program Directors, and Surgical Residents

 For details about the ACS Medical Student Program, contact cbuchignani@facs.org.

The ACS Committee on Medical Student Education hosted a webinar, “Away Rotations—Should I Stay, or Should I Go?” on the pros and cons of away rotations during the MS-4 year. The online seminar features an enlightening debate between Paul J. Schenarts, MD, FACS, and Jeremy Lipman, MD, MHPE, FACS, both seasoned leaders in surgical education.

You can view now at our webpage for the National Professional Development Seminars for Medical Students.

 View more of the National Professional Development Seminars for Medical Students, including:

• Advice and Guidance to Medical Students Pursuing a Career in Surgery
• Is a Surgical Career Right for Me?
• Standing Out During Your Surgery Clerkship

For more ACS educational content for medical students, bookmark this page.

The Resident and Associate Society Membership Committee has planned a year-long walk through the various subspecialties in addition to covering topics of particular interest to medical students and resident interns. All Hangouts convene on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 pm Central time (exceptions to this schedule are in August, and September). For information on topics and registration, go to https://www.facs.org/member-services/ras/hangout.

Register for the August 8 Hangout on “Choosing a Specialty: OB/GYN, Oral and Maxillofacial, Otolaryngology, and Vascular”

• This Hangout will assist medical students and others on how: Preparing for careers in OB/GYN, oral and maxillofacial, otolaryngology, and vascular surgery
• Working and living as an OB/GYN, oral and maxillofacial, otolaryngology, vascular surgeon in a positive and healthy way
• Types of cases an OB/GYN, oral and maxillofacial, otolaryngology, and vascular surgeon would encounter
• Barriers and opportunities for training in these specialties
• Future directions in these disciplines

Enhance your experience as an ACS member by joining your local ACS chapter to influence surgical care and network with colleagues at the local level. Visit Find a Chapter to learn more about how to join today!

Medical students have been posting regularly on the ACS Medical Student Communities about various topics. Please take some time to join the discussion.