ACS Medical Student News: Summer 2020

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

Any feedback regarding this newsletter is greatly appreciated. See past issues of ACS Medical Students News.

Thank you,

Hanna Lakew
Membership Specialist, Division of Member Services
hlakew@facs.org

Medical Student COVID-19 Response

The ACS is looking to celebrate our Medical Student members by highlighting the activities of surgery interest groups (SIGs) and other student responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ACS Medical Student Community

We are seeking two medical students to act as administrators for our ACS Medical Student Community forum. Please be sure to complete this application and submit all required documents no later than September 25, 2020.

Administrators will work to manage the Community page, develop discussion posts to engage fellow students, and act as a liaison between medical students in the community and ACS staff/leadership.

Saturday, October 3 | 9:00–11:55 am (CDT)

As we’ve monitored the trajectory of COVID-19 cases and local restrictions in the conference’s host city of Chicago, across the U.S., and throughout the world, we’ve decided to hold the ACS Clinical Congress 2020 as an exclusively virtual event. Clinical Congress will be held October 3–7.

This was not an easy decision to make, but your health, safety, and welfare are of the utmost importance to us. A virtual Clinical Congress will ensure broad participation for all those who want to attend, especially individuals whose institutions have travel bans in place throughout the fall. The virtual Clinical Congress will include a live component and on-demand components beyond the dates of the Clinical Congress.

We are confident we can offer a best-in-class educational event for all attendees, presenters, and exhibitors. Clinical Congress is the largest educational meeting of surgeons in the world. Our program will focus on the latest advances in surgical science, practice, and education, united under this year’s theme of The Joys of Learning, Collaborating, and Giving Back.

Request Medical Minutiae Today!

Get the ACS Medical Student Toolkit

As you know, becoming a Medical Student Member demonstrates your interest in a surgical career, and a commitment to learn more about this exciting and challenging profession. We encourage you to share your membership experience and support your fellow classmates in joining the ACS.

Connect your SIG with the College and receive the Medical Student Toolkit. The kit illustrates the benefits of being an ACS medical student member and includes a PowerPoint presentation containing information about the benefits of medical student membership and information on how to apply.

Register for the Next Grand Rounds Series: Virtual Interviews as Part of Residency Recruitment

Tuesday, September 15 | 7:00–8:00 pm CDT

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators™ has developed the Grand Rounds Series to connect you with experts on a range of clinical and non-clinical topics. The Grand Rounds session are available to all members of the surgical community and offered at no cost.

For questions about the series, please contact Rachel Williams Newman at rnewman@facs.org or call 312-202-5653.

National Tutorial Seminars for Medical Students

The American College of Surgeons Division of Education is delighted to launch a series of online seminars called the National Tutorial Seminars for Medical Students. These online tutorial seminars are based on a national core curriculum and conducted by expert faculty in various surgical specialties. They highlight the foundational principles of surgery and are targeted for students in their core surgical clerkships.

COVID-19 Had an Impact on Medical Education—Read about How to Navigate the Changes

Paul J. Schenarts, MD, FACS

Paul J. Schenarts, MD, FACS

In this RISE article, the author outlines the educational impact COVID-19 has had on medical students and general surgery residents. The article summarizes changes to the clinical experiences of medical students, the residency interview cycle, completion requirements for general surgery residency, and American Board of Surgery certification and provides guidance to educational leaders and learners about the recent changes allowed by regulatory agencies as a result of COVID-19. Read Navigating the Educational Upheaval Due to COVID-19.

A Study on the Influence of Student Loan Debt on General Surgery Resident Career and Lifestyle Decision-Making

Kelsey Gray, MD; Amy H Kaji, MD, PhD; Mary Wolfe, MD, FACS; and colleagues in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS) report that surgical residents consider their debt a significant financial burden. Furthermore, high debt significantly influences their financial security, practice location, and salary goals.

Read Influence of Student Loan Debt on General Surgery Resident Career and Lifestyle Decision-Making and all other JACS content on the Journal’s website.

Get Published in the ACS Case Reviews in Surgery

The ACS Division of Education has launched an online journal, ACS Case Reviews in Surgery, which covers an extensive array of specialties, including breast, colorectal, pediatric, transplant, acute care, trauma, general, and rural surgery. The journal links to other College publications that cover similar topics, including the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Selected Readings in General Surgery, and Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery modules.

The ACS Division of Education has launched an online journal, ACS Case Reviews in Surgery, which covers an extensive array of specialties, including breast, colorectal, pediatric, transplant, acute care, trauma, general, and rural surgery. The journal links to other College publications that cover similar topics, including the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Selected Readings in General Surgery, and Evidence-Based Decisions in Surgery modules.

Medical students are encouraged to submit to ACS Case Reviews in Surgery; however, in order to do so, an ACS Fellow must be included as one of the case report authors.

For more information on this opportunity, contact Claire Sydow at csydow@facs.org.

Join Your Local ACS Chapter

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!