Quality Improvement Education

The first step towards improving the quality of care for every surgical patient is to put the right tools in the hands of healthcare providers. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is committed to equipping every healthcare provider with the basic knowledge and skills they need to start on the path towards quality improvement (QI). 

Whether you are an experienced QI practitioner or starting on your journey of learning QI fundamentals, ACS Quality Improvement Education will help you improve your knowledge of improvement science, mastery of common tools, and understanding of how related fields can inform QI. Completion of our Basics course or workshop will give you and your team a common language and shared mental model of how quality improvement happens.

The future of quality improvement is in your hands. Join us on the journey today.

ACS Quality Improvement Course: The Basics

The ACS Quality Improvement Course: The Basics is intended for anyone working in a healthcare setting who is still learning the foundations of quality improvement, regardless of their role. The course includes six modules that review the quality improvement process, the basics of how to use data for QI, frameworks for understanding change management, the role of leadership and teamwork, and more. Visit the ACS Quality Improvement Course: The Basics webpage for more information and to register for the course.

ACS Quality Improvement Basics Workshop

The ACS Quality Improvement Basics Workshop was offered for the first time at the Quality and Safety Conference 2022. Led by prominent experts in the field of quality improvement, participants learned fundamental concepts of QI through lectures, interactive activities, and engaging discussions with a multidisciplinary audience. 

QI Basics Residents Preconference Workshop

The QI Basics Residents Preconference Workshop was offered for the first time at the 2023 Quality and Safety Conference. This workshop was an adapted version of the ACS Quality Improvement Course that has been optimized for a resident audience. Participants learned the fundamentals of the quality improvement process, including how to select project measures, evaluate context, assemble a team, and gain stakeholder buy-in for a project. Participants engaged in hands-on activities and discussed examples of real resident-driven quality improvement projects.

Dates for future workshops will be shared on this page when they become available.