Glossary of
Terms & RRC Approved Organizations
AAMC
Association
of American Medical Colleges
The Association’s purpose is
the improvement of the nation’s health through the advancement of academic
medicine. As an association of medical schools, teaching hospitals
and academic societies, the AAMC works with its members to set a national
agenda for medical education, biomedical research, and health care and
assists its members by providing services at the national level that
facilitate the accomplishment of their missions. The Association
works to strengthen the quality of medical education and training, to
enhance the search for biomedical knowledge, to advance research in health
services, and to integrate education into the provisions of effective
health care.
ABS
American Board of Surgery
The American
Board of Surgery was formed for the following purposes:
To conduct
examinations of acceptable candidates who seek Certification or
Recertification by the
Board,
issue Certificates of Qualification to all candidates meeting the Board’s
requirements and
satisfactorily completing its prescribed examinations, and improve and
broaden the opportunities for the
graduate
education and training of surgeons.
ABS IT/SBSE
American Board of Surgery
In-Training/Surgical Basic Science Examination
Examination held the last
Saturday of January each year. Offered as a tool for Directors of
accredited surgery programs to identify strengths and weaknesses in their
programs and to measure the general level of knowledge attained by their
residents.
ACADEMIC
YEAR
July 1 -
June 30
ACGME
Accreditation Council for
Graduate Medical Education
Responsible
for the Accreditation of post-MD medical training programs within
theUnited States.
Accreditation is accomplished through a peer review process, and is based
upon established standards
and
guidelines.
Voluntary
association formed by five member organizations. Its member
organizations are national
professional
bodies, each of which has major interests in and involvement with
residency education.
The five
member organizations of the ACGME are as follows:
American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)
American Hospital Association (AHA)
American Medical Association (AMA)
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS)
Each member
organization selects four representatives to the ACGME. The
representatives of the member
organizations in turn select two public members.
ACLS / BLS
Advanced Cardiac Life
Support / Basic Life Support
ACLS is just
the other end of basic life support (BLS). BLS (i.e., CPR) attempts
to give a person in cardiopulmonary arrest an open airway, adequate
ventilation, and (through chest compressions) mechanical circulation to
the vital organs. ACLS attempts to restore spontaneous circulation.
ACLS is interconnected with basic and intermediate life support.
ACLS starts with recognition of a cardiopulmonary/cardiovascular emergency
and moves through defibrillation, advanced airway management, and
rhythm-appropriate IV medications.
At its core,
ACLS presents a way of thinking, a systematic approach to dealing with
people experiencing a cardiopulmonary emergency or even sudden death.
ACLS presents a way for resuscitation providers to treat a desperately ill
patient in a coordinated way, regardless of whether the response team
consists of one person, two people, or a group of 15. ACLS-trained
providers use the same guidelines and same approaches, inside the hospital
as outside the hospital, nationally as well as internationally.
Certification is valid for two years.
ACS
American
College of Surgeons (“The College”)
Scientific
and educational association of surgeons that was organized to improve the
quality of care of the surgical patient by setting high standards for
surgical education and practice. The College fulfills its commitment
to the achievement of surgical excellence through the following major
programs: Fellowship, Continuing Education, Cancer, Trauma, Graduate
Education, Socioeconomic Affairs Department Washington Office, Public
Information, Publications and Administration of the College.
55 East Erie
Street
Chicago, IL
60611
(312)
664-4050
FAX: (312)
440-7014
Website:
www.facs.org
AMA
American Medical
Association
515 North
State Street
Chicago, IL
60610
(800)
262-3211
Website:
www.ama-assn.org
AMA FREIDA
American
Medical Association Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive
Database Access System
System which
collects information on programs and their resident physicians. The
nation’s most comprehensive graduate medical education (GME) database,
which is used to produce the American Medical Association’s Graduate
Medical Education Directory (“The Green Book”) and the on-line companion
products that assist medical students and resident physicians in
identifying appropriate GME programs.
Coordinators
are encouraged to list their name as “person to contact to apply to
program”.
APDS
Association of Program
Directors in Surgery
The purpose
of the APDS is to provide a forum for the exchange of information and for
discussion on a wide range of subjects related to post-graduate surgical
education. It maintains high standards of residency training in
general surgery and the specialties of surgery by improving graduate
education. The APDS provides advice, assistance and support to
program directors on matters pertaining to surgical education and
accreditation and also encourages research in the education and training
of general surgeons and surgical specialties. They represent the
interests of program directors to other organizations, individuals and
governmental or regulatory bodies concerned with surgical education.
ARCS
Association of Residency
Coordinators in Surgery
An
organization established as an educational resource to foster the exchange
of ideas and information for persons in the position of surgery residency
coordinator.
ATLS
Advanced Trauma Life
Support
The American
College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma has worked to establish standards
for the care of the trauma patient. This course teaches
well-established treatment methods and approaches trauma care in a
systematized manner, presenting to the physician a concise method of
establishing assessment and management priorities in the care of the
trauma patient.
PROGRAM
GOALS:
The Advanced
Trauma Life Support Course provides the physician with a safe, reliable
method for immediate management of the injured patient and the basic
knowledge necessary to:
1.
Assess the patient’s condition rapidly and accurately.
2.
Resuscitate and stabilize the patient on a priority basis.
3.
Determine if the patient’s needs will likely exceed a facility’s
capabilities.
4.
Arrange for the patient’s inter hospital transfer.
5.
Assure that optimum care is provided each step of the way.
Certification is valid for four years.
CATEGORICAL
Position
which provides the opportunity for completion of training required for
specialty certification, provided their performance is satisfactory.
CERTIFYING
EXAMINATION
- oral (ABS)
Held six
times a year. Examinations consist of three oral sessions conducted
by teams of two examiners each, directed toward determining the
candidate’s understanding of clinical entities, level of surgical
judgment, problem-solving ability, and sensitivity to moral and ethical
issues. During all sessions the ability to apply knowledge of
anatomy, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, and bacteriology to clinical
problems is also evaluated. Must pass the ABS Qualifying Examination
for admission to the Certifying Examination.
CPT
Current
Procedural Terminology
Listing of
descriptive terms and identifying codes for reporting medical services and
procedures performed by physicians. The purpose of the terminology
is to provide a uniform language that will accurately describe medical,
surgical and diagnostic services, and will thereby provide an effective
means for reliable nationwide communication among physicians, patients and
third parties. CPT manual is update yearly.
Descriptive
terms residents use in recording their surgical operative log (SOL).
DEFINED
CATEGORIES
The areas prescribed by the
ABS for the collection of specific operative experience. The procedures
included are called index cases. Each category has a minimum number of
required cases that has been determined by the ABS. This minimum standard
must be met to qualify to sit for the Qualifying Examination.
ECFMG
Educational Commission for
Foreign Medical Graduates
An organization that through a program of certification, assesses the
readiness of graduates of foreign medical schools to enter residency or
fellowship programs in the United States that are accredited by the ACGME.
ERAS
Electronic Residency
Application Service
ERAS is a
service which transmits residency applications, letters of recommendation,
Dean’s Letters, transcripts and other supporting credentials from medical
schools to residency program directors using the Internet. All
medical students, including international students, must apply through
ERAS for residency. International students access this program
through the ECFMG office.
GME
Graduate Medical Education
Prepares
physicians for practice in a medical specialty. Focuses on the
development of clinical skills and professional competencies and on the
acquisition of detailed factual knowledge in a medical specialty.
This learning process prepares the physician for the independent practice
of medicine in that specialty.
The single
most important responsibility of any program of GME is to provide an
organized educational program with guidance and supervision of the
resident, facilitating the resident’s professional and personal
development while ensuring safe and appropriate care for patients. A
resident takes on progressively greater responsibility throughout the
course of a residency, consistent with individual growth in clinical
experience, knowledge and skill.
GRADUATE
MEDICAL EDUCATION DIRECTORY
(“The
Bible” or “The Green Book”)
Published by the American
Medical Association (AMA). Is the official list of programs
accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Provides medical students with a list of accredited graduate medical
education (GME) programs in the United States.
NRMP
National Resident Matching
Program
The
program’s purpose is to provide a uniform date when decisions about
residency selection can be made by both applicants and programs, thus
providing the opportunity for both applicants and programs to consider all
of their options before making selection decisions.
PGY
Post Graduate Year
Each PGY level corresponds to a
year spent in a residency program.
PRELIMINARY
Position which provides one or
two years of prerequisite training for entry into advanced positions in
specialty programs that require one or more years of broad clinical
training.
“Designated” preliminary
resident – one who has matched with another specialty (anesthesia,
orthopedics, urology, etc) for the following year. Program must have
a copy of the letter from the specialty the resident has matched with as
proof they are a designated resident.
PRINCIPLE
COMPONENTS OF SURGERY
Primary areas of experience as
stated in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s
Program Requirement for Residency Education in General Surgery: “a program
must provide experience in preoperative, operative, and postoperative care
for patients in all areas that constitute the PRINCIPLE COMPONENTS OF
GENERAL SURGERY: specifically diseases of...
Head and neck
Breast
Skin and soft tissues
Alimentary tract
Abdomen
Vascular System
Endocrine System
The comprehensive management of trauma and emergency operations
Surgical critical care
Additional
components that must also be encompassed in the teaching program are...”
Cardiothoracic surgery
Pediatric surgery
Plastic surgery
Burn management
Transplant surgery
Endoscopy
Urology
Gynecology
Neurosurgery
Orthopedics
Anesthesiology
QUALIFYING
EXAMINATION
- written (ABS)
Once a year, in the fall.
Consists of multiple-choice questions designed to evaluate knowledge of
general surgical principles and the basic sciences applicable to Surgery.
Successful completion of the Qualifying Examination is a requirement for
all to attain the status of “Candidate for Certification” and admission to
the Certifying Examination.
RRC
Residency Review Committee
Composed of
representatives of the American Board of Surgery, the American College of
Surgeons and the AMA Council on Medical Education. Newsletters are
sent out each fall and spring.
SESAP
Surgical
Education and Self-Assessment Program
Distributed
by the American College of Surgeons. Complete home-study program
that maintains and improves proficiency through self-evaluation and
self-instruction. Useful adjunct in preparation for the American
Board of Surgery Qualifying Examination and may be helpful as adjunct in
preparing for ABS IT/SBSE. Available in book format or a
computerized version for either Macintosh or IBM.
SOL
Surgical Operative Log
During the
five year general surgery residency training each resident must maintain a
Surgical Operative Log (SOL). The SOL is a record of all the
surgical cases a resident has participated in during their residency.
These are cases which take place in the operating room and also includes
names and diagnosis of critically ill patients who did not have an
operation for whom the resident cared. At the conclusion of the
general surgery residency training, each resident must submit their final
case numbers to the ACGME/RRC and ABS for review.
USMLE
United
States Medical Licensing Examination
Single,
three-step examination for medical licensure in the United States.
The USMLE provides a common evaluation system for applicants for medical
licensure. Each step is administered twice annually.
PURPOSE OF
STEP 1...
to determine
if an examinee understands and can apply important concepts of the basic
biomedical sciences, with a special emphasis on principle and mechanisms
underlying health, disease, and modes of therapy. Step 1 must be
taken by the medical student in the second year of medical school.
PURPOSE OF
STEP 2...
to determine
if an examinee possesses the medical knowledge and understanding of
clinical science considered essential for provision of patient care under
supervision, including emphasis on health promotion and disease
prevention. Step 2 must be taken in the fourth year of medical
school, before the student graduates.
PURPOSE OF
STEP 3...
to determine
if a physician possesses the medical knowledge and understanding of
clinical science considered essential for the unsupervised practice of
medicine, with emphasis on patient management in ambulatory-care settings.
Step 3 should be taken in the spring of the first year of residency.
RRC Approved
Organizations:
Abbreviations To be Used for
National Memberships and Organizations
ABA
American Board of Anesthesiology
ABCRS
American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery
ABD
American Board of Dermatology
ABEM
American Board of Emergency Medicine
ABFP
American Board of Family Practice
ABIM
American Board of Internal Medicine
ABNS
American Board of Neurological Surgery
ABNM
American Board of Nuclear Medicine
ABOG
American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
ABOP
American Board of Opthalmology
ABOS
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
ABOT
American Board of Otolaryngology
ABPA
American Board of Pathology
ABPE
American Board of Pediatrics
ABPMR
American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
ABPS
American Board of Plastic Surgery
ABPM
American Board of Preventive Medicine
ABPN
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
ABR
American Board of Radiology
ABTS
American Board of Thoracic Surgery
ABU
American Board of Urology
National/Regional Organizations and their Abbreviations
AAPSS
American Academy of Pediatrics (Surgical Section)
AAHS
American Association for Hand Surgery
AATS
American Association for Thoracic Surgery
AAPS
American Association of Plastic Surgeons
AAVAS
American Association of Veterans Administration Surgeons
ABA
American Burn Association
APSA
American Pediatric Surgical Association
ASSH
American Society for Surgery of the Hand
ASCRS
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
ASMS
American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons
ASPRS
American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons
ASTS
American Society of Transplant Surgeons
ASA
American Surgical Association
ATA
American Thyroid Association
AAS
Association for Academic Surgery
ASE
Association for Surgical Education
APDS
Association of Program Directors in Surgery
ASGBI
Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland
CACS
Canadian Association of Clinical Surgeons
CAGS
Canadian Association of General Surgeons
CSA
Central Surgical Association
EAST
Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma
ESS
Eastern Surgical Society
ISCVS
International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery
ISS
International Society of Surgery/Societe Internationale de Chirurgie
MSA
Midwest Surgical Association
NESS
New England Surgical Society
NPSA
North Pacific Surgical Association
PCSA
Pacific Coast Surgical Association
PVSS
Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society
RSM
Royal Society of Medicine
SCVS
Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery
SSAT
Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
SVS
Society for Vascular Surgery
SAGES
Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons
SCS
Society of Clinical Surgery
SHNS
Society of Head and Neck Surgeons
SSO
Society of Surgical Oncology
STS
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
SUS
Society of University Surgeons
SESC
Southeastern Surgical Congress
SSCS
Southern Society of Clinical Surgeons
SSA
Southern Surgical Association
STSA
Southern Thoracic Surgical Association
SWSC
Southwestern Surgical Congress
SSS
State Surgical Society
SIS
Surgical Infection Society
WSA
Western Surgical Association
WTSA
Western Thoracic Surgical Association
