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History of ARCS

History of the Association of Residency Coordinators in Surgery (ARCS)

The Association of Residency Coordinators in Surgery (ARCS) began in 1988 in Dallas, Texas at the Annual Spring Meeting of The Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) with Paula Ruscio and Sarida Paley organizing the first meeting with approximately thirty coordinators attending. A workshop on "The Role of the Education Coordinator" was presented and it generated interest and enthusiasm for the start of an organization of coordinators.

In 1989, the ARCS met during the APDS meeting in Salt Lake City. It was the focus of this meeting to discuss the importance and need of a coordinator. An ARCS business meeting was held following the closure of the APDS meeting. Representatives from the Residency Review Committee for Surgery spent time talking with coordinators.

San Antonio, Texas was the site of the Spring APDS Meeting in 1990. The business meeting established our organization's name and preliminary discussions were held with Dr. Arthur Aufses, President of the APDS with the decision being that ARCS would be formally recognized by the APDS. A national newsletter was generated as a result of this meeting. The conclusion of this meeting brought together the first Steering Committee. It was decided that a steering committee planning meeting would take place in the fall of each year to organize the upcoming annual meeting.

The first planning session was hosted by Monna Finkle in Kansas City, MO, Sept.14 -15, 1990. It was during this meeting that Paula Ruscio became the official Chair of ARCS.

In 1991, the APDS/ARCS met in LaJolla, California with 71 coordinators in attendance ARCS membership continued to grow.

Eighty-eight coordinators attending the conference in New Orleans in March of 1992.

At the conference in Dallas, Texas in 1993, a formal subcommittee was set up to tackle the issue of the generic job description. Guidelines were discussed but not in place at this time.

Orlando, Florida turned out to be a great site for the 1994 meeting with 113 attendees. Important changes were introduced at this time - the establishment of the Guidelines and a new program format incorporating extended ARCS sessions at the annual meeting. The annual "New Coordinators Workshop" was begun.

The 1995 annual meeting was held in Boston, Massachusetts to a larger membership. With this meeting, the Chair of ARCS now attends the APDS Board of Directors meetings and will have voting privileges. At this time, the revised Guidelines with regards to the term of the Chair, were accepted.

The 1996 annual meeting was held in Phoenix, Arizona. Interactive sessions with Steering Committee members acting as facilitators was introduced into the conference format.

The 1997 annual meeting held in San Diego, CA boasted a registration of 143 coordinators. This was also the first meeting to have the RRC Executive Director, Dr. Boberg, address ARCS.

Baltimore, Maryland was the site of our 1998 annual meeting with a recording breaking attendance of 159 coordinators! The unveiling of the ARCS Survival Guide took place and was used as a reference throughout the meeting. ERAS was introduced, and Thomas Biester presented "Improving Interactions with the Board (ABS)".

Orlando, Florida was the location for our 1999 annual meeting with 147 coordinators in attendance. The ARCS Guidelines (now ARCS Bylaws) had been revised and were approved by the APDS. For the first time, the APDS President addressed our organization and we're hopeful that this will become an annual appearance in our program. An Open Forum at the conclusion of the meeting was successfully initiated.

Phoenix, Arizona was the site for the 2000 annual meeting and attendance at the meetings continues to increase. The Open Forum was held to wrap up the meeting with topics for next years meeting being discussed.

The breath taking Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee was the site for the 2001 annual meeting. This was the first year the APDS/ARCS joined with the Association for Surgical Education and formed the "Surgical Week". ARCS was pleased to have Dr. David Leach, Executive Director from ACGME, as the Keynote Speaker.

2002 brought us back to the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland for our annual meeting. The sessions focused on the ACGME Outcomes Project and legal issues confronting the management of residency programs. Breakout sessions were utilized for small group discussion. The growth of the organization was evident in the topics brought up in the Open Forum: coordinator credentialing and internet-based residency management software programs.

The ASE/APDS/ARCS meeting for 2003 was held in Vancouver, BC, Canada.  Despite a war in Iraq and the threat of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in Canada, 130 surgery residency coordinators gathered in this awe-inspiring city.  Numerous topics were covered with the 80-hour week for the residents being a central focus. Doris Stoll gave an in depth presentation on the implementation and continuing expansion of the competencies.  The most recent revisions to the Common Program Requirements were also presented.  Included in the broad range of topics presented were updates on the Family Medical Leave Act, Visas, changes in the Board application process for the American Board of Surgery, the new PIF and the required competency addendum, a salary survey of coordinators, and portfolios for the residents.  A very hot topic was the credentialing/certification of coordinators.  After discussion, a vote was taken and the coordinators unanimously voted to start the process of applying for a credentialing/certification status.  Ruth Nawotniak was named chair of the committee to be formed for the implementation of this process.  The breakout sessions for Community/Military/University were well attended and will continue to be a part of the program in future years.

ARCS, along with the APDS and ASE, met in Houston in 2004 with a record-breaking attendance.  For the first time since its inception, ARCS invited coordinators from all of the surgical subspecialties to attend the meeting and quite a few did so.  This year, the new coordinators’ workshop was presented by a group of former ARCS Presidents, which will now be a tradition each year.  This year seemed to encompass quite a few “hot topics”, i.e., the new PIF, the 80-hour work week and its documentation, and residency coordinator credentialing.  All of these topics were covered quite thoroughly by presentations from within our own ranks, as well as two Program Directors that joined our panel discussion regarding a RRC site visit.  This year, the Presidents of ARCS and APDS jointly endorsed the ARCS Task Force on Certification, and the ARCS Steering Committee will appoint a liaison to serve on this task force.  Everyone had a great time in Houston and look forward to next year’s meeting in New York City.

2005 – The Surgical Education Week, which includes ASE, APDS, and ARCS was held in New York, NY, with another record-breaking attendance record.  ARCS continues to invite Coordinators of all Surgery subspecialties with great success.  Highlights of this meeting included a great presentation by Dr. Doris Stoll (which can be found as a link on our website) which keeps coordinators informed of changes at the ACGME/RRC level.  Additionally, for the first time, certification was given to coordinators who were certified by the National Board for Certification Training Administrators in Graduate Medical Education of which our own Ruth Nawotniak, MS is the President.  At this meeting, 15 Coordinators were certified by the Board.  This was indeed a milestone meeting for Coordinators who will now be recognized at our Annual Meeting to be presented their Certification.  Everyone had a great time in NYC.  The weather was fantastic for meeting and sightseeing.  We look forward to our meeting in Tucson, Arizona in March 2006.

The organization continues to grow. ARCS is dedicated to educating our members in both the established and current trends in surgical education. With the support and network ARCS has established, we are able to promote the advancement of the professional stature of coordinators across the country.

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