ACS accreditation a ‘crown jewel’ for UNMC

UNMC’s iEXCEL program and Department of Surgery have received one of the nation’s most prestigious accreditations, having recently received a five-year accreditation as a Comprehensive Accredited Education Institute (AEI) by the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Chancellor Gold speaks to iEXCEL’s Jenni Bouckhuyt and Ben Stobbe on the advantages of accreditation.

An ACS-AEI designation confirms that iEXCEL and the UNMC Department of Surgery address the educational needs of a broad spectrum of learners and advances the science of simulation-based education.

UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said, “This prestigious accreditation is both hard-won and well-deserved. It is the result of the hard work of so many, and an acknowledgement that UNMC is a national leader in medical education, and one of America’s rising academic health science centers.”

Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, Varner Professor of Surgical Oncology & Global Health and associate dean of graduate medical education, called the designation a “crown jewel” that UNMC has been working toward for 10 years. The thought of seeking this prestigious accreditation started about a decade ago when medical simulation was housed in the Sorrell Simulation Center. However, it was the addition of iEXCEL, and a comprehensive, interprofessional, campus-wide effort that put UNMC’s application over the top.

“This accreditation will give us the platform to accelerate our innovative efforts and cement our role as leaders in simulation-based education,” Dr. Are said.

“Achieving this level of ACS Accreditation takes extraordinary teamwork and collaboration,” said Pamela Boyers, PhD, associate vice chancellor, clinical simulation, iEXCEL. “Thanks to highly coordinated efforts between iEXCEL leadership, the Department of Surgery, UNMC college deans, faculty, and UNMC leadership, our application and the review process yielded a successful outcome!”

“We are honored to receive this prestigious recognition of excellence.”

Drs. Are and Boyers recognized Benjamin Stobbe, assistant vice chancellor for clinical simulation, as instrumental in leading the accreditation effort. The pair also offered thanks to Ashlee Duffy, accreditation specialist, UNMC Department of Surgery, for her efforts with compiling the application materials, and Jenni Bouckhyut, manager, surgical simulation, iEXCEL for her expertise.

The overall goals of the ACS-AEI program are to enhance patient safety, address the competencies that all learners need to demonstrate and achieve, and enhance access to hands-on comprehensive education. AEIs also conduct innovative research to advance simulation-based education.

There are two levels of accreditation, “Comprehensive” and “Focused,” each with specific requirements. The level of accreditation status differs based in part on the focus of the educational program, the learners served, the curriculum offered and the technological support and resources available. The UNMC iEXCEL program, as an accredited Comprehensive ACS-AEI, develops original curricula, offers a broad spectrum of education programs and has the resources and physical space necessary to conduct its educational and research activities.

iEXCEL and the space and equipment in the Davis Global Center, and the effective training of a variety of learners from different health professions were key elements in achieving this prestigious accreditation, Dr. Are said.

Established by the American College of Surgeons’ Division of Education, with approval from the Board of Regents, the AEI Consortium accredited its first institutes in 2006. Today the Consortium is a network of 90 Comprehensive and 10 Focused ACS-AEIs. Additionally, the AEI program offers unique opportunities for collaborative research among these accredited institutions globally.