Report on the Strategic Plan for the Association of Program Directors in Surgery 20062008

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Report on the Strategic Planfor theAssociation
of Program Directors in Surgery2006-2008

• Joseph B. Cofer, M.D., F.A.C.S.

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Participants in the planning session
were Karen Borman, M.D. John R. Potts, III,
M.D. L. D. Britt, M.D. Robert S. Rhodes,
M.D. Joseph B. Cofer, M.D. Ajit Sachdeva,
M.D. Thomas Cogbill, M.D. Paula Termuhlen,
M.D. Charles M. Ferguson, M.D. R. James
Valentine, M.D. Mr. Thomas F. Fise Richard E.
Welling, M.D. Carl Haisch, M.D. Karen Horvath,
M.D.
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Decision Criteria for Strategic Action

• Is it consistent with the mission and purpose
  of APDS?
• Is it actionable? Can it be implemented?
• Is it affordable? Can it be implemented
  within current
• resources?
• Does it impact a significant number of
  members?
• Are the intended results reviewable and
  measurable?

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MISSION STATEMENT

• The mission of the APDS is to prepare the
  surgeons of tomorrow to provide excellence in
  patient care.

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APDS will maintain high standards and integrity
in graduate surgical education by

• Encouraging the exchange of information and
  advancement of knowledge.
• Supporting the professional development,
  performance and advancement of surgical program
  directors.
• Supporting research and scholarship.
• Exercising our leadership role in the development
  of national standards and curricula.

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In support of this Mission the APDS will pursue
the following four key areasLeadershipOrganizat
ional MaturityProfessional DevelopmentCompetence

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Leadership
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Pursue formal, consistent representation for
APDS on the RRC, with the American College of
Surgeons, and other organizations that govern and
influence graduate surgical education.
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Establish an ethics committee to study, review,
and publish guidelines for surgical programs,
residents, and program directors.
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Charge to Ethics Committee

• Examine the relationship between pharmaceutical
  companies and surgical residency programs.
• Publish guidelines to enable surgical residency
  programs to deal with industry representatives in
  an ethical way.
• Specifically work to establish certain tools that
  will enable residency programs to effectively
  educate their residents in professionalism.
• Comprise the committee with members from
  university, hybrid, and community programs.

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Establish an issues committee to evaluate the
impact of current issues in training, funding,
accreditation, technology, specialization, etc.,
in support of APDS leaders and members.
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Charge to Issues Committee

• Examine the issue of the increasing or decreasing
  attractiveness of a career in general surgery
  amongst medical students.
• Examine ways to obtain ethical sources of funding
  for surgical education.
• Examine the issue of accreditation for residency
  program directors.
• Investigate ways general surgery programs can
  train their residents to encourage them to go in
  to rural general surgery.
• Investigate the impact of newer technology on
  general surgical training programs.
• Understand the role of early specialization for
  general surgery residents in their training.
• Compose the committee of a mixture of university,
  hybrid, and community programs.

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Charge to Industry Committee

• Develop ethical ways to increase industry support
  for resources necessary for general surgical
  training. These resources may be composed of
  unrestricted educational grants or technological
  equipment, such as simulators, to advance our
  mission.
• Increase the number of industry sponsors at our
  annual meetings.
• Investigate ways to have industry endow certain
  lectures with unrestricted educational grants.
• Comprise the committee with a mixture of
  university, hybrid, and community programs.

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Establish a curriculum committee to continue to
work on curriculum design with the American Board
of Surgery (ABS) and other entities.
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Charge to the Curriculum Committee

• Develop a comprehensive set of goals and
  objectives to cover the educational aspects of
  the primary components of surgery.
• The curriculum must be exportable to both large
  and small residency programs. It must be
  affordable.
• Develop explicit tools and methods to comply with
  ACGME competencies.
• The chairman should make an attempt to
  incorporate members from university, hybrid, and
  community programs.
• Develop metrics and measurements that support the
  collection, evaluation, and reporting of data
  that measures and defines competence among
  graduate surgical programs.
• Collect and report data on the resident
  experience.
• Monitor and evaluate the number of citations
  given to graduate surgical programs and evaluate
  opportunities for improvement.
• Monitor the accreditation cycles for member
  programs.

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Establish a skills curriculum committee to study
the needs and opportunities related to current
trends in training and testing of surgical skills
among residents.
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Charge to the Simulation/Skills Lab Committee

• To construct a national curriculum for the
  teaching and mastery of surgical skills.
• Curriculum should be robust enough to meet the
  requirements of the RRC for surgery and should
  be affordable and readily exportable to all
  accredited surgical residents.
• Committee should be composed of those surgeons
  who are considered well experienced in surgical
  simulation and surgical skills labs and, while
  current activity as surgical residency program
  director is desired, it is not required. It is
  hoped the members of this committee who are not
  currently active program directors will apply for
  associate membership in the APDS. (Continued)

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• This committee should lead the way in the
  development of a simulation curriculum on a
  national basis. If asked, the committee will
  collaborate with the American Board of Surgery,
  and with the American College of Surgeons, in
  curricular efforts aimed at developing surgical
  skills.
• This committee, when mature, will lead the way in
  designing national multi-center trials in the
  science of surgical simulation education.
• This committee should work closely with the APDS
  Surgical Education Curriculum Committee in
  collaboration of the overall education mission.
• The chairman of the committee shall serve at the
  pleasure of the president of the APDS, and
  appointment will be for a minimum of two years.

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Organizational Maturity
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Increase cash reserves of APDS while
expanding its operational budget to fund
strategic priorities. Develop an effective,
interactive communications program with
and for members using online and/or print
media.
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Charge to the Financial Committee

• Review all audits.
• Semi-annually review the investment portfolio.
• Monitor dues collection.
• Make recommendations on dues levels.
• Increase cash reserves with APDS while expanding
  its operational budget to fund strategic
  priorities.
• Pursue development of an APDS foundation.
• Have members represented by university, hybrid,
  and community programs.

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Charge to the Informatics Committee

• Coordinate the renewal and maintenance of the
  APDS website.
• Keep an updated database of surgical programs,
  including program characteristics, as well as
  program directors and coordinators e-mails.
• Keep an updated list of electronic resources
  available to program directors to enhance
  resident education and residency management.
• Participate at program directors educational
  meetings (such as ACGME Annual Educational
  Conference, New Program Directors Courses, etc.)
  to educate PDs on electronic resources
  available.
• Develop internet based projects to enhance
  residents education
• ? Electronic Portfolio
• ? On-Line Resident Assessment
• ? On-Line Lectures

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Pursue development of an APDS Foundation to
support research among program directors
and surgical residents. Expand the number
and the diversity of APDS members who serve
in leadership positions.
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Study the benefits of the joint meeting with
the ASE and determine whether to continue
meeting jointly after 2006. Implement a plan
for growth of Current Surgery and monitor
its effectiveness.
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Professional Development
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Update the content of the program directors
workshop to include training in how to
incorporate core competencies into surgical
education curricula.
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Conduct a market assessment that includes a
survey of APDS members to assess needs and
expectations, and segment responses by program
size, type and location, relationships with other
organizations and opportunities for APDS support
services.
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Needs Assessment

• A needs assessment survey was designed and
  performed in January/February 2006 by Stiles
  Healthcare Strategy with input from Drs. Potts,
  Valentine and Cofer and Mr. Tom Fise. The study
  was funded by the Chattanooga Surgical
  Foundation.
• The data will be reported tomorrow and full
  report made available to the membership

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Evaluate the need for accreditation for program
directors.
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Develop a mentoring program for newer program
directors.
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Develop resources-such as publications,
performance criteria, job descriptions, salary
surveys, refresher courses, etc. that prepare
program directors to advance in their careers.
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Charge to the Education/Mentorship Committee

• Develop and hold courses to educate new program
  directors in the needs of their job.
• Develop and hold refresher courses to educate
  experienced PDs in ways to improve their
  performance.
• Construct and design a mentoring program to be
  made available to members of the APDS who desire
  it.
• Develop resources publications, performance
  criteria, job description, salary surveys,
  seminars, etc., that prepare program directors to
  advance in their career.
• Monitor program director turnover for aids in
  meeting attendance.
• Insure that a mixture of university, hybrid, and
  community programs are represented on the
  committee.

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Competence
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Develop metrics and measurements that support
the collection, evaluation and reporting of data
that measures and defines competence among
graduate surgical programs. Monitor and
evaluate the number of citations given to
graduate surgical programs and evaluate
opportunities for improvement. Monitor the
accreditation cycles of member programs.