The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is offering two positions for Associate Fellow surgeons to participate in a two-year, fully funded fellowship with the ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Quality Improvement Program. The goal of the fellowship is to foster the development of surgical experts in the implementation of such a population-based quality program, as well as to support the implementation of the ACS GSV at the fellows’ home institution or an institution within their ACS chapter’s catchment area.
The College will provide scholars with mentorship, education, support, and first-hand experience and skills they need to address issues of safety and health care quality in the older adult population. Ideally, at the completion of the two years, the scholar will have the tools and support to apply for grant funding in geriatric surgical care delivery or outcomes improvement. Each fellowship position is fully funded by the ACS, which will provide $25,000 each year (for a total of $50,000 for the two-year program) to cover travel, administrative, and meetings costs for each of the participating scholars.
Scholar expectations
At a minimum, scholars are expected to participate in the following events and activities in the course of their fellowship:
- Activities of the ACS GSV program Steering Committee, including attendance at meetings and completion of assignments that advance the work
- The ACS Geriatric Surgery Task Force meeting at the annual ACS Clinical Congress each year, including promoting new educational sessions related to the surgical care of older adults and reporting on the progress of ongoing implementation activities
- The annual ACS Quality and Safety Conference each year, including the development of sessions to assist current and potential applicants to the ACS GSV program to navigate the challenges of implementation
- Site visits for the GSV program to increase personal and programmatic understanding of implementation challenges and solutions
- Leading talks, as requested, pertaining to the ACS GSV program and the care of older adult surgical patients
- Scholarly activities such as writing about the experience or the program
- Advocacy as it pertains to policies affecting the geriatric population
Application requirements
Applicants must be Associate Fellows of the ACS and have graduated from an accredited allopathic or osteopathic medical school in the U.S. or Canada, completed residency and/or fellowship training in the U.S. or Canada, and been in practice less than six years. The applicant must work in a hospital that has applied for the ACS GSV program at least at the commitment level, or must have identified a hospital within their respective chapter that has applied for the ACS GSV at the commitment level or higher. If the applicant’s hospital has not applied for or enrolled in the ACS GSV program, enrollment or a letter expressing an intent to enroll at least at the commitment level within the first six months of the fellowship program will be required. Additionally, the applicants must have the support of their department chair, who must be willing to champion the applicant’s efforts and participation in the ACS GSV program and to provide the time necessary for the scholar to be successful in the fellowship.
The deadline for application for this fellowship is April 1, 2020. The timeline of the application process follows (all in 2020):
- Interview notification: April 30
- Interview: Early May
- Notification of appointment: May 31
- Starting date: July 1
For more information and a full breakdown of requirements, visit the ACS Associate Fellow Scholar in Geriatric Surgery web page. Contact the ACS Clinical Scholars in Residence Program at clinicalscholars@facs.org with any questions.
