The University of Toledo Lloyd A. Jacobs Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center (UT-IISC) has received certification as a Comprehensive Accredited Education Institute (AEI) from the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

ACS-AEI program goals include enhancing surgical patient safety, supporting surgeons’ maintenance of certification requirements, addressing the competencies that all surgeons and surgical residents need to achieve and demonstrate, and enhancing access to contemporary surgical education. AEIs provide learners an opportunity to learn and practice new skills, and receive immediate feedback without compromising patient safety or comfort.

“The UT-IISC is proud and privileged to receive accreditation status as an American College of Surgeons Educational Institute,” said Dr. Pamela Boyers, executive director of the UT-IISC.

The AEI accreditation program is a voluntary, two-part review process. Certified institutes are accredited for a period of three years. A team of experienced surgeon site reviewers conducts an onsite survey. The reviewers examine the institution’s ability to demonstrate compliance with 31 Criteria in four Standards, including Learners and Scope of Educational Programs; Curriculum Development, Delivery of Effective Education, and Assessment; Administration, Management and Governance; and Advancement of the Field.

The program offers two levels of accreditation, Comprehensive and Focused, each with specific requirements. Accreditation status differs based on the focus of the educational program, the learners served, the curriculum offered and the technological support and resources available.

As a Comprehensive AEI, the UT-IISC provides a program that educates a minimum of four learner groups, develops original curricula, offers a broad spectrum of education programs and has the resources and physical space necessary to conduct its educational activities. The UT-IISC is also dedicated to the advancement of the field through innovative research and scholarly activities.

“We are grateful to our colleagues in the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Health Science for their incredible support. This prestigious accreditation is based not just on surgical skills, but on demonstrating several years of interprofessional collaboration and team-based simulation activities,” Boyers said.
“Without this fine group of UT colleagues, this simply would not have been achievable.”

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 70 comprehensive and 12 Focused ACS-AEIs. The AEI program offers unique opportunities for collaborative research.

“This accreditation status positions the IISC to provide surgical workshops for local, regional and national surgeons, physician assistants, surgical nurses and others – in the full knowledge that we have attained the highest standard of recognition in the simulation field,” said Boyers.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Aug. 17, 2014)