The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and Surgical Science have collaboratively developed and validated a hands-on, simulation-based GI Endoscopy test for the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) program. The FES test was mandated by the American Board of Surgery (ABS) in 2017 as a prerequisite for the General Surgery Board Exam in the USA and Canada. About 90 centers in North America run the FES exam as of 2024, centrally managed by SAGES.
SOCIETIES AND PARTNERS
Surgical Science partners with leading societies, industries, and training centers to ensure efficient and highest-value utilization of our training solutions:
The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) and Surgical Science have joined forces on several initiatives designed to improve patient safety and outcomes through standardized Bronchoscopy training. Such is the co-developed BRONCH Express, providing a meaningful yet affordable hands-on training solution for basic to advanced Bronchoscopy. Another collaborative project – The CHEST Standardized Curriculum on the BRONCH Mentor offers a most comprehensive training curriculum for Essential Skills and Diagnostic Bronchoscopy.
The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and Surgical Science are joining forces to develop a simulation-based training curricula for GI fellows and advanced fellows and expert gastroenterologists. These hands-on curricula, focused on advanced procedures including endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), will become available on the GI Mentor platforms, offering an ASGE certificate of completion or CME accreditation.
The Greater Stockholm Veterinary Care Foundation of Sweden initiated a collaboration project with Surgical Science to develop procedure-specific simulation of laparoscopic canine ovariectomy, to help drive veterinary training forward and improve competence for practicing veterinarians.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and Surgical Science have co-developed The ACC Echo Curriculum for the Non-Echocardiographers, a hands-on curriculum available on the Ultrasound Mentor simulator. This curriculum is aimed at making the knowledge and skill of utilizing ultrasound for an echocardiographic evaluation at the point of care setting accessible to non-echocardiographers, thus better patient outcomes at the bedside.
The Society in Europe for Robotic Gynaecological Surgery have been using Surgical Science robotic surgery simulators for the training and testing required to achieve the SERGS GYN Robotic Surgery Certification.
The Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery (APDVS) partnered with Surgical Science to develop Fundamentals of Endovascular Surgery (FEVS) – a simulation-based, hands-on exam with the goal of objectively assessing competence for Endovascular Surgery core skills prior to patient performance.
The European Respiratory Society (ERS) and Surgical Science have been collaborating on a multi-center Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) Certified Training Program developed by ERS. Surgical Science’s BRONCH Mentor and BRONCH Express hands-on simulators are used at all five ERS training centers – in Heidelberg, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Athens and Ancona.
Surgical Science had developed, in conjunction with and endorsed by The American Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (AABIP), the Bronchoscopic Essential Skills Module for training in Bronchoscopy, available on a multitude of simulation platforms.
The European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) and Surgical Science have joined forces to create a unique Trans Oesophageal Echo (TOE/TEE) online test, aiming to evaluate TOE knowledge and performance levels among young cardiologists and to assess the need for simulation training for this purpose.
The European Society of Vascular Surgery (ESVS) – The ENHANCE EVAR program is a collaboration between ESVS Academy; Department of Vascular Surgery in Copenhagen, Denmark; and Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation (CAMES) in Denmark. ENHANCE EVAR is a CME-accredited course, certifying simulation-based educational program (using the ANGIO Mentor simulator by Surgical Science) aimed at preparing vascular surgical trainees to perform EVAR on patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms.
The World Federation for Interventional Stroke Treatment (WIST) published competency-based training guidelines. Surgical Science has been working closely with WIST to design and optimize a training pathway for endovascular stroke treatment. Training according to WIST guidelines using the Simbionix ANGIO Mentor in University of Dundee, Scotland has already allowed setup of successful thrombectomy services across the world: Argentina, Poland, UK and additional sites.