The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is often referred to as the House of Surgery because it represents all surgical specialties. The ACS and the AUA have a long history of collaboration and working together through its members. Dr Patricia Turner has been with the ACS for over 11 years, initially serving as the Director of Member Services. She began to lead the College as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer in January 2022. We asked Dr Turner to highlight the ACS and some of its activities, particularly those of interest to urological surgeons.

Dr Turner, can you please tell us about the ACS?

Dr Turner: With more than 87,000 members, the ACS is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. The ACS is uniquely positioned to serve surgeons of all specialties in the areas of optimal patient care, surgical research, health policy, continuing education, and networking opportunities. The ACS has much to offer surgeons at any point in their careers. Urology is the second largest specialty in the ACS, with over 4,500 members.

Would you describe the levels of membership available?

Dr Turner: ACS offers membership across the career spectrum, from medical students to practicing surgeons and into retirement.

ACS Intern and Resident membership is currently free as we explore a pilot recruitment program. Group membership is available for residency programs to enroll and manage applications and membership for all trainees.

Associate Fellows are a class of membership for physicians who have completed residency training and are in the process of meeting the requirements to apply for Fellowship. Depending on your specialty, you may be early in practice or may be between written and oral board examinations.

Once Associate Fellows are Board Certified and have completed a year of independent practice, they may apply for Fellowship. Applications for all membership categories are available online at www.facs.org and are accepted year-round. Generally speaking, there is less than a year between the completion of an application and induction at the Convocation ceremony at Clinical Congress.

Could you please share the process for becoming a fellow of the ACS?

Dr Turner: Fellowship applicants must meet the requirements for Associate Fellow status and, in addition, be Board certified, have hospital or institution privileges, and have 12 consecutive months of practice in the same location with a case list reflecting their current surgical practice that establishes the applicant as a specialist in surgery. Finally, successful applicants will be interviewed by Fellows in their area to verify their application and practice. Upon completion of the requirements, the applicant is named an Initiate and will be inducted into the Fellowship of the College at the following October Clinical Congress.

Once inducted, the physician can add the letters FACS (Fellow, American College of Surgeons) after their name, ie, Jane Doe, MD, FACS. The FACS designation signifies that the surgeon’s education and training, professional qualifications, surgical competence, and ethical conduct have passed a rigorous evaluation and have been found to be consistent with the high standards established and demanded by the College. Patients often seek surgeons with the FACS designation.

Could you describe how urologist members contribute to ACS committees and programs?

Dr Turner: Absolutely; the ACS represents the House of Surgery and eagerly looks for diversity of specialty across all our committees, workgroups, and in leadership roles. You are a terrific example, Dr Atala, serving not only as a member of the Board of Regents, but as its vice chair this year.

There are many opportunities for engagement starting in residency and continuing through Fellowship. Resident members are automatically part of the Resident and Associate Society, and Fellows under the age of 45 are members of the Young Fellows Association. Both groups are focused on member engagement and the creation of meaningful programming. They have liaison positions to many of the committees of the College and serve as a springboard to engagement for those who want to be involved. Multispecialty committees, such as the Commission on Cancer, History of Surgery, Program Committee, Committee on Informatics, Women in Surgery, Committee on Diversity Issues, and the Committee on Trauma, include representation from all surgical specialties. In addition, each surgical specialty has its own Advisory Council comprising representatives from subspecialty societies and other leaders. The Urology Advisory Council participates in programming recommendations for Clinical Congress and supports the work of the Central Judicial Council and other efforts.

ACS urologists are, of course, participants on panel sessions and courses presented at the annual Clinical Congress, Quality and Safety Conference, Committee on Trauma, and Commission on Cancer meetings, and are also eligible for nomination as a member of the American Board of Urology, or a member of the Residency Review Committee for Urology, both of which have ACS member representation.

ACS offers several research scholarships, fellowships, and awards for all levels of membership, from residents to FACS. These awards are for academic and private practice surgeons, in rural and urban areas, both domestically and abroad. Some are travel awards for meetings, and some are supplements to research awards.

Another way to contribute and become involved in the ACS is to be an active member of your local chapter. The chapters are a great way to become involved and participate in a meaningful way with other members of the College in your area. We encourage all specialties to be involved in chapter leadership.

How does the ACS advocate for surgeons?

Dr Turner: The College advocates for positions and issues that benefit all surgical specialties at the state and national levels. The annual Leadership and Advocacy Summit provides an opportunity for members to attend sessions on effective leadership and to attend congressional visits to establish relationships with their members of Congress.

In addition to the leadership sessions offered at the Leadership and Advocacy Summit, the ACS offers courses for all members, including Surgeons as Leaders, Surgeons as Educators, and Residents as Teachers and Leaders.

The AUA is an active participant in the ACS Surgical Coalition, which advocates for access to quality surgical care for all Americans. The Surgical Coalition works to promote sound policy solutions to the U.S. Congress and federal regulatory agencies to solve the biggest challenges in health care.

The ACS, with the AUA and other surgical specialties, has been leading the effort to prevent Medicare physician payment cuts and to reform the overall Medicare physician payment program.

How does the ACS help educate patients?

Dr Turner: The ACS offers a wide variety of patient education products, including safe pain control information, wound home skills kits, and patient education materials written by surgeons for surgical patients. The patient education programs at the ACS also include hands-on training materials for adult and pediatric urostomy care. These home skills programs are available to members to enhance their patient’s ability to master caring for their urostomy through guided training using actual supplies. Mindful of all elements of health literacy, patients benefit significantly from these educational materials.

Could you explain the resources the ACS offers that may benefit the practicing urologist?

Dr Turner: The ACS has a range of practice management offerings on the website. In an effort to provide meaningful information to all members, the site has areas focused on the information for the employed surgeon as well as the private/small business practice surgeon. Resources include markedly discounted access to productivity benchmarking information from the Medical Group Management Association, American Medical Group Association, and the Association of American Medical Colleges; discounts with a national legal firm specializing in physician contract review; and numerous educational primers and videos designed to support your success, regardless of your specialty or practice setting.

How does the AUA collaborate with the ACS?

Dr Turner: Collaboration with the AUA is strong. There is representation from the AUA on the ACS Board of Governors and the Advisory Council for Urology. The ACS offers a jointly sponsored annual ACS/AUA Health Policy Scholarship for the Executive Leadership Program in Health Policy and Management at Brandeis University. The College’s annual Clinical Congress begins with the Martin Memorial Lecture, which is sponsored by the AUA.

Membership in the ACS complements your membership in the AUA. The ACS is focused on bringing together all surgical specialties to support each other and provide opportunities for networking across our profession. The motto of the ACS is to Heal All With Skill and Trust. With all specialties, we truly can heal all as the House of Surgery.