About SCORE

The Surgical Council on Resident Education (SCORE) is a voluntary consortium formed in 2006 of the principal organizations involved in U.S. surgical education. SCORE's mission is to improve the education of general surgery residents (trainees) in the United States through the development of a standard national curriculum for general surgery residency training. SCORE is also creating a national website to deliver educational content aligned with the curriculum for use by general surgery programs and residents.

The new, competency-based curriculum will define the specialty of general surgery and provide greater assurance that residents are receiving sufficient training in all essential areas. The curriculum will focus on the five years of progressive education and training which constitute general surgery residency, following medical school but prior to independent practice.

The curriculum is being developed in accordance with the six competencies required of a graduating resident: patient care, medical knowledge, professionalism, communication, practice-based learning, and systems-based practice. To these SCORE has added a seventh, technical ability. SCORE has initiated its curriculum development with the patient care component, and will subsequently proceed to the other competencies.

The member organizations of SCORE are:

SCORE is uniquely positioned to foster change in surgical resident education as it brings together the two main regulatory organizations in surgery (ABS and RRC-Surgery), the largest professional organization (ACS), the senior academic organization (ASA), and the major surgical education organizations (APDS and ASE).

Two important surgical education programs under development by SCORE members will be integrated into the new curriculum: a basic surgical curriculum for all first-year surgical residents (ACS), and a comprehensive technical skills curriculum for all levels of general surgery training (ACS/APDS).

SCORE in addition is examining issues related to surgical training, such as the assessment of technical competency, the role of simulation in surgical education, the teaching and assessment of professional behaviors, the practicing surgeon's view of the adequacy of residency training, and faculty development. Members of SCORE are also investigating best practices in surgical education in other countries.

The Surgical Council on Resident Education (SCORE) is a voluntary consortium of the following organizations involved in U.S. surgical education: