The CSF FLS Testing schedule is up and available for test takers to start scheduling their exam in Webassessor.  Click here for registration instructions. Please use the following information when scheduling your exam:

The Test Center name is CAGS Canadian Surgery Forum (CSF 2013) 

Ottawa Convention Centre

Room location TBD

55 Colonel By Drive

Ottawa, ON Canada K1N 9J2

Testing is available Friday, September 20, 2013 – Saturday, September 21, 2013

(please make sure the country selected is Canada when searching for the test center in our registration system)

We will update the exam location once a room number has been assigned and email all registered test takers 1 week prior to the start of the meeting. 

Registration instructions: http://www.flsprogram.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Sagesonlinetesting-testtakerselfregistration-ON-WEBSITE.pdf

Please allow at least 2 hours to complete the full FLS exam or 90 minutes for the FLS cognitive retake exam only.

Please be sure to bring your ID, the Webassessor authorization code that was emailed to you when you scheduled the exam, and  your FLS Test voucher with you, as you will not be able to take the exam without these.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at inga@flsprogram.org.

Research suggests FLS should be mandatory for residents and practicing surgeons alike.  Read this report from General Surgery News.

If you want to learn more about the NPI, visit https://www.cms.gov/nationalprovidentstand/01_overview.asp .  If you want to locate your NPI or apply for a NPI, visit https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov/nppes/npiregistryhome.do .   If you do not have an NPI, the FLS Registry will still list your name as having completed the FLS exam if you wish, and show “NPI not applicable”.

To view the registry please click here

If you have questions about the FLS Registry or if you want your name to be listed, please contact Christina Rivers at 310-437-0544, ext. 137, or email fls@sages.org.

FLS is now widely utilized to better ensure surgeons possess relevant laparoscopic knowledge and skills needed for modern surgical practice.  Reflecting the realities of rapid changes in research and technology impacting the realm of knowledge, as well as the potential for degradation of psychomotor skills over time, the FLS Program is instituting a certificate time limit.

Effective October 1, 2012, FLS no longer issues certificates that are valid indefinitely; instead, all certificates will be dated and individuals must be recertified every 10 years by successful completion of the entire test (both cognitive and skills components).

• For certificates issued October 1, 2012 or later, recertification is required no later then ten years from the original certificate issue date, but recertification may be sought as early as seven years from the original certificate issue date.
• For certificates issued prior to October 1, 2012, recertification mus be completed by October 1, 2022, regardless of the original certificate issue date.  Individuals may initiate the recertification process as early as seven years from the original certificate issue date.

Click here for our bulletin of information

Click here for our frequently asked questions

For more information, please call Carla Bryant at 310-437-0544, ext. 130, or Sarah Colón at 310-437-0544, ext. 121

In addition to year-round testing at our regional test centers, the FLS exam will be available by appointment at the ACS Clinical Congress Meeting, October 7 – October 10, 2013 in Washington, D.C. as well as the SAGES Meeting, April 2 -  April 4, 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah

Before taking the exam, prepare yourself by reviewing the FLS didactic content, practicing the FLS manual skills, and possessing an FLS test voucher.  To purchase the didactics/voucher, return this order form to the FLS program office with payment.

ACS and SAGES Recommend FLS Certification for General Surgeons Who Perform Laparoscopy

The only validated measure of surgeon’s knowledge and skills related to the most widely performed surgeries in the world.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) March 09, 2012 –

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and the American College of Surgeons (ACS) today announced the recommendation that all surgeons practicing laparoscopic surgery be certified through The Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery™ Program (FLS). FLS is the only validated, objective measure of a surgeon’s fundamental knowledge and skills related to laparoscopic surgical procedures.

With more than one million minimally invasive surgeries performed annually, SAGES and ACS also recommend that institutions credentialing surgeons to perform laparoscopic surgery consider FLS certification as a requirement of their credentialing process.

“This statement by SAGES and the American College of Surgeons reflects the high quality of the educational content and the value of validated metrics that this program provides to surgeons who perform laparoscopic surgery,” said Dr. Steven Schwaitzberg, SAGES President. “Even experienced surgeons will find opportunities to improve their skills and cognitive knowledge by completing FLS.”

FLS was developed to ensure that every surgeon practicing laparoscopic surgery has the minimum knowledge, judgment, and technical skills that form the basis for safe performance of these procedures. FLS was designed to be independent of specialty area and procedure type. The goal of the curriculum is to provide a strong foundation for practice.

Beginning with the 2009-10 academic year, the American Board of Surgery (ABS) required that all general surgery residents successfully complete the FLS exam to be eligible to take the ABS Qualifying Exam in Surgery.

FLS was modeled after the American College of Surgeons Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) program with a didactic and hands-on component. One of the unique features of the FLS program is the robust evaluation for both the didactic and psychomotor skills consistent with the standards for high-stakes examination.

The joint statement on completion of FLS can be viewed online, please click here. It will be published in the May issue of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons.

About SAGES

SAGES, Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, is a nonprofit organization of surgeons founded in 1981 and is a worldwide community of surgeons who bring minimal access surgery, endoscopy, and emerging techniques to patients in every country. SAGES’ mission is to provide leadership in surgery, particularly gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery, to optimize patient care through education, research, and innovation.

About the American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 78,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

About The Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery™  Launched in 2004,

FLS is the first surgical assessment tool to be mandated by the American Board of Surgery in order to set the standard for safe laparoscopic surgery.

To read the online version of this press release please click here

This change was made to provide customers with enhanced customer service, more rapid fulfillment of orders, and for the first time, the ability to purchase online using a secure e-commerce system. The FLS Training Simulators, accessories and supplies will be sold exclusively by VTI Medical™, a division of Venture Technologies, Inc.

To order FLS Training Simulators, accessories and supplies visit www.vtimedical.com or call VTI Medical directly at 978-667-9890. For FLS Educational Packages, online access and testing vouchers, continue to order through SAGES at www.flsprogram.org , or call 310-437-0544, ext. 137.

The first new product to be announced from the collaboration of SAGES and VTI Medical will be a non-medical-grade Multi-Use Ligating Loop for use with the FLS Training Simulator for manual skills practice. In response to FLS user feedback about the high cost of pre-tied ligating loops, which are constructed for single use only, the sturdy construction of the new Multi-Use Ligating Loop enables it to be used up to 10 times to practice the FLS Ligating Loop Task. Unlike the pre-tied ligating loops now widely used for skills practice, which are sterile and designed for clinical use, this new product is non-sterile and designed for simulation training and not medical use, which also contributes to a lower purchase price.

The Multi-Use Ligating Loop will be available in late spring 2012, but pre-orders may be placed beginning March 1, 2012. To take advantage of special introductory pricing, visit www.vtimedical.com or call 978-495-3524. Special pricing will be available for a limited time.

CAGS Endorsement Statement of the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) Program

“The Canadian Association of General Surgeons supports and endorses the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) Program, which is a comprehensive web-based education module that includes a hands-on skills training component and assessment tool designed to teach the physiology, fundamental knowledge, and technical skills required in basic laparoscopic surgery.

General Surgeons interested in performing laparoscopic surgery are encouraged to pursue FLS training and testing.  Qualified General Surgery Residents in Canada have access to the FLS Program and testing via their respective General Surgery Program at a substantially reduced cost.  General Surgeons already in practice can enroll in the web-based program and gain access to FLS testing through a regional testing centre.

For more information on the FLS Program, visit http://www.flsprogram.org, or call 310-437-0544, ext. 137

Are you a practicing General Surgeon in Canada interested in taking the FLS Program?  If so, send an email to CAGS@cags-accg.ca

Need more information?  Call 310-437-0544, ext. 139.