Center for Procedural Skills and Simulation earns prestigious international accreditation
The Center for Procedural Skills and Simulation (CPSS), part of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, has been designated as a Comprehensive Accredited Education Institute by the American College of Surgeons. CPSS is one of only 97 centers to earn this prestigious recognition, ranking it among the most elite surgical training centers in the world.
“The Comprehensive Accredited Education Institute designation brings recognition of the quality of education that CPSS and University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics provide,” says Julie Hartman, CPSS operational director. “We truly are a world-class facility, and we look forward to sharing our expertise and services with current and future learners.”
CPSS is an interdisciplinary learning center that provides simulations of a variety of care settings. Participating medical learners—including medical students, surgery residents, and practicing members of surgical care teams—use the center’s simulated operating rooms, labs, and clinical settings to brush up on existing skills and learn new ones in a safe but realistic environment, without risk to human patients. Through these simulations, CPSS aims to promote patient safety and better clinical outcomes.
“Excellent health care does not happen by accident,” says John Keech, MD, CPSS medical director. “Experiential learning with simulation is a critical method for educating health care students and providers, and it has been recognized as foundational to achieving safe, high quality, accessible, patient-centered care.”
The accreditation follows an extensive on-site review by surgical simulation experts from the American College of Surgeons, during which CPSS demonstrated excellence in both its educational offerings and in the advancement of the science of simulation education through research and collaboration. The accreditation will be reviewed for renewal in five years.