ACOS Resident Mission
The mission of the osteopathic surgery and surgical specialties programs is to provide residents with comprehensive structured cognitive and procedural clinical education in both inpatient and outpatient settings that will enable them to become competent, proficient and professional osteopathic surgeons.
ACOS Resources for Residents
Residents are encouraged to get involved with the activities of the ACOS through membership, scholarly activities, advocacy, leadership development, professional
development and networking opportunities. Realize your potential as a member of the ACOS. Explore ACOS resources for residents.
Residents Section
The Residents Section is composed of the resident members of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons and is dedicated to the development of osteopathic surgical training through excellence in education, research, and leadership.
AOA ACOS Training Standards
Please click here to review the Osteopathic Residency Training Standards.
General Surgery In-Service Examination
The General Surgery In-Service Examination is designed to assist program directors in the evaluation of the resident’s level of knowledge relative to other residents’ knowledge at the same level of training, to identify a resident’s area of weakness, and to track a resident’s progress. There is no passing score for the exam, which is a diagnosis-oriented, criterion-referenced achievement test that measures the degree to which residents have mastered the general surgery residency model curriculum. The results of the test are also used by the Resident Evaluation and Standards Committee as an indicator in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each residency program.
Request for Advanced Standing
A resident may, with the approval of the program director, petition the specialty college any time during the first residency year only for advanced standing credit in his/her current residency program for previous training taken in the same specialty or a different specialty in an approved osteopathic or ACGME training program. Most advanced standing request are for approval of an OGME 1T (traditional) year as equivalent to an OGME 1R (surgical) year.
Urological Surgery OGME1 Book Stipend
Urological Surgery Residents are eligible for a 1-time book stipend of up to $350.00 for Urological Surgery materials. This stipend is funded by the ACOS Urological Surgery Discipline. ACOS Resident Membership is required to receive the stipend, and receipts must accompany the request.
Click Here for the Book Stipend Request Form
(Adobe PDF File)
Training Sites
A current listing all AOA-approved training sites, including for the number of available positions and ACGME accreditation status, is available on the AOA Opportunities Website.
Other GME Resources
The American College of Osteopathic Surgeons (ACOS) is responsible for ensuring that residents and osteopathic residency training programs are following the basic training standards set forth by the American Osteopathic Association. The ACOS also ensures that osteopathic surgical educators are informed of current trends and issues impacting the profession and that both residents and educators have access to networking and educational opportunities. Additional resources may be found here.