USU: Knowledge Skills Assessment (KSA) – General Surgery Competency, 2022-2025

Program Description

The KSA (Knowledge Skills and Abilities) Clinical Readiness Program is designed to assure the clinical readiness of military medical personnel to provide comprehensive patient care across all role theaters. The goal of the program is to sustain clinical capabilities for expeditionary practice between deployments through routine assessment and focused training opportunities to close any identified gap areas in currency or capability. The metrics for the KSA clinical readiness program include routine knowledge assessment using comprehensive multiple choice exams that cover the breadth and depth of identified performance requirements for each clinical specialty. These performance requirements were identified through a rigorous process that included representatives from the Army, Navy, and Air Force with relevant clinical expertise in each specialty domain and recent deployment experience. These specialists used a consensus approach to establish the required competencies for the expeditionary scope of practice within their respective specialties, and reviewed multiple specialty and military clinical practice guidelines that typify the performance requirements. They identified a performance taxonomy that includes critical performance categories, sub-categories, and specific competencies, with specific performance benchmarks for requisite knowledge determined by consensus and professional practice guidelines. This course addresses the knowledge component of these domain competencies, each of which are delineated in Appendix 3 of the attached document.

Target Audience

This activity provides continuing education for physicians. This activity is also approved for physicians who are board certified with the American Board of Surgery.

Learning Objectives

  1. Identify the best patient management strategy for specific clinical situations at various role theaters.
  2. Select optimal strategies for patient transport across role theaters.
  3. Determine the best strategies for resource allocation and management in austere care contexts.
  4. Illustrate the best strategy for managing military-specific concerns in the context of patient care (e.g. Live ordinance, detainees, local nationals, care under fire, etc.).
  5. Identify the best strategies for caring for an injured or ill working dog.
  6. Recognize the necessary communication and documentation requirements that must be implemented as part of patient care in deployed settings.
  7. Demonstrate familiarity with the Joint Trauma System reporting and documentation requirements.
  8. Given a clinical scenario, demonstrate ventilator setup and management consistent with lung protective strategies.
  9. Utilize available resources to safely transport a patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) throughout the continuum.
  10. Identify the agents involved in operational platform fires.
  11. Identify all essential equipment needed when managing a patient with a difficult or potentially difficult airway.
  12. Outline the role of low volume ventilation in the operative setting.
  13. Demonstrate advanced vascular access in the critically ill patient.
  14. Define performance measures to prevent and manage hypothermia based on available resources.
  15. Apply early intervention to mitigate infectious complications in grossly contaminated wounds by early debridement and irrigation.
  16. List recognized criteria for diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as, concussion.
  17. Describe the importance of core temperature control as it relates to head injury management.
  18. Recognize the importance of communicating with the handler and including him/her in the care of the military working dog (MWD).
  19. With the assistance of appropriate references, describe methods of evaluation and management of vulvar, vaginal, cervical, vaginal and adnexal injuries.
  20. Describe which skin prep solutions are acceptable for use around the eye during head and neck surgery.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 60.00 ABS MOC II
  • 60.00 Physicians (ACCME)

    DHA, J-7, CEPO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

    DHA, J-7, CEPO designated this Course for a maximum of 60.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 60.00 Certificate of Attendance
  • 60.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE)

    In support of improving patient care, DHA, J-7, CEPO is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the health care team. This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 60.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

Course opens: 
05/10/2022
Course expires: 
08/31/2023

Peter Learn, M.D. Presenter has no financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.

Available Credit

  • 60.00 ABS MOC II
  • 60.00 Physicians (ACCME)

    DHA, J-7, CEPO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

    DHA, J-7, CEPO designated this Course for a maximum of 60.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 60.00 Certificate of Attendance
  • 60.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE)

    In support of improving patient care, DHA, J-7, CEPO is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the health care team. This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 60.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

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Accommodations for Learners with Hearing Impairment

Captions and transcripts are available upon request for all CE/CME live events and on-demand courses sponsored by J-7 CEPO.

Live events:
To request real-time, streaming closed captions, please contact CEPO at least three business days before an event begins. If CEPO cannot arrange for live event captioning, then a video recording and transcript of the audio will be provided after the event. 

On-demand "Home Study" courses:
You may request a transcript (a written account of a pre-recorded video’s audio content) upon registering for a CEPO Home Study course. 

CEPO can typically deliver a transcript within ten business days.

For more information, or to submit a request, please contact CEPO at [email protected].