Colon and Rectal Surgery Educational Program (CARSEP)

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Colon and Rectal Surgery Educational Program (CARSEP® XII) is an expertly crafted resource designed for colorectal surgeons in all stages of their career and who are seeking to enhance their knowledge and skills in diagnosing, treating, and managing a wide range of colorectal conditions. Thanks to the ASCRS Self-Assessment Committee members, who contributed hundreds of hours to this project, we have been able to produce this expanded version of CARSEP, focusing on all aspects of colon and rectal surgery. The topics are broken down into the standard six pillars of colorectal surgery: benign, malignant, anorectal, perioperative, pelvic floor, and miscellaneous.

Key Features:

Expanded Multiple-Choice Questions: More multiple-choice questions than ever before to test your knowledge and understanding
Latest Updates: Stay up-to-date with the latest research and guidelines on colorectal diseases
New Topics: Explore new topics such as gender reassignment surgery

Test your knowledge to prepare for the qualifying examination of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (ABCRS) or to earn continuing medical education (CME) applicable towards Continuous Certification Self-Assessment credit, and stay current with the latest practice recommendations.

CME Credit Hours: 70 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ applicable towards Continuous Certification Self-Assessment credit.
Release Date: March 31, 2025
CME Expires: March 31, 2028

Course Instructions

Each pillar contains a practice quiz containing a critique and references for studying purposes. You retake the quizzes as many times as you wish but must complete each pillar once to gain access to the final assessment. The final assessment requires a score of 75% or higher to pass and earn credit. Upon completion of the final assessment, you will have an opportunity to answer skipped and incorrect questions to increase your score if needed.

Transferring Credits to the ACCME/American Board of Surgery (ABS)/Other Collaborating Boards
ASCRS is transferring CME and Self-Assessment credits earned for completion of ASCRS activities directly to ACCME/ABS and other collaborating boards on the 1st of each month for physicians who have provided consent to do so. We are unable to transfer your credits if you have not provided consent. For more information and directions on how to provide consent to share your credits with collaborating boards, please visit the ASCRS Continuing Medical Education webpage.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this program, physicians should be able to:

assess how to make decisions in common clinical situations; where he/she is likely to err and then develop his/her own self-assessment program of improvement.
increase his/her knowledge of the latest findings in the field of colon and rectal surgery
identify strengths and weaknesses in the practice of colon and rectal surgery

Target Audience

The program is intended for the education of colon and rectal surgeons as well as general surgeons and others involved in the treatment of diseases affecting the colon, rectum and anus.

Accreditation

The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. ASCRS takes responsibility for the content, quality and scientific integrity of this CME activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes particpation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment requirements] of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

Designation

The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 70.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons has identified 70.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ eligible for Self-Assessment credits.

Getting started

Anorectal Disease

This pillar encompasses the broad spectrum of anorectal disease such as hemorrhoids, fissures, abscess/fistula, pilonidal disease, infectious disease and perianal dermatology. In addition to the evaluation and testing options available, both non-operative and surgical treatments are discussed.

Benign Disease

This pillar encompasses a broad range of benign colorectal conditions from diverticular disease and colorectal trauma to lower gastrointestinal bleeding and the various colitides. Included here is an in-depth discussion regarding the evaluation and treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Malignancy

This pillar encompasses the evaluation, staging and management for more common colorectal tumors such as colorectal and anal cancer. In addition, less common malignancies such as carcinoid, melanoma and GISTs are reviewed. Other topics include the pathogenesis, epidemiology and screening/surveillance strategies for colorectal cancer. Management is broken down into neoadjuvant, adjuvant and surgical therapy, as well as approaches to locally advanced, recurrent and Stage IV disease. This section also presents a detailed discussion on colorectal polyps including hereditary neoplasms, polyposis and other genetic syndromes.

Pelvic Floor

This pillar encompasses the wide range of conditions that affect the pelvic floor and defecatory function. Constipation, fecal incontinence, and pelvic floor prolapse are covered in-depth, including evaluation strategies and operative and non-operative treatment regimens for each condition.

Perioperative

This pillar encompasses the diagnostic evaluation, perioperative optimization, and risk stratification for patients undergoing colorectal surgery. Included in this section are detailed discussions on topics ranging from colorectal anatomy and physiology to radiographic studies and endoscopy. Additionally, various methods to assess and optimize patients preoperatively as well as identify and manage postoperative complications are discussed.

Miscellaneous

This pillar encompasses various topics that involve the operative, office, and non-clinical settings. Discussions regarding quality, economics and practice management, as well as minimally invasive approaches and care for the pediatric patient are included.

Self-Assessment Committee

Committee Work

The Self-Assessment Committee creates the specialty’s Colon and Rectal Self-Assessment program (CARSEP®) to help physicians assess their knowledge to provide optimal patient care.

Committee Leadership

Shankar Raman, MD, Chair
Sharon Dykes, MD, Vice Chair
Kelly Tyler, MD, Council Representative

Elizabeth Moran, Staff Liaison

Committee Members

Farrell Adkins, Jasim Alabbad, Marie Audett, Mala Balakumar, Ramon Brown, Jonathan Canete, A. David Chismark, Krista Evans, Irena Gribovskaja-Rupp, Ayca Gultekin, William Forrest Johnston, Joshua Katz, Sandra Kavalukas, Adil Khan, Rebekah S. Kim, Angela H. Kuhnen, Jonathan A. Laryea, Janet Tien-Ming Lee, Gregory Low, Henry Lujan, Benjamin Mark Martin, Kurt Allan Melstrom, Jr., Evangelos Messaris, Amosy E. M’Koma, Michelle E. Murday, George Joseph Nassif, Jr., Christine E. Nembhard, John Burke Ortolani, Maile E. Parker, Jennifer Leigh Paruch, Vinay Rai, Craig Reickert, Chitra Sambasivan, Virginia Shaffer, Shafik Sidani, David Stewart, Sr., Patrick Sullivan, Sanda Tan, Melissa Times, Vassiliki Tsikitis, Kirsten Wilkins

Conflict of Interest Policy

As required by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and in accordance with the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) policy, all educational planners, presenters, instructors, authors, reviewers and other individuals in a position to control or influence the content of an activity must disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest that have occurred within the past 24 months. All identified conflicts of interest have been resolved and the educational content thoroughly vetted for fair balance, scientific objectivity, and appropriateness of patient care recommendations. It is required that a disclosure be provided to the learners prior to the start of the activity. Individuals with no relevant financial relationships must also inform the learners that no relevant financial relationships exist. Learners must also be informed when off label, experimental/investigational uses of drugs or devices are discussed in an educational activity or included in related materials. Disclosure in no way implies that the information presented is biased or of lesser quality; it is incumbent upon course participants to be aware of these factors in interpreting the program contents and evaluating recommendations. Moreover, expressed views do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ASCRS.

Every person who is involved in the planning and creation of this CME program have been asked to provide information regarding any financial relationships with ineligible companies as defined by the ACCME. All participants have disclosed. All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed in accordance with ACCME and ASCRS policies, prior to their participation in creating this CME educational activity. Relevant relationships are listed herefor your review. Those not listed have no relevant relationships to disclose.

Copyright

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