Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA)

The Uniformed Services University offers state of the art simulation education and training for the full spectrum of anesthesiology learners including medical students, residents, fellows, CRNAs, allied health professionals, and board certified anesthesiologists with the explicit goal to cultivate and nurture the critical cognitive, clinical, and communication skills required in the complex field of anesthesiology.

Currently our simulation course is only open to military participants.

ABA DIPLOMAT CERTIFICATION

The USU simulation center is accredited by the American Society of Anesthesiologists as a MOCA site for ABA Diplomats seeking recertification. This course will satisfy the Part 4 Practice Performance Assessment and Improvement simulation education component. Information regarding requirements for fulfilling MOCA is available at the ABA website.

To receive credit for the course and satisfy the ABA MOCA Part IV requirement, Diplomats will be required to:

     1.    Complete a course evaluation within three (3) days of the course completion. The required course evaluation consists of two parts: the Diplomat's practice improvement plan and a critique of the training.

 AND 

     2.    Respond to a follow up email from the ASA (sent at 30 day intervals, up to 90 days) following the course completion. The follow up email will include questions pertaining to the Diplomat's experiences with implementation of their practice improvement plan. After the ASA receives the Diplomat's email response, the ABA will be notified of the MOCA Part IV fulfillment, and it will be documented in the Diplomat's ABA portal account.
 

USU MOCA Simulation Course

TITLE: CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN MILITARY ANESTHESIA: A MOCA SIMULATION EXPERIENCE

Duration: 7.5 hours
Time: 7:30 am – 3:00 pm

The USU MOCA Simulation Course is a fun, but intense and fast paced course. The day will begin with an orientation to the ABA MOCA Part IV goals and requirements followed by a round table discussion of the basics of simulation education. Participants will then be orientated to the Patient Simulator Lab for familiarization with our simulated operating room environment. Each participant will have the opportunity to participate in a clinical scenario as the primary anesthesiologist (affectionately known as the “Hot Seat”) as well as assistant to the anesthesiologist. Scenarios will be followed by an interactive and instructive debriefing.

The MOCA simulation course includes the ABA required topics of peri-operative hypoxemia, hemodynamic instability, and effective communication and teamwork.  The simulation scenarios at our center are unique in that they incorporate elements specific to practicing anesthesia in military and austere environments.  Throughout the day, participants and instructors are challenged to consider potential practice improvements unmasked in the scenarios for implementation in their own practice at their parent facilities.
 

Sample Schedule

0730-0800     Introduction to ABA MOCA Part IV goals and requirements

0800-0830     Basics of Simulation Education

0830-0900     Simulator Orientation

0900-1000     Scenario #1 and Debriefing

1000-1100     Scenario #2 and Debriefing

1100-1200     Scenario #3 and Debriefing

1200-1230     Break for Lunch (Participants are responsible for providing their own lunch                        

(Note: participants may purchase lunch and snacks at the commissary)

1230-1330     Scenario #4 and Debriefing

1330-1430     Scenario #5 and Debriefing

1430-1500     Conclusions and course evaluation
 

Course Location & Logistics

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Val G. Hemming Simulation Center 

8949 Brookville Road 

Sliver Spring, MD 20910

DIRECTIONS TO SIM

Food is not provided.  Participants are welcome to purchase refreshments at the Commissary next to the Simulation Center.   

Course Dates

April 25, 2024

May 23, 2024

REGISTRATION & FEES

Please send e-mail to usuanesmoca-ggg@usuhs.edu with the following information:

  • Course date desired
  • Full name
  • Current practice location
  • Mailing address
  • Preferred telephone number
  • Preferred e-mail
  • ABA number
  • ASA number (if you are a member)
  • Dates of current certificate expiration

 

Fees 

Military active duty and reservists on orders: $125

The ASA will send each participant an invoice for the fee prior to the course. Payment must be made to the ASA at least 1 day ahead of the MOCA course date. 

 

 

Course Cancellation Policy

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences follows the federal government Office of Personnel Management (OPM(link is external)) operating status.  If the federal government closes, the course will be canceled. Should this occur, enrolled participants will be notified by 0500 the morning of the course and a full refund or rollover to an alternate course date will be offered. Although we will attempt to reschedule all registered participants into a new course, we are unable to guarantee satisfactory placement.  If the government has a 2 hour delay, participants will be notified by 0500 the morning of the course, and we will begin and end the course 2 hours later than originally scheduled.  

Courses with less than 5 confirmed participants will be canceled at least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled course date.  Should this occur, enrolled participants will be notified and a full refund or rollover to an alternate course date will be offered.  

CME

7.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ available for this live activity by the Navy Medicine Professional Development Center (NMPDC)

Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.    

The Navy Medicine Professional Development Center is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.  Registration in the Navy Medicine Professional Development Center system(link is external) is required at the time of course registration and available to all participants regardless of military status.  Once registered in NMPDC, the MOCA course director will ensure you are signed up for the correct CME course.   After completion of the course, the participant will be immediately e-mailed by NMPDC.  The course evaluation is required to earn the CME credit.  The Navy Medicine Professional Development Center is a registered CME provider for the ABA.  As such, the CME earned will be automatically reported to the participant’s ABA Portal Account.  

Bethesda, Maryland Urban Partnership for local hotel and restaurant information.

USU travel directions, base map, parking, and shuttle

Navy Lodge, Bethesda 

Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority METRO

NSA Bethesda

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

 

 

Here is a sample of what our recent course participants have said about the USU MOCA Simulation Course:

“This was a first experience for me in a SIM lab. Everything was useful to my everyday practice.”

“The way the course was conducted by the staff here at USUHS was outstanding. They provided very realistic scenarios that was conducive to learning.”

“The debriefing sessions were excellent and relevant to my daily practice.”  

“Excellent representative common scenarios.”

“Excellent facility. Enough supporting cast to make all scenarios seem real.” 

“I appreciated learning about different types of errors and some of the psychology involved in human factors and crisis management."

“Monitoring yourself in a simulation course was very insightful. There are significant learning when you go through the simulation and de-brief afterwards with instructors and fellow anesthesiologist.”

Please email usuanesmoca-ggg@usuhs.edu with any questions not covered on this page.

“The way the course was conducted by the staff here at USU was outstanding. They provided very realistic scenarios that was conducive to learning.”

2018 MOCA COURSE PARTICIPANT