Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology® (MOCA®) Program

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology Program (MOCA®) offers a realistic immersive simulation-based education for American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) diplomates seeking to fulfill their Practice Performance Assessment and Improvement (PPAI) requirement for MOCA®. The course is endorsed by the American Society of Anesthesiologist's (ASA) Committee on Simulation Education.

 

History:

The American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) requires that practicing anesthesiologists have simulation training as part of their Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology® (MOCA®). The required simulation training must be completed at an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) endorsed center. In 2008, UTMB's Simulation Center was the first of 18 programs nationwide to receive endorsement from the ASA through its Simulation Education Network endorsement program. The approval process for endorsement is extensive including ASA’s review of the Center’s mission, educational offerings, curriculum development, instructor and course effectiveness, program leadership, and infrastructure. For additional information on ASA endorsed simulation centers, please visit the ASA’s web site.

Course Description:

Participants will first undergo a brief orientation to the simulation equipment and then be asked to change into scrubs and manage a series of simulated adverse patient events. Each participant will be required to take the lead as the primary decision maker on at least one simulated event throughout the day. Other activities will include playing the role of assistant surgeon. This will allow you to evaluate your colleagues and the events from the perspective of another member of the care team. These simulations will use a high-fidelity infant, child and/or adult patient simulator.

The simulation scenarios will focus on topics critical to the practice of anesthesia:

  1. Management of a difficult airway
  2. Management of an adverse respiratory event
  3. Management of a significant hemodynamic perturbation
  4. Skills in crisis resource management
  5. Management of infrequently occurring adverse events and equipment malfunctions.

After each simulated scenario, there will be a debriefing session where everyone is encourage to participate. To meet MOCA® requirements, participants will be asked to submit a report 1-3 months following their simulation training describing how it has changed their clinical practice. During the debriefing sessions, potential areas of practice modification will be reviewed. 

Maximum Participant to Instructor Ratio: 5 to 1

Sample Course Itinerary:

7:30 AM - 8:00 AM: Breakfast and Registration (provided)
8:00 AM - 8:15 AM: Course Introduction
8:15 AM - 9:00 AM: Center Orientation (Equipment, Mannequin, Environment)
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM: Lecture: Anesthesia Crisis Resource Management (ACRM)
9:30 AM - 10:30 PM: Group Simulations and Debriefing
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM: Group Simulations and Debriefing
11:30 AM - 12:30 AM: Lunch (provided)
12:30 AM - 1:30 AM: Group Simulations and Debriefing
1:30 AM - 2:30 PM: Group Simulations and Debriefing
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM: Evaluations and Course Wrap-up

Disclaimer: The information provided at this continuing medical education activity is for educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgement of a healthcare provider relative to diagnostic and treatment options of a specific patient's medical condition.

UTMB MOCA® Program Leadership:

Ronald Levy, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology, UT Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Director of the UTMB MOCA® Program, rslevy@utmb.edu

Stefanie Fischer, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology, and Assistant Director of the UTMB MOCA® Program, sfischer@utmb.edu

Beth Teegarden, MD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, and Education Director of the UTMB MOCA® Program, beteegar@utmb.edu

Teaching Faculty:  Axel Rodriquez, MD, Ryan Griffin, MD, and Michael Cook, MD

Upcoming Course Dates: New course dates will be coming soon! Please check the Registration Page linked below frequently as courses fill quickly once posted.

Participant Prerequisite: American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) diplomate seeking MOCA® recertification.

Cost: $1,900.00

Registration:  Registration Page

Click the link above. If the course is listed as Full, you can still register and be placed on the waitlist but we rarely have cancellations so we recommend also registering for one of the available courses to guarantee a place in some course. You will only be charged once. Due to the logistics, cost and the resources required to run these courses, please be aware that if not enough people have registered or the course 30 days prior, we reserve the right to reschedule the course and will notify you as soon as possible. If you need cancel for any reason, please let us know as soon as possible so we can fill the seat from the waitlist. Please contact Meagan Aldridge, MBA, (409) 772-3650.

Duration: 6-8 hours (8:00 AM to 4:00 PM)

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations more than one month prior to course will receive a full refund minus a $250.00 processing fee. No refunds for cancellations within 30 days of the course.

Location: Health Education Center, 5th floor, 301 11th St. Galveston, TX 77555 (see map below)

Lodging Options:

Tremont House

Grand Galvez

Moody Gardens Hotel

The San Luis Resort

Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology® and MOCA® are registered trademarks of The American Board of Anesthesiology.

 

 

Map & Directions to the UTMB Health Education Center

UTMB HEC Map

Directions from Houston:

  • Google or Apple Maps address: 301 11th St. Galveston, TX 77555
  • Take I-45 South to Galveston. Once you arrive in Galveston, the interstate changes to Broadway St.
  • Take Broadway Street to 14th St.
  • Take a LEFT on 14th Street to Strand St.
  • Take a RIGHT onto Strand St. for 1 block and follow the solid orange line on the diagram, enter the parking garage on the right.
  • The parking garage has only two entrances with a keypad, so please ensure you use the correct entrance. Prior to your arrival and departure, an HEC representative will provide you a code to enter the parking garage.
  • Once parked, cross the street at Mechanic & 12th St. and follow the yellow dotted line on the diagram to the Health Education Center building main entrance.