Current workshops
Lucerne, Switzerland (German): 4 December 2025, 09:00 – 15:00,
Luzerner Kantonsspital (LUKS)
Rennaz, Switzerland (French): 30 January 2026, 09:00 – 15:00,
Hôpital Riviera-Chablais, Vaud-Valai
Background & Rationale
The Swiss Institute for Postgraduate and Continuing Medical Education (SIWF) has launched a nationwide transition toward Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME), emphasizing that competence—not simply procedure counts or time served—must define surgical training outcomes. Implementing this concept will challenge surgical educators to further advance their didactic knowledge and skills.
The Swiss College of Surgeons (SCS) supports this reform with its new Core Surgical Curriculum (CSC), where essential surgical competencies are defined as Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). Rather than documenting procedure numbers or training duration, EPAs serve as benchmarks to verify the actual acquisition of surgical competence. These workshops are designed to prepare surgical educators to effectively implement EPAs in daily clinical training and strengthen their didactic knowledge and skills.
Workshop Overview
The one-day workshop equips specialist surgeons engaged in training and mentoring young surgeons with practical tools and strategies needed to integrate EPAs into training and assessment within a CBME framework.
A central element of the workshop is the use of the PrEPAred App, which supports EPA-based documentation and assessment. Through hands-on demonstrations and clinical scenarios, participants will gain confidence in applying the app as part of a structured, practice-oriented approach to supervision and training.
In addition to the technical and structural aspects of EPA-based education, the workshop highlights essential educational skills, including clinical teaching techniques, constructive feedback, and formative assessment methods. Interactive sessions will allow participants to reflect on their teaching practice and identify strategies for strengthening training quality in their own departments. By the end of the workshop, participants will be well equipped to lead EPA-based training initiatives and to foster a clinical learning environment aligned with the principles of CBME.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) framework and their relevance for surgical training.
- Apply the concept of Entrustable Professional Activites (EPAs) to structure supervision, feedback, and assessment in clinical practice.
- Use the PrEPAred App confidently to document and support EPA-based learning and assessment.
- Deliver effective workplace-based teaching and identify teachable moments in everyday clinical work.
- Provide constructive, learner-centred feedback to support professional development.
- Develop practical strategies for implementing EPA-based training in their own departments.
Faculty
Stewardship
- Prof. Dr. med. Stefan Holland-Cunz
President, Swiss College of Surgeons (SCS) - Prof. Dr. med. Dieter Hahnloser
Past President, Swiss College of Surgeons (SCS)
Workshop Lucerne
- Dr. med. Steffen Geuss
Senior Consultant Emergency Centre, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital; SIWF-certified trainer; member of EPA working group - Dr. med. Stefan Eisoldt
Head Physician of Visceral Surgery, Männedorf Hospital - KD Dr. Henning Fischer
Co-Chief Physician Emergency Center, LUKS; EPA lead implementation
Workshop Rennaz
- Dr Olivier Pittet
Head of Surgery, Hôpital Riviera-Chablais; FMH Surgery, EBSQ Coloproctology - Dr Olivier Martinet
Chief Physician, Department of Visceral Surgery, Hôpital Riviera-Chablais; FMH Specialist in Visceral Surgery; Co-referent for ISFM training - Dr Riadh Ksontini
Head of the Department of Surgery at the Riviera-Chablais Hospital in Rennaz; Lecturer at the University of Lausanne - Michael Winiker, MMed
Specialist in General Surgery, candidate visceral surgery; Board member Forum Junge Chirurgie; former Board member SCS; member of the EPA core development group
Format & Practical Information
- Format: One-day interactive workshop
- Time: 09:00 – 15:00
- Language: Separate workshops in German and French (slides in English)
- Fee: CHF 400.00
- Seats: Limited – early registration strongly recommended
- CME Credits: Requested; SIWF (ISFM) accreditation in preparation
Target Audience
Surgical specialists, attending surgeons, program directors and faculty members engaged in residency training.
Current workshops
Luzern, Switzerland (German): 04 December 2025, 09:00 – 15:00,
Luzerner Kantonsspital (LUKS)
Rennaz, Switzerland (French): 30 January 2026, 09:00 – 15:00,
Hôpital Riviera-Chablais, Vaud-Valai
