The Core Surgical Exam is a written exam that aims to evaluate the basic knowledge of surgery.
The Union of Swiss Surgical Societies had developed an examination on general basic knowledge in surgery and offered it for voluntary self-evaluation since 1992; the Core Surgical Exam was continued by the FMCH as the successor organization and offered to interested parties for self-evaluation in cooperation with various specialist surgical societies. Consequently, most FMCH specialist societies have declared basic surgical knowledge and its evaluation to be a mandatory component of their continuing education programs and examination regulations. Accordingly, the present regulations are committed to the SIWF's further training regulations (WBO), the further training programs and the scientific criteria of a professional medical examination.
As the successor responsible for the organization of the Core Surgical Exam, the "Association for the Core Surgical Exam for Surgical Specialist Training" was founded on 22 May 2022 in Cademario (TI). The members of the association are the 8 specialist societies that have anchored the Core Surgical Exam in the corresponding training programs. The purpose of the association is to ensure the continuous evaluation of the basic requirements of doctors on the path to surgical specialist training on behalf of the affiliated specialist societies. The Swiss College of Surgeons (SCS), which was founded as a basic organization by some of the specialist societies that have also incorporated the basic examination into their respective training programs and are members of the Basic Examination Association, provides for the Core Surgical Exam as the examination to complete the Core Surgical Curriculum (CSC).