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The 1970 Acronyms and Initialisms Dictionary has more than 80,000 entries with the total expected to rise above 100,000 by 1973. SESAP may soon be listed there as signifying the Surgical Education and Self-Assessment Program of the American College of Surgeons. (ACS stands for 16 other organizations as well as for American College of Surgeons.) Whether the SESAP label is included in the acronym dictionary or not, it is well known to approximately 10,000 surgeons who have already paid a reasonable fee for the privilege of assessing their standing in various fields of surgical knowledge. As they go through the 750 multiple choice items, relying exclusively on the information at their fingertips, or employing all the resources of their medical library, a variable degree of education accompanies the effort.
The major purpose of SESAP is educational. The assessment demonstrates to the participant his strengths and weaknesses in the various fields