EMIG: 2021 Accomplishments

by Nash S. Moawad, MD, MS, FACOG, FACS · December 15, 2021

As we come to the end of 2021, we would like to express our gratitude to the volunteers on the EMIG Steering Committee for the significant progress made in EMIG’s development, validation, and next steps. We greatly appreciate the support and encouragement, and the insightful queries that will guide the final steps of establishing the cut scores and pass rates for the Manual Skills Assessment. 2021 has been a year of epic accomplishments for EMIG! Here’s a recap of the milestones we achieved together this year:

Completion of a validated cognitive examination: A second full beta test was completed with a final cut score decided by the EMIG Exam Standard Setting Committee in March 2021.
Provided a preview of EMIG Didactics with over 80 narrated videos to over 300 residents.
The EMIG Didactics was launched to the membership in March 2021. Consisting of 12 modules, with over 80 videos, and accredited for 10.5 AMA PRA Category 1 credits, the program has received a fantastic response. We have plans to continuously evaluate the content and add additional training modules as we move forward.
Mid-year, we added a new ‘resident membership’ offering with deep discounts for residency programs. This membership includes access to AAGL’s SurgeryU, as well as the EMIG Didactics content, and will serve as a training curriculum for residents.
The EMIG Standards Committee is in the process of establishing cut scores for each task, as well as for the total score of the Manual Skills Assessment.
- A large group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) has been meeting with the psychometricians to establish consensus on the scoring algorithm and the weighting of errors.
- Each task is scored based on the time required to complete the task and the number of errors.
- The data from the 4 groups in the validation study (Novice, Mid-level, Proficient, Expert) will be used to guide the establishment of the cut scores; however, the Mid-level group will be the focus when tailoring the cut scores to set an appropriate pass rate for PGY-2 & 3 residents.
- Regarding the psychometric technical procedures, we are using a combination of the compatible elements of three relatively common statistical methods for standard setting in a criterion-referenced testing environment.
- Completion of standard setting is expected in the next month.

What’s next for EMIG? We plan to pilot the entire EMIG program from A to Z, including online scheduling, remote proctoring for the Cognitive and the Manual Skills Assessment, retrieval of specimens for evaluation, reviewing the videos uploaded to the cloud, scoring, and reporting of test results. We also plan to start producing the Laparobowl to be ready for distribution. We project that EMIG will be ready for roll out in the upcoming academic year.

This has been another banner year for EMIG. EMIG sets the standard for training and evaluation in gynecologic laparoscopy and hysteroscopic surgery and is one of AAGL’s most ambitious endeavors. As we continue to make strides towards its the roll out, the EMIG Steering Committee will guide the business development of the program, following through on the AAGL Executive Board’s recommendations for implementation of the EMIG Cognitive Exam, Didactics, and Manual Skills Test.

We have achieved many milestones for EMIG this year. Soon it will be coming to your residency program! We would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation and gratitude for the countless hours and dedication of the AAGL members, volunteers, AAGL staff and our Subject Matter Experts. Stay tuned for exciting news in the very near future!