Board Certification Matters

By: Steven Vath, MD and Andrew Wolfe, MD

Many cosmetic and plastic surgeons use the term "board certified" in their marketing without specifically naming the certifying board. Patients can easily (and mistakenly) assume that all board certifications are equal, when in fact certification from certain boards carries more weight than others. Colorado plastic surgeons Dr. Steven Vath and Dr. Andrew Wolfe discuss why patients should choose a doctor who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

With the growing abundance of cosmetic and plastic surgeons advertising their practices on the Web, the term "board certified" may come up often in a patient's research. However, the term means nothing unless the certifying board is also referenced. One of the first steps in evaluating a doctor's qualifications is to get the name of his or her certifying board(s). Then a patient should seek a basic understanding of the standards each board applies when certifying a doctor.

Not all boards are created equal. Some require more comprehensive training and more rigorous demonstration of knowledge and skill than others. Patients can streamline the selection process by finding a surgeon who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), the only board under the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) to certify doctors in plastic surgery from head to toe. There is no other board under the ABMS that certifies surgeons to perform facial cosmetic surgery such as brow lifts, eyelid surgery, and facelift in Denver.

Why Does Certification from the ABPS Matter?

As the national authority for overseeing specialty boards, the ABMS certifies 24 medical boards in a range of specialties. Each board must meet their rigorous standards for education, training and quality of care. The American Board of Plastic Surgery is one of these esteemed ABMS boards.

The ABPS has been established as a well-respected and thoroughly evaluated board, earning a distinguished reputation in the medical community for its membership requirements focused on demonstrated knowledge and skill. A plastic surgeon who has been certified by the ABPS is expected to uphold a standard of excellence as a highly qualified surgeon whose primary goal is to provide the best care for his or her patients. In most cases, hospitals require ABPS certification in order for a physician to have plastic surgery privileges at their facility.

Why Choose an ABPS Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon?

In order to create a community of well-trained plastic surgeons, the ABPS established a list of certification requirements for surgeons to fulfill. With the following prerequisites, a plastic surgeon must demonstrate his or her knowledge, skill and experience in plastic surgery before becoming certified. The ABPS requires:

• Four years of undergraduate education
• Four years at an accredited medical school
• At least three years of a general surgery residency program that is approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
• Two years in an ACGME-approved plastic surgery residency program
• All ABPS board-certified surgeons must pass a comprehensive and challenging oral and written exam

After fulfilling these requirements, plastic surgeons have a strong foundation of training and knowledge in plastic surgery. Patients are often surprised to learn that any licensed physician can perform cosmetic procedures with no specialized plastic surgery training. The women and men who choose ABPS-certified surgeons are assured of highly specialized training and demonstrated competence, which gives added peace of mind for their surgical experience.

Caution about Other Board Certifications

Other cosmetic and plastic surgery boards do not have the same requirements as the ABPS when it comes to education, training and demonstrating competence. If a surgeon is certified by a board other than the ABPS, then it is important to understand that board's requirements. A patient can research any board and its requirements by going to the organization's Web site or by asking for information about the board(s) during the consultation.

When considering cosmetic surgery, it is important to research the surgeon's medical background and training, as well as his or her certifying boards. Even when selecting an ABPS-certified surgeon, a thorough understanding of a physician's qualifications is a wise precaution for all plastic surgery patients.