What does it mean to be a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon?

The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) certification is an indicator that a medical specialist has completed an official education program, evaluation and examinations that test on knowledge, skills and experience needed in the provision of standard patient care in his/her related specialty. Dr. Bloch from Chicago is certified by the ABPS and has over 30 years experience in cosmetic plastic surgery. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is the only umbrella body that recognizes the ABPS to certify doctors specializing in the field of plastic surgery.

Check ASAPS membership

ASAPS membership ensures that a doctor not only is ABPS-certified (or, in Canada, certified in plastic surgery by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.) but also has significant experience in cosmetic surgery. ASAPS membership is by invitation only. To ensure that the doctor is a member, visit the ASAPS database, Find-a-Surgeon.

Importance of a board-certified plastic surgeon

Note that any doctor is legally permitted to perform any medical procedure. However, that does not mean that the doctor is a specialist in that area. With that in mind, it is important to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Bloch who has extensive knowledge and experience in various cosmetic procedures. You can be assured that a board-certified plastic surgeon has successfully completed 3 to 5 years in general surgery training and an addition of at least 2 to 3 years of training in plastic surgery. Apart from these years of training, a board-certified plastic surgeon has taken and successfully completed oral and written tests.

III. The limits of certification

Many qualities are necessary to be a competent physician, and many of these qualities cannot be quantified or measured. Thus Board Certification is not a warranty that a physician is “competent.”

Additionally, each specialty board seeks to determine whether its diplomates possess the knowledge, experience and skills necessary to act as specialists within its own specialty. Many physicians are capable of treating conditions and performing procedures that are not within the scope of the specialty in which they are certified. However, ABMS Member Boards do not make any assumptions of whether a physician has the knowledge, experience and skills needed for conditions and perform procedures that are not within the scope for the board which offers certification in the field. For a description of the types of conditions that fall within each specialty, see the “Guide to Physician Specialties” from the ABMS or visit the website of the Board in question.

Hospital privileges

Board-certified plastic surgeons have privileges to perform plastic surgeries in accredited hospitals and can as well perform the procedures in their accredited offices. This is not the case with some trained and qualified plastic surgeons or untrained physicians who similarly perform surgery from their offices. Hospital review committees do an evaluation of a plastic surgeon’s competency and training for specific cosmetic procedures before granting them operating privileges in particular hospitals. Before getting cosmetic procedure, patients should ensure that the plastic surgeon is competent in the specific procedure and that he or she has operating privileges in an accredited hospital.