Board Certified, Plastic Surgeon and Anesthesiologist

Posted On: January 07, 2016 Author: The Office of Dr. Stuart Linder Posted In: Plastic Surgery

During the decision-making process for a plastic surgery procedure, patients must determine what type of surgical procedure they want as well as select the right plastic surgeon to perform the actual procedure. Along with those choices, I encourage patients to do their due diligence and ensure to ask their surgeon who will be providing the anesthesia during the surgery. For your safety, you want to make sure you will have a board-certified anesthesiologist administering your anesthesia.

In my Beverly Hills plastic surgery practice, I perform almost all my procedures using a board-certified anesthesiologist.

To become a board-certified anesthesiologist, a person must complete the requirements listed below:

To be eligible for certification in anesthesiology through the Board of Certification in Anesthesiology (BCA), the applicant must:

ABPS General Requirements:

1. Submit an Anesthesiology application form complete with required application processing fee, two (2) passport-size photographs taken within the last 90 days, and a notarized signature.
2. Be in conformity with the Code of Ethics of the American Board of Physician Specialties, be known in his/her community as an ethical member of the profession, and be an active specialist in Anesthesiology.
3. Be a graduate of a recognized college of medicine confirmed by a copy of an allopathic/osteopathic degree or a letter of verification from the institution where the degree was earned. In the case of foreign medical schools, an English translation of the document is also required. Graduates of foreign medical schools must also include a copy of their Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) Certificate. Canadian medical schools and medical training programs are considered equivalent to U.S. medical schools and medical training programs.
4. Hold a valid and unrestricted license(s) to practice medicine in the United States, its territories or Canada.
5. Submit a current curriculum vitae (CV), which includes medical school experiences and degrees earned, in chronological order.

Anesthesiology-Specific Requirements:

1. Residency – All applicants must have completed both a PGY-1 program or accredited internship and an Anesthesiology residency program approved by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or the the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC). The ABPS accepts ALL medical residencies approved by the RCPSC, including approved residencies outside Canada.
2. Active Practice – Verify active practice by means of a letter detailing active privileges and the period of service signed by of the Chief of Department, Chief of Staff, or Chair of Credentialing Committee.  This letter must be an original and should be on letterhead.
3. Continuing Education – Submit documentation of a minimum of 30 hours of continuing medical education (CME) in Anesthesia earned within the last two years from the date of application. CME reported must be documented by copies of the CME certificates or a transcript from the granting organization. For applicants within two years of residency completion at the date of application submission, no CME is required.
4. Case Reports – Submit 25 anesthesia case reports.  Case reports must include the anesthesia record sheet from the chart, as well as meeting the other requirements listed in the Case Report Requirements. Case reports must be no older than twelve (12) months from the date the candidate’s application for certification is received by ABPS.

Additional Application Requirements:

1. Provide two (2) Letters of Recommendation from Diplomates of any ABPS, ABMS, AOA, RCPSC, or CFPC Board of Certification. All letters of recommendation must be printed on letterhead, must be dated within the twelve months prior to the submission of the application, and must include an original signature, author contact information for the author, and should indicate the board certification(s) held by the author.  Copies are not acceptable.  These letters do not need to be mailed directly to ABPS, but can be included with the applicant’s materials and certification application.
2. All U.S. physicians must do a self-query of the National Practitioner Data Bank and submit a sealed (unopened envelope) copy of the report as part of the application process.  All Canadian physicians must request and submit a testament statement from each province in which a license is held, verifying that there have been no disciplinary actions against the applicant.
3. Sign and submit the ABPS Disclosure and Authorization to obtain Criminal Background Reports form.
4. Sign and submit the ABPS Examinations Complaints and Appeals Process form.
5. Payment of appropriate fees.