I just got my mailing with the results for the new candidates this year. How many people passed their boards?
For those who want to know what board certification means, and what board you want your plastic surgeon to be certified by (American Board of Plastic Surgery), please read some of my prior blogs on the subject here.
Remember when I cite these stats, these are candidates who have gone to medical school, been accepted by and graduated from 3-5 years of a general surgery program, been accepted and graduated from a plastic surgery fellowship, frequently doing even more training after plastic surgery fellowship in a specific fellowship (I did cosmetic and breast surgery. Others do craniofacial, pediatric plastic surgery, hand, microvascular, and other fellowships), passed the written boards, practiced outside of residency for 1-2 years as they collect cases, submit those cases, and
THEN
they get to sit for the oral board exam.
The failure rate this year for the oral board exam was 22%. What does this mean? It means 1 of 5 of these surgeons who have studied and worked hard for the past 10+ years did not pass. I am an examiner for the Stanford Board Review Course. It is a course for people who are going to sit for their boards to get a review on what they are expected to know, and we do oral exams for them similar to what they will have when they sit for the actual board exams. The reason the failure rate is high is not that these are bad doctors. The failure rate is high because the examiners are tough. They demand levels of training, safety, honesty, and judgement. They demand low complications. They are tough.
Know when your doctor is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery it really means something.
It is not a simple diploma you get from just showing up and paying your dues money. And even after you pass your boards, you have to re certify every 10 years.