Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

September 9, 2011

Dr. Mele is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery

How to Choose a Plastic Surgeon

The need for appropriate Board Certification has become increasingly important to educated consumers. Because of the confusion caused by Boards that sound the same, the state of California requires any physician advertising that they are Board Certified to explicitly state the Board they are certified by. While the term “Board Certified” applies to all physicians and surgeons, nowhere is the concept of Board Certification more confusing than in the field of Plastic Surgery.

The American Board of Medical Subspecialties (ABMS)

Any group can create an independent Board and define their own criteria for “Board Certification” without any outside intervention. To provide continuity within medical boards in the United States, the American Board of Medical Subspecialties (ABMS) was created. For over 75 years the ABMS has provided oversight for the certification of physician specialists in the United States. It is the recognized Certifying Body for Board Certification in the United States.

The ABMS provides valuable resources for consumers and physicians, including free online search that lets you check if you doctor is certified by a recognized board. To check your doctor click here -> Is Your Doctor Certified?

ABMS Recognized Boards

Board Certification means that your doctor has taken the appropriate training and passed both the qualifying and certifying exams. In the past, this was a one time deal. Once Board Certified, always Board Certified, but as the speed of advancement in medicine has changed, so has Board Certification. To maintain Board Certification, a doctor must also complete ongoing evidence of training yearly, including periodic recertification exams. This is termed Maintenance of Certification or ABMS MOC.

I am proud to maintain Board Certification by two ABMS Boards: The American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery.

Here is a listing of all ABMS recognized boards:

• The American Board of Allergy and Immunology
• The American Board of Anesthesiology
• The American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery
• The American Board of Dermatology
• The American Board of Emergency Medicine
• The American Board of Family Medicine
• The American Board of Internal Medicine
• The American Board of Medical Genetics
• The American Board of Neurological Surgery
• The American Board of Nuclear Medicine
• The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
• The American Board of Ophthalmology
• The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
• The American Board of Otolarynology
• The American Board of Pathology
• The American Board of Pediatrics
• The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• The American Board of Plastic Surgery
• The American Board of Preventive Medicine
• The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
• The American Board of Radiology
• The American Board of Surgery
• The American Board of Thoracic Surgery
• The American Board of Urology

The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)

The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) also maintains a free online search. If you are considering Plastic Surgery, check if your doctor is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. To check if your doctor is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, click here -> Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Plastic Surgery Professional Societies

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons require current ABMS Board Certification for membership. They also require that all members operate in only Certified Centers and adhere to a strict Code of Ethics. This is why ASPS and ASAPS members can’t give away Breast Augmentations as a raffle prize. Offering a procedure without a good faith medical history and physical examination is unethical. If the winner turns out to be a poor candidate for Breast Augmentation, this would be a problem.

These professional society memberships help ensure that your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon is held to the highest standards. I maintain active membership in multiple Plastic Surgery Societies including the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS), one of the largest and most respected plastic surgery professional organizations in the world, and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, a subgroup of ASPS members dedicated to enhancing the cosmetic aspects of plastic surgery.

For more about my training click “Meet Doctor Mele” here or at the top of any San Francisco Plastic Surgery Blog page. Click here for more about my -> American Board of Plastic Surgery Maintenance of Certification.