My plastic surgeon is currently only board eligible. Cause for concern?

Question

Hello doctors. Later this month I will be undergoing a BBL procedure with a Dr that has great before and after photos (on website and Instagram) and great reviews of the reviews that he does have online. The only issue is he is taking his board certification test after the date of my surgery but I am told he is currently ‘board eligible’. Should I be concerned or just trust his body of work? Thoughts?

Harry T. Haramis, MD, FACS · Answer

Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery is important and prestigious because many steps must be completed. It is also confusing because there are other boards for cosmetic surgery which do not have the same stringent standards.I can personally attest to this:A board certified plastic surgeon typically completes a full 5 year general surgery residency then at least 2 years of Plastic Surgery fellowship.After this, they are considered Board Eligible, meaning they can apply to take first the written exam, which has a very low pass rate. Then, they can apply, submit surgical cases to take the oral portion. After passing all of these components, they would be board Certified. This usually takes time after entering practice so newer plastic surgeons may be only Board Eligible.Also- plastic surgeons must recertify every 10 years to maintain their Board Certification (I have done this twice already).Make sure they are Board Eligible for the American Board of Plastic Surgery to ensure they have had the proper training and credentialing.

William Bruno, MD · Answer

Prior to becoming board certified a plastic surgeon must pass written and oral board examinations by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. You can wait on your surgery or find a board certified surgeon with existing experience. Board certified surgeons generally have more experience than board eligible.Best wishes,Dr.Bruno

Donovan Rosas, MD · Answer

There are numerous practitioners of cosmetic surgery. However, only a select few are board certified by their national board of plastic surgery.
According to the ABPS, "the American Board of Plastic Surgery aims to produce safe, ethical plastic surgeons with an extensive knowledge of the entire spectrum of plastic surgery, who are able to represent our specialty in the highest standards. All patients seeking plastic surgery procedures should do their homework before choosing their surgeon. Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery is a qualification not easily obtained, which demonstrates a high level of training and education, necessary for optimal results and patient satisfaction."
More specifically...board certification ensures completion of a rigorous training program of at least 6 years (with at least 3 years of dedicated plastic surgery training. Board certified surgeons have also completed written and oral examinations to determine competency and participate in a continuing medical education programs as a prerequisite of maintaining certification. With regards to your specific question, board eligible physicians are commonly just younger and have not had the opportunity to sit for their final exams. While they are not technically certified, board eligibility does speak to the level of training they have undergone. Certification, at this point is simply a function of time (assuming your surgeon successfully completes the final oral examination).Ultimately, certification ensures a measure of certainty when comparing surgeons. You can be assured that your board certified plastic surgeon has seen and treated it all before and is uniquely qualified to manage you pre-operatively, intra-operatively, and most importantly post-operatively.

Erika Sato, MD, FACS · Answer

It takes ~18months for a plastic surgeon to become board certified after they graduate from residency. You take a written test first then collect case and do an oral test. When did your surgeon graduate from residency? Is he still in this 18 month time period? Or did he fail one or both tests in the past and he is attempting to take it again? Or did he not take the tests for whatever reason and is several years out from training? Usually if you are right our of training (under 18 months form graduating residency), this is not enough time to build a busy cosmetic practice and gather a large number of before/after photos and reviews. It takes 6 months to 1 year for a patient to fully heal from a BBL. He wouldn't have had enough time to gather true after photos for a large number of patients if he is still in this 18 month period of time. Are the photos his? Some practices post photos that the more senior guys have done and leave it vague so that you may think they are from the younger surgeon.

Jason R. Dudas, MD · Answer

While there are many fine board eligible surgeons we feel that a board certified plastic surgeon will likely provide the most experience. In addition, a board certified surgeon should also provide you with some personal comfort that all necessary processes have been met to practice this very complex and detailed medicine.

Andrew Gear, MD · Answer

Board eligibility simply means that a surgeon has passed their written exams and still needs to sit for and pass their oral examination.  That being said, surgical excellence is not always predicated by a piece of paper.  Bad results and complications can and do still occur.  Look closely at their published work, training experience, and use your gut.  Its a good idea to see multiple surgeons anyway to feel your way through this process.

Olivier Deigni, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question.
Board certification with the American Board of Plastic Surgery is a rigorous process that can take several years after a plastic surgeon has completed residency training. It entails passing both the written and oral examinations for the American Board of Plastic Surgery. In order to sit for the oral examination a plastic surgeon must pass the written board examination and then practice medicine for at least 1 year before sitting for the oral examination. Being board eligible means that they have successfully passed the written examination and are able to prepare and sit for the oral examination. All board certified plastic surgeons go through this same process. I would focus mostly on the body of work that the board eligible plastic surgeon is producing, which speaks to their skill level and experience.
Olivier A. Deigni, MD, MPH
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Michael J. Denk, MD, FACS · Answer

Being board eligible, means he has completed his training and is going through the rigorous process of becoming board certified. This typically involes two years, two examinations and hundreds of hours of preparations in addition to working. What’s important is that his before and after photos are actually his. You need to be sure the results he’s showing you are his patients and not the work of someone else. Best of luck.

John Sampson, MD (license restricted) · Answer

While it is important to have a certification, it also important the experience and results. To be a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon the doctor has to take an examination after one or two years of having finished his residence. If you feel comfortable with the doctor because he has good professional ethics and impeccable results, I see why not to have a procedure done with him. But, if in other hand you are hesitating, then I will suggest you to look for a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon to perform your procedure.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

it takes two years after completion of your plastic surgery residency to be able to take the oral board examination. The written exam is typically taken the year you finish your residence and the oral exam the year after that.  Tje pass rate for both the written and oral exams are around 70%.  These are difficult exams and while they are important there are many very talented doctors who are brilliant at clinical medicine but may have a hard time passing the board exams. Likewise there are numerous board certified doctors who are less competent or lack ethics or committment to be qualified as talanted.  Experience is important and the potential lack of experience could be less than ideal.  If your doctor is talanted and ethical than the fact that he or she has not passed their final board exam is probably not that big of a deal.  Best,Mays Hagstrom, MD

My plastic surgeon is currently only board eligible. Cause for concern?

Answers (10)

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