Surgeons may recieve certification through the American Board of Surgery.
Certification for general surgery is offered through the American Board of Surgery (ABS). A qualifying test and a certifying test must be taken to receive final certification. Before you can apply to take any of these tests, however, you must have successfully completed both a baccalaureate program and a medical degree to qualify you for a medical license, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Qualifying Exam
Your first step in becoming certified through ABS is the Qualifying Examination. As of May 2010, it lasts for eight hours and has about 300 questions that cover basic surgical principles. There are several requirements you must meet to be eligible for the test. These eligibility criteria transfer to the qualifications for the general surgery certifying exam. First, you must have a medical license and have completed five years of residency. You also need at least 54 months of experience in surgery and you must be certified in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) and Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS).
General Surgery Certifying Examination
After completing the qualifying examination, you are eligible to take the General Surgery Certifying Examination, which is the last step toward certification. There are three portions of the test, each of which lasts 30 minutes. Each part of the test typically covers four surgical cases. This test is an oral one that primarily tests your ability to make good surgical decisions as you discuss general surgery topics with two examiners.
Recertification
You must maintain your general surgery certification through what ABS calls the Maintenance of Certification (MOC). This process, which is on a three-year cycle, consists of four parts (as of May 2010). The first is your continued professional standing. You must maintain your medical license and you also have to minimally complete 50 continuing education hours and take a cognitive performance test. The last part of the MOC process is an evaluation of your professional record, according to ABS.
Fees
Applying and maintain your general surgery certification has several costs, according to ABS. If you choose to do In-Training (ABSITE), the first fee you incur is a $65 examination fee. The qualifying exam has a $300 application fee and a $700 examination fee. The certifying test only has an examination fee of $900. There are also fees for re-certification. Its application fee is $200 and its examination fee is $900. Late application fees range from $400 to $1,600.
Salary Potential
Once you have obtained your general surgery certification through ABS, you are off to a good salary potential. Those with one to four years of experience have a median salary of $229,000, as of May 2010. The median salary for those with five to nine years of experience is $269,400, and those with 10 to 19 years of experience have a median salary of $272,700, according to PayScale.com.
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