cosmetic surgery??

[docmemi]

so i have a question. i just read about this doctor in la who did a residency in general surgery. then he went on to be "trained in general cosmetic surgery for about a year," afterwhich he became "qualified for the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery."

anyone have a clue what is going on here? anyone know what kind of training that is? can someone comapre/contrast that with being trained as a plastic surgeon?

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[docmemi]

i think its a one year fellowship that people do. but this dude did it and now he does all kinds of cosmetic surgery...but hes not even board certified in plastics

 

[docmemi]

another freaky thing. when you become board certified you are called a "physician and surgeon." so technically you could do surgery if you do one of these fellowships and train under a surgeon for a long period of time. so you dont even have to do a surgical residency??? what im trying to say is that i dont even think this dr did a general surgery residency. i think he just did internal medicine. you see he is a family friend that got in a fight with his family...so he cut ties...now he remains a mystery to all of us.

i guess you can apply this to other residencies. like lets say you do internal medicine, you could do some fellowhip in dermatology or whatever and call yourself a dermatologist.

there are docs out there who are not board certified and call themselves a certain type of doc. thats messed up. what do you guys think??

 

[NRAI2001]

I ve heard of a few people doing this. I guess they can almost do any thing a plastic surgeon can, atleast when it comes to cosmetics. I don't know if they can treat more serious cases like burns, accident victims.....etc

Anyone know anymore about this?

 

[DoctorDoom]

They can't really do all plastic surgery, but certain cosmetic procedures. There are even people who get certifications after taking weekend courses and begin doing minor cosmetic procedures like botox. I would imagine the one year training is at a non-accredited "fellowship" in cosmetic surgery with a dermatologist or cosmetic plastic surgeon. It's a pretty hazy area in many respects. People jump into it because it's an easy way to do outpatient procedures and make good money.

I could be totally biased though.

 

[docmemi]

the doc that did the one year cosmetic surgery fellowship does:
breast augmentation, liposuction, browlift or eyelid surgery, nasal resculpture, tummy tuck, and facelifts. botox, collagen. lasers: Laser Hair Removal, Laser Tattoo Removal, Laser Facial Resurfacing and other General Laser Surgery Procedures. Endermology, Micro-dermabrasion

thoughts?

 

[DoctorDoom]

Sure, it's doable, if he did a full general surgery residency those procedures should be well within his capabilities. So I don't think that specific case is a big deal. I wouldn't send anyone I know to him for breast augmentation necessarily, because I think someone who did a full plastics residency and has a few years of practice under their belt is better, but those procedures should not be too difficult nor unsafe in the hands of a BE/BC general surgeon.

 

[Andrew_Doan]

We have ophthalmologists who complete an oculoplastics fellowship and then do plastics too. We encourage only surgeries from the neck up, but there are people who will do body work after gaining experience in this area.

 

[beriberi]

Once you are licensed as a physician you can legally do anything any physician can do. So, your friendly family practice physician can administer chemo, prescribe anti-psychotics, do breast augmentation, do a bone marrow transplant all while managing a patient on dialysis. Usually it is the insurance companies and hospitals that restrict the scope of practice based on what you are trained in.

As far as I know, there are few "fellowships" in things like cosmetic surgery and dermatology that anyone can get into. Doing those fellowships does not make one eligible for the weel-recognized board certification in the field (which is what hospital privleges and insurability is related to).

 

[medman12677]

so i have a question. i just read about this doctor in la who did a residency in general surgery. then he went on to be "trained in general cosmetic surgery for about a year," afterwhich he became "qualified for the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery."

anyone have a clue what is going on here? anyone know what kind of training that is? can someone comapre/contrast that with being trained as a plastic surgeon?

This is a poor substitute for a board certified plastic surgeon. I remember that someone asked this question in the Plastic Surgery forum and I think their answers were fairly straightforward, don't you? There are no shortcuts and if one decides to take a shortcut like the one stated above--that person is putting themselves and their patients in harm's way. I would never refer a patient or friend to a physician performing plastic surgery who is not board certified. I think the integrated programs like Baylor and UTSW are fine examples of how to transition it the right way. Doing a 5yr residency in gen surgery and then 2-3 yrs in plastics is a long haul. I believe Baylor is 3 gen/3 plastics and UTSW is 2 gen and 3 plastics. You asked for thoughts on this--just my .02 cents.

 

[docmemi]

This is a poor substitute for a board certified plastic surgeon. I remember that someone asked this question in the Plastic Surgery forum and I think their answers were fairly straightforward, don't you? There are no shortcuts and if one decides to take a shortcut like the one stated above--that person is putting themselves and their patients in harm's way. I would never refer a patient or friend to a physician performing plastic surgery who is not board certified. I think the integrated programs like Baylor and UTSW are fine examples of how to transition it the right way. Doing a 5yr residency in gen surgery and then 2-3 yrs in plastics is a long haul. I believe Baylor is 3 gen/3 plastics and UTSW is 2 gen and 3 plastics. You asked for thoughts on this--just my .02 cents.

you guys, i never said im looking to do this. i dont even know what kind of dr i want to be! i am just trying to figure out what the heck this dr and apparently many others out there are doing.

yeah, many of the traditional programs are trying to become the integrated type. thats good news if we ever do want to go into plastics in a few years.

 

[docmemi]

as i look more and more on google and locateadoc.com, i find so many general surgeons that do cosmetic surgeries. i guess its more common than we thought.

 

[ewing]

My dad knew a dude who trained in anesthesia but decided he wanted to be a psychiatrist. He hung up a shingle as a "psychopharmacologist," and seemed to be doing quite well for himself. It beats going back and getting resident pay for 3 years, if the insurers and patients are willing to bite. I don't think he ever really managed psychiatric emergencies, or anything. It was all outpatients.