How do BE/BC and Residencies work?

[DeadCactus]

I understand the whole match, get into a residency, become BE, pass the board and become BC process. I'm just wondering what it is in the residency that makes you BE? Do you have to perform a certain number of procedures? Is it something else?

And purely on a hypothetical note (ignoring all matters of reality and time; though it might just completely dismiss itself with the explanation of how Residency works):

If a Resident just had absolutely nothing better to do after being told to go home and decided to roam the hospital and find something to do in another department; could they somehow actually put enough time in at the other department to become BE in that department as well, despite not being a Resident in that department?

I know this is probably a completely rediculous question. I'm just curious about the mechanics of Residency...

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I understand the whole match, get into a residency, become BE, pass the board and become BC process. I'm just wondering what it is in the residency that makes you BE? Do you have to perform a certain number of procedures? Is it something else?

And purely on a hypothetical note (ignoring all matters of reality and time; though it might just completely dismiss itself with the explanation of how Residency works):

If a Resident just had absolutely nothing better to do after being told to go home and decided to roam the hospital and find something to do in another department; could they somehow actually put enough time in at the other department to become BE in that department as well, despite not being a Resident in that department?

I know this is probably a completely rediculous question. I'm just curious about the mechanics of Residency...

To be Board Eligible you must have satisfactorily completed the requirements in an approved residency training program. So to answer your last question first, no you cannot simply rack up "procedures" or "time" in a different specialty and become BE. You must be in a formal training program.

Every specialty will have slightly different requirements, but in general a BE residency will include:

- a specified number of total weeks of training in a formal, approved residency program

- a specified list of required rotations

- have to demonstrate to your PD and faculty that you have the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the qualifications of the board; the subtext here is that simply completing your residency program is not enough to become BE. The residency program has to provide documentation to the board and they may withhold it, yet still graduate you. I know this happens as I just "happened" to be in a program coordinators office when I saw an email over her shoulder from another program coordinator asking about the situation. Seems they had a Chief that they did not feel comfortable telling the board he was eligible. Not sure what happened after that, although I do know he graduated.

- some specialties may require you have a full and unrestricted license to apply for BC (in the case of surgery this is only required if its been more than 6 months since you finished residency)

- surgical programs have a specified number of procedures in certain categories they must log to be BE

All the requirements for BE can be found on the relevant specialty board web site - if you like, here's the link for the American Board of Surgery's requirements....http://home.absurgery.org/xfer/BookletofInfo-Surgery.pdf

 

[DeadCactus]

Thank you very much. That clears things up a lot.