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question about board certification

Started by dnz451
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dnz451

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I am curious about plastics board certification. I have read that there are 2 different organizations that certify trained plastic surgeons and that some fellowship trained plastics drs are not a member of either. I was wondering what cosmetic procedures a board certified general surgeon could perform without doing a fellowship in plastics (assuming he was technically proficient at performing the surgery.) For instance, if a general surgeon were to train under a plastic surgeon in a private practice setting doing breast augmentation to the point where he had mastered the procedure, would there ever come a point where he could perform this surgery in his own practice?

I am not asking this to find ways to get around the rules. I am a medical student planning on doing gen surgery and hope to pursue a plastics fellowship, but the competitive nature of plastics has me wondering what options are available if getting a fellowship does not pan out for whatever reason.
 
to the OP:

With a medical license, you can do any surgery you wish.

You don't even have to be a surgeon.

If you want hospital privlidges with which to do your operations in a hospital-based O.R., than you'll need board certification in the specialty you're operating within.

However, if you have access to an operating facility outside of the watchful eye of a hospital credentialling committee, like a surgery center, your in-office OR, or your kitchen table, then you can, in fact, do whatever operation you wish to do.

But, if you're a General Surgeon doing breast augs in my town, and you hurt a patient, I'll be the first in a long line of board certified plastic surgeons waiting to testify against you.