Why Is Board Certification Important in Choosing a Cleveland Plastic Surgeon?
When you visit your general practitioner, a medical specialist or a plastic surgeon, you might not immediately look at the framed diplomas and certificates on your doctor's wall, but you'd be mighty uncomfortable if they weren't there. In the medical field, a college diploma is just the first step toward becoming a knowledgeable, practicing physician. Years of practical residency experience and specialized training follow the awarding of a college degree. Certification by professional medical boards indicates that the plastic surgeon has accomplished an even more advanced level of training in cosmetic surgery techniques and procedures and has proved his mastery of advanced knowledge in the specific field of plastic surgery.
In 2008, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned consumers about the importance of verifying physician credentials and the potential danger of undergoing plastic surgery performed by unlicensed individuals. The warning came in the wake of the near death of three North Carolina women by an individual advertising cosmetic surgery procedures. All three of the women developed potentially fatal kidney failure following soft-tissue filler injections by this charlatan doctor. Fortunately, all of the women recovered. Authorities discovered that the individual was not a licensed cosmetic surgeon and he was arrested. Investigation found the individual's medical training to be limited to radiology; in effect, he was an x-ray technician. The CDC recommended that consumers ask for proof of an individual's statement of training, noting that a plastic surgeon's board certification is the most convincing evidence of his training.
Medical specialties like plastic and cosmetic surgery are certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties which sets education, training, experience and testing requirements for each unique medical specialty. Successful completion of all requirements results in board certification.