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| ABFPRS Requirements
ABFPRS certification is open to all surgeons who meet the following requirements:
- Completion of an otolaryngology and/or plastic surgery residency approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Canada;
- Prior certification in one of those specialties through the American Board of Medical Specialties or the RCPSC;
- Two years in practice;
- Submission of 100 acceptable, peer-reviewed cases;
- Passing score on the ABFPRS examination;
- Operate in an accredited facility; and
- Appropriate licensure and adherence to the ABFPRS Code of Ethics.
Applications for the June 2008 examination are available online only at www.abfprs.org or contact the ABFPRS office, 115C South St. Asaph Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; call (703) 549-3223; fax (703) 549-3357; email information@abfprs.org.
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The American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ABFPRS) provides a mechanism through which surgeons who specialize in otolaryngology’s largest subspecialty can earn additional recognition for their knowledge and skills. The following report summarizes ABFPRS activity during the past 12 months.
New programs and policies
The ABFPRS crossed an historic threshold on June 22, 2007. On that day, the first Maintenance of Certification in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery® (MOC in FPRS®) examination was administered to all 15 members of the ABFPRS Board of Directors and seven members of the ABFPRS Senior Advisory Council. These 22 “test pilots” agreed to sit for this first MOC in FPRS® examination in anticipation of the expiration of the ABFPRS’s first time-limited certificates in 2011. Nineteen of the candidates have completed all four components of the recertification program and will be awarded the first MOC in FPRS® certificates at the Board’s fall meeting in Washington, DC, on September 20, 2007.
To help surgeons prepare for the examination component of the MOC in FPRS® program or the primary ABFPRS certification examination, the ABFPRS has developed a series of practice exams, which will be available online at www.abfprs.org on or before January 1, 2008.
Annual examination
The ABFPRS held its annual examination on June 23-24, 2007, in Washington, D.C. Fifty-three surgeons sat for the test, bringing to 1,167 the total number of examinees to date. This test was the 23rd since the ABFPRS was established in 1986.
The examination has two parts—the written test, which consists of 300 multiple-choice items, and the oral test, which consists of 12 protocols. This year, both the written and oral tests again earned high reliability ratings during independent analysis of exam results. The reliability rating is the degree to which test scores are consistent and dependable. The failure rate was within the acceptable range for an examination at the subspecialty level.
Diplomate profile
Of the 1,163 examinees to date, 873 have completed all requirements for certification (see “ABFPRS requirements,” this page).
Counting the 2007 class of diplomates, ABFPRS certificants reside in 48 states, six Canadian provinces, two U.S. territories and two other countries.
ABFPRS diplomates focus their practices in a variety of ways. This year, ¬¬97% of ABFPRS diplomates report spending some practice time performing cosmetic surgery, while 83% perform some reconstructive surgery. They spend the balance of their practice time performing other otolaryngologic procedures, including allergy and sinus, burn surgery, cleft lip/palate and craniofacial/skull-base surgery, diving and hyperbaric medicine, drug study and research, facial dermatologic skin care, head and neck surgery, laser treatments, oral surgery, otology, rhinology, sleep apnea, and TMJ.
ABFPRS diplomates also practice in a variety of settings. This year, 32% report spending some time in an academic practice, with the median amount of time spent being 28%. Also, 50% spend some time in a private solo practice, 26% in a private single-specialty group, and 9% in a private, multi-specialty group—with the median amount of time spent being 100% in each of these settings. Further, 3% spend a median of 100% of their time in other settings, ranging from the armed services and the Veterans Administration to HMOs, hospitals, and medical foundations.
Support for the ABFPRS
Twenty-six state and national medical societies sponsor the ABFPRS, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Further, the ABFPRS credential has been found to be equivalent to the primary boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties in every state that has set standards for such equivalence, so that the credential continues to be recognized in all 50 states, U.S. territories, and Canadian provinces.
Shan R. Baker, M.D.
ABFPRS President
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