Vascular Surgery, Pediatric Surgery and Surgical Critical Care (SCC) Certification


1) What are the requirements to take the Vascular Surgery Qualifying Examination, Pediatric Surgery Qualifying Examination, or SCC Certifying Examination?


2) Which vascular Surgery, pediatric Surgery or SCC programs are ACGME-approved?


3) What is the primary certificate in vascular Surgery? How do you obtain it?


4) Can the ACGME form be submitted in lieu of the vascular Surgery or pediatric Surgery operative experience report?


5) I just completed an SCC fellowship while still in general Surgery residency. Can I take the SCC Certifying Examination now? When would I become SCC certified?


6) When is the Vascular Surgery or Pediatric Surgery In-Training Examination?


7) My application was approved last year but I failed/did not take the exam. Do I need to submit a new application this year?


8) Is it possible to take a computer-based examination outside of the United States/Canada?
 

FAQs - Vascular Surgery, Pediatric Surgery and Surgical Critical Care (SCC) Certification


1) Q. What are the requirements to take the Vascular Surgery Qualifying Examination, Pediatric Surgery Qualifying Examination, or SCC Certifying Examination?

A. For pediatric Surgery and SCC, you must be currently certified in general Surgery by the ABS (unless you are still in residency - SCC only). You must have completed an accredited program in the specialty, hold a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine, hold full surgical privileges in the discipline at approved hospitals, and fulfill the application requirements at the time of application.

2) Q. Which vascular Surgery, pediatric Surgery or SCC programs are ACGME-approved?

A. Visit the ACGME website at www.acgme.org and click on "Search Programs/Sponsors" in the left column for lists of approved programs.

3) Q. What is the primary certificate in vascular Surgery? How do you obtain it?

A. A primary certificate in vascular Surgery took effect on July 1, 2006, making certification in general Surgery no longer an essential prerequisite for vascular Surgery certification. This first applied to individuals who completed general Surgery residency in the 2006-2007 academic year.

To become certified in vascular Surgery, you now must either complete an ACGME-accredited integrated vascular Surgery program, an accredited early specialization program, or a minimum of two years of accredited vascular Surgery training following completion of a five-year general Surgery residency. For more details on these pathways and their associated requirements, see Transition to Vascular Surgery Primary Certificate.

4) Q. Can the ACGME form be submitted in lieu of the vascular Surgery or pediatric Surgery operative experience report?

A. Yes. Applicants may either submit the ABS online operative experience report via the ABS website or mail a paper copy of their entire ACGME operative report, signed by both applicant and program director, to the ABS office (original signatures only - no photocopies). You do not need to complete the ABS operative report if you are sending the ACGME form.

5) Q. I just completed an SCC fellowship while still in general Surgery residency. Can I take the SCC Certifying Examination now? When would I become SCC certified?

A. If you have completed an ACGME-accredited SCC fellowship following completion of three years of general Surgery residency, you may apply for the SCC Certifying Examination upon finishing your fellowship and take the exam while still in residency. Note that you must have a guaranteed categorical residency position in an accredited Surgery program available to you upon completion of the fellowship. A full and unrestricted medical license is not required at time of the application. If you are successful on the exam, the certification in SCC is not awarded until you have become certified in general Surgery.

6) Q. When is the Vascular Surgery or Pediatric Surgery In-Training Examination?

A. Please refer to the Examination Dates page.

7) Q. My application was approved last year but I failed/did not take the exam. Do I need to submit a new application this year?

A. No. You are given five years to pass the exam, starting from the date of the application's approval. If you fail or postpone during the five-year period, you will subsequently be contacted regarding the next exam; a new application is not necessary until the five-year period is exhausted.

8) Q. Is it possible to take a computer-based examination outside of the United States/Canada?

A. For active duty military personnel stationed overseas, the ABS will make arrangements on a case-by-case basis. Please call the ABS office at 215-568-4000 or send an e-mail to the appropriate

International Medical Graduates


1) Can I make the request for credit for prior surgical training in another country (advanced standing) myself?


2) I am an international medical graduate. Do I need to have an ECFMG certificate to have my application approved?


3) I am an international medical graduate and need a letter of support for my J-1 visa to be extended so that I may stay in the U.S. to take an ABS examination. How do I go about this?
 

FAQs - International Medical Graduates


1) Q. Can I make the request for credit for prior surgical training in another country (advanced standing) myself?

A. No, the request must come from your Surgery residency program director. Please see Credit for Foreign Graduate Medical Education for further information.

2) Q. I am an international medical graduate. Do I need to have an ECFMG certificate to have my application approved?

A. Yes. A certificate issued by the ECFMG is required for all international medical graduates. The certificate must be valid indefinitely for all international medical graduates who complete an ACGME-accredited Surgery residency program in the United States. International medical graduates who complete a Canadian Surgery residency program accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada will have an ECFMG certificate with a "valid until" date. The valid until date must be after the date of application to the ABS.

3) Q. I am an international medical graduate and need a letter of support for my J-1 visa to be extended so that I may stay in the U.S. to take an ABS examination. How do I go about this?

A. Applicants who are currently enrolled in a non-standard fellowship that is preapproved by the ECFMG do not need a letter of support from the ABS for a visa extension. (See www.ecfmg.org for a list of preapproved programs.) Applicants who have completed their training programs and require a visa extension to take an ABS examination may write the ABS with the specifics of their situation to obtain a letter of approval.