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Fellowship Procedures
Process of Applying for Fellowship
Evaluation of Applications for Fellowship
Denial of Application

Fellowship Procedures

Fellowship Requirements Pertaining to the United States and Canada

For application information please call Cynthia Hicks of the Credentials Division at 312-202-5284, or send an e-mail message to: chicks@facs.org.

The American College of Surgeons admits to its Fellowship only those surgeons whose professional activity is devoted to surgical practice and who agree without compromise to practice by the professional and ethical standards of the College.

The standards of practice established and demanded by the American College of Surgeons are contained in the Fellowship Pledge and the Statements on Principles. All Fellows of the College and applicants for Fellowship are expected to adhere to these standards.

Surgeons request and voluntarily submit applications for Fellowship. In so doing, they are inviting an evaluation of their practice by their peers.

In evaluating the eligibility of applicants for Fellowship, the College investigates each applicant's entire surgical practice. Applicants for Fellowship are required to provide to the appointed committees of the College all information deemed necessary for the investigation and evaluation of their surgical practice.

Attainment of certification in the appropriate surgical specialty does not, of itself, entitle a surgeon to Fellowship.

Fellowship Requirements

The College has designated the 15th of September of each year as the final date for acceptance of applications. All requirements must be met and the completed applications (new or continuing) must be on file in the Division of Member Services in Chicago by this date. Surgeons complying with this deadline will be considered for entry into Fellowship in October of the following year.

Applicants for Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons are required to have the following qualifications:

1. Graduation from a medical school acceptable to the American College of Surgeons.
2. Certification by an American Surgical Specialty Board which is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties and which is appropriate to the applicant's specialty practice, or an appropriate specialty certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
3. A full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in their respective state or province with no reportable action pending which could adversely affect the status of that licensure.
4. One year of surgical practice after completion of all formal training. Additional practice time may be required if the practice situation and/or geographic location changes. Exceptions may be granted by the Member Services Liaison Committee.
5. A current appointment on the surgical staff of the applicant's primary hospital with no reportable action pending which could adversely affect staff privileges at that or any other health care facility.
6. A current practice that establishes the applicant as a specialist in surgery. The degree to which a practice must be restricted to the specialty is to be determined by a responsible College Credentials Committee. The limitation of an applicant's practice to the scope of the designated specialty is an important consideration.
7. Interest in pursuing professional excellence both as an individual surgeon and a member of the surgical community. Such interest may be evidenced by membership in local, regional, and national surgical specialty societies; participation in teaching programs and on hospital committees; continuing medical education through attendance at professional meetings, courses, and seminars
8. Ethical fitness as well as professional proficiency as determined by an appropriate College Credentials Committee. This determination is based upon information obtained from Fellows who were consulted as references and from other sources.

The Member Services Liaison Committee determines whether the requirements for Fellowship are satisfied and may, at its discretion, defer any application until such requirements are met.

The Board of Regents makes the final decision regarding the applicant's eligibility for Fellowship.

The Board of Regents may, at any time, modify any portion of the requirements for Fellowship.