How to Locate Board Certified Surgeons

Board certified surgeons are physicians who meet a defined set of criteria for education, training and knowledge in general surgery or its subspecialties, according to the American Board of Surgery, a certification organization. Board certified surgeons must demonstrate that they completed a minimum amount of education as well as pass a written and an oral examination. Rely on three types of resources to locate a board certified surgeon.

Instructions

• 1

  Check with certification boards. The American Board of Surgery publishes a search tool on its consumer portal to help you locate a board certified surgeon. Note that the ABS search tool allows you to search for specific board certified surgeons; if you would like to produce a list of nearby board certified surgeons through the board's directories, contact the board's headquarters at 215-568-4000 for assistance. The American Board of Surgery notes that many surgeons obtain board certification through additional certification boards representing subspecialties such as plastic surgery or pediatrics. You can find links to related surgical boards and search tools through the American Board of Surgery's consumer portal.

• 2

  Use resources developed by professional associations. Organizations that represent surgeons, like the American College of Surgeons or the American Medical Association, publish directories that can help you find a board certified surgeon. The American College of Surgeons requires members to hold board certification in general surgery or one of its subspecialties, so when you produce a list of nearby ACS members using the association's tools, you can be sure that all of the surgeons on the list hold board certification. The AMA's DoctorFinder tool allows you to select the surgeon's specialty as part of its search criteria; you can search for general surgeons, plastic surgeons, oral surgeons or pediatric surgeons in your area with a few mouse clicks. The list of surgeons produced by the AMA indicates board certification as part of each surgeon's profile.

• 3

  Search local community or teaching hospitals. Community hospitals, teaching hospitals or specialty hospitals in your area usually feature public directories of the physicians and surgeons who treat patients at that hospital. These directories indicate board certification, training information and what degrees the surgeon holds. Visit your local hospital's general surgery website, or search its online directory of physicians to produce a list of surgeons at the hospital. Check each surgeon's profile for board certification. You can also contact the hospital's general surgery department and ask for help in finding a board certified surgeon who can help you.