April 2019 Newsletter to Diplomates
Chair Report 
Joseph E. Losee, M.D., FACS, FAPP
“A Recent History of the Oral Examination”
For me, serving on The American Board of Plastic Surgery, Inc. (2012-2019) has been the highlight of my academic career. Most meaningful to me has been working on the Oral Examination Committee (OEC) and serving as the Oral Examination (OE) Chair from 2015-2017. The OE has evolved over time into what I believe is a far more valid examination - one that is digitally employed, reliable, consistent, and standardized, with a predetermined analytic pass-point - independent of candidate performance, allowing all those who take the OE to demonstrate competence and successfully pass.
What follows in this article is an abridged recent history of the OE under each of its most recent Chairs (see below figure) and ending with some philosophical discussions about the examination in general.
Read more...
Thank you to our Diplomates
The Board values each of our diplomates and appreciates your support in carrying out the Board’s mission to protect the public and to distinguish ourselves as safe, ethical, efficacious plastic surgeons who have met high standards in order to achieve board certification. The Board actively communicates with our major plastic surgery societies, regional societies, and legislative bodies to maintain a presence and to communicate our mission. We are proud of what our certificates represent and have issued 9,499 certificates to date. This Newsletter is our opportunity to recognize the contributions that our diplomates have made over the past year.
This is our first digital newsletter! We hope the transition from hard copy mailing is embraced. This new format will allow more timely communication with diplomates and save production and mailing costs. You may access archived newsletters here.
2018-2019 OFFICERS
Joseph E. Losee, M.D. – Chair
Paul S. Cederna, M.D. – Chair-Elect
James C. Grotting, M.D. – Vice-Chair
Lawrence B. Colen, M.D. – Secretary-Treasurer
Keith E. Brandt, M.D. – Executive Director
Congratulations to our new Directors!
The Board recently elected three new Directors who were nominated by one of the Sponsoring Organizations of the Board. Drs. Friedman, Moran and Rubin will serve from May 2018 to May 2024, unless elected as Chair. The Chair serves a 7-year term. Two new Public Members, Ms. Conrad and Dr. Cox, were also elected to serve on the Board. All Directors serve without remuneration.
Heidi G. Conrad, MBA (Public Member)
Jack L. Cox, M.D., MMM (Public Member)
Jeffrey D. Friedman, M.D.
Steven L. Moran, M.D.
J. Peter Rubin, M.D.
View Bios
With our thanks...
The ABPS extends sincere appreciation to the following Directors for their dedicated service to the Board.
Joseph J. Disa, M.D. (2012-2018)
Officer of the Board: Secretary-Treasurer (2016-2018)
Committees: Credentials and Requirements Chair, Executive, Written Examination, Continuous Certification (formerly MOC-PS), Ethics, Budget and Finance, ACS Representative - Advisory Council for Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery
David T. J. Netscher, M.D. (2012-2018)
Historian
Committees: Credentials and Requirements, Oral Examination, Hand Surgery Examination, Representative to the American Board of Surgery
Joseph M. Serletti, M.D. (2011-2018)
Officer of the Board: Chair (2017-2018), Chair-Elect (2016-2017), Vice-Chair (2015-2016)
Committees: Executive, Credentials and Requirements, Written Examination, Ethics, Budget and Finance
Congratulations!
To our New Board Diplomates
The ABPS certified 209 diplomates in 2018. To date the ABPS has certified 9,499 plastic surgeons.
View full list
To our Diplomates who Successfully Completed the Continuous Certification Examination
In 2018, 268 diplomates successfully completed the Continuous Certification Examination. Diplomates who successfully complete all components of the Continuous Certification program within the 10-year cycle will be sent a new certificate in December before expiration of the existing certificate.
In addition, 28 diplomates used the Hand Surgery Recertification Examination to continue primary certification.
To date, 3,671 diplomates have participated in the Continuous Certification process including 224 via the Hand Surgery Examination.
View full list
To our Diplomates who were Certified or Recertified in the Subspecialty of Hand Surgery
In 2018, the ABPS certified 35 diplomates and recertified 29 diplomates in Hand Surgery. To date, the ABPS has certified 810 diplomates and recertified 502 diplomates in Hand Surgery.
View full list
View 2018 Examination Statistics
2019 Potential Oral Examination Candidates
The Board will review comments regarding the suitability of any candidate for certification. Please direct written comments on official letterhead, signed and received in the Board Office by June 1, 2019. If you are aware of a potential candidate omitted from this list, please email to oral@abplasticsurgery.org.
Click here for the list of all candidates potentially admissible to the 2019 Oral Examination.
Examination Dates and Locations 
2019
Hand Surgery Examination
August 1, 2019, Thursday– Computer Based Test at Prometric Test Centers throughout the United States and Canada
Hand Surgery Recertification Examination
April 1, 2019 – April 30, 2019 – Internet Based Test
Continuous Certification Examination
April 1, 2019 – April 30, 2019 – Internet Based Test
Written Examination
October 21, 2019, Monday – Computer Based Test at Prometric Test Centers throughout the United States and Canada.
Oral Examination
November 14, 15, 16, 2019, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Phoenix, Arizona
2020
Hand Surgery Examination
TBD – Computer Based Test at Prometric Test Centers throughout the United States and Canada
Hand Surgery Recertification Examination
April 1, 2020 – April 30, 2020 – Internet Based Test
Continuous Certification Examination
April 1, 2020 – April 30, 2020 – Internet Based Test
Written Examination
*May 19, 2020, Tuesday – Computer Based Test at Prometric Test Centers throughout the United States and Canada.
Oral Examination
November 12, 13, 14, 2020, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Phoenix, Arizona
Attention – Changes to Written Examination in 2020
The Board is pleased to announce that the administration of the Written Examination will be moved from October to May beginning in 2020, allowing senior plastic surgery residents the ability to take the examination prior to graduation.
Information will be communicated to Program Directors via email.
Click here to view timeline
Continuous Certification
The ABPS has been working hard to make positive changes to the former Maintenance of Certification program to make it more relevant to your practice, more cost-effective, and more convenient to participate. Now that these changes have been enacted, we’d like to take this opportunity to review these changes and explain how they affect diplomates individually in a bit more depth.
Click here for more information
New Self-Assessment Activity
The first Self-Assessment activity was launched on April 1st. If you have not yet accessed your assessment, you still have time! You may log in and out as many times as necessary throughout the month of April to complete your 30 questions.
Bonus!
Successfully completing eight of these assessments throughout your 10-year cycle will satisfy the once every 10-year exam component of Continuous Certification.
Note - If your current certificate expires in 2022 or later, we encourage you to complete all Self-Assessments available until the end of your certificate. Diplomates who expire in 2019, 2020, and 2021 will still take the 200-question Continuous Certification Exam and then begin the Self-Assessments at the start of their next certification cycle.
Early feedback comments:
“This was a vast improvement over the older system of one exam every 10 years. The questions were timely and relevant and the explanations very good. Thank you”
“I thought this was a good review and some focus on new material and changes that have occurred in plastic surgery. It is kind of the ideal way to brush up on the new standards as they occur. It sparked some debate with my partners since we all did it at about the same time and we improved our learning. I really like this format.”
“I love it! Kudos to the Board for coming up with a testing instrument that had fantastic educational value as well as being cost and time effective. Thx!”
“This is a huge improvement. This format allows one to learn from the provided information at a leisurely pace and determine the areas you need to do the most subsequent reading in based on your own practice.”