Process for Program Directors regarding 2025 Senior Residents 

 

The Board is pleased to announce that the administration of the Written Examination was moved from October to May beginning in 2020, allowing senior plastic surgery residents the ability to take the examination prior to graduation. 

 

The Board requires Program Directors complete 2 online processes for all graduating residents:

 

December 2024

Program Directors complete Preliminary sign off and verify that senior residents are on track to graduate in June

May 6, 2025 

2025 graduating residents take the Written Examination

 

July 1, 2025

Program Directors complete Final sign off and verify residency completion and ability to function as an independent physician

July, 2025

Examination results provided to candidates only if Program Director “signed off” the resident

 

View 2025 timeline

 

 

Important Information 

 

Thank you for all your efforts to help residents transition from residency training to Board certification. The processes are different and the experience and knowledge that you provide is crucial. Many program directors and coordinators are new to the process and believe that the Residency Review Committee for Plastic Surgery (RRC-PS) program requirements cover everything during residency and that Board requirements are not effective until after graduation. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are Board requirements that must be met during residency training.  Failure to follow these requirements may delay or deny the resident admissibility to the Board’s certification process. Several of the requirements that repeatedly cause issues are explained below.

 

Resident Registration and Evaluation of Training Form

The Board Office works each year to identify all graduating senior residents and this usually results in the discovery of numerous issues of missing evaluations and approvals.  The most frequent missing documentation is an approved Resident Registration and Evaluation of Training Form.  This is required of all residents including residents in Integrated programs. 

 

• For Integrated residents the Resident Registration and Evaluation of Training Form should be submitted and approved during the first year of training.
• For Independent residents the Resident Registration and Evaluation of Training Form should be submitted and approved before beginning an Independent plastic surgery residency.

 

Transfers

The Board has established training requirements for transfers into an Integrated program. All transfers of any type at any level must be approved by the Board prior to the transfer.    

 

No transfers are allowed into Independent plastic surgery programs. As of July 1, 2015, the Board eliminated the 3 year combined/coordinated pathway into plastic surgery residency training. No resident may transfer into an Integrated residency at the beginning of the PSY-IV level unless they have completed full residency training in General Surgery, or other approved prerequisite pathway sufficient to qualify for certification in that surgical discipline or completed a minimum of 3 years in another Integrated residency program. This is to ensure that all of the requirements have been met to allow the resident to enter the ABPS certification process. Prior to the transfer taking place, the resident must submit the following to the Board Office for review and approval:

 

1. Letter from the current program director indicating the exact dates of training and monthly rotations that will be completed at the time of the transfer;
2. Letter from the accepting Integrated plastic surgery program director indicating the acceptance of the transferring resident, at what level of training the resident will start and how any deficiencies in the required rotations will be completed; and
3. Completed Resident Registration and Evaluation of Training Form, Processing Fee as listed in the Fee Schedule and photocopy of medical school diploma.

 

Domestic, International and Observational Elective Rotations

Residents must have no more than 12 weeks of elective rotations for the duration of plastic surgery training (Independent or Integrated). Elective rotations include domestic elective or observational rotations and international elective or observational rotations.

For residents to receive credit for international rotations, approval must be given by the ABPS, the RRC-PS and the DIO. The request for approval must be received at least 90 days prior to the start of the rotation. Failure to do so may result in the rotation not counting towards the 48 weeks of clinical rotations per year required by the ABPS.

The following must be submitted to the Board Office:

1. RRC-PS Application/Letter sent to the RRC-PS 
2. RRC-PS approval letter
3. Letter addressed to the Board's Executive Director, Keith E. Brandt, MD, requesting ABPS approval - detailing the resident's name, PSY level, dates of rotation, faculty member accompanying the resident, if applicable 

 

Research Rotations

The ABPS will allow a total of 6 weeks during a 3-year Independent program and 12 weeks during a 6-year Integrated program for research. This research time is to be devoted exclusively to research and should not be utilized for personal leave or elective domestic or international away rotations. These research weeks can be considered as part of the 48 clinical weeks of training required each academic year. The weeks do not have to be successive but should not be divided up into more than 2 blocks.

To utilize the research time effectively, a project should be submitted to the Program Director or their designee at least 90 days before the research time is scheduled to begin. The Program Director must approve the project and assign a faculty mentor who will supervise the resident. A written report summarizing the results of the research project must be submitted to the Program Director at the conclusion of the research time.

Research rotations do not have to be approved by the Board and the final report does not have to be submitted to the Board Office.

 

The staff of The American Board of Plastic Surgery, Inc. continues to work virtually.  If you have any questions, please email  written@abplasticsurgery.org. You will receive a response within 2-3 business days.  We ask for your patience during the next few weeks.  Thank you.

 

Personal Leave

Personal Leave Policy

To receive Board approval of Personal Leave, the resident must have completed the required ABPS Resident Registration and Evaluation of Training Form.  This process can be found on the Board’s website under the Resident Tab Resident Registration and Evaluation of Training Form.   To complete the Registration process to gain access to the online Resident Registration and Evaluation of Training Form, residents can access the Registration link here ABPS Registration.

ABPS Personal Leave Chart – required to be included with the request.  Independent Programs – include all 3 years of plastic surgery residency training. Integrated Programs – include all 6 years of plastic surgery residency training.

Include the below completed chart with the letter requesting Personal Leave.  Include the academic years, all anticipated and completed clinical weeks worked and all anticipated and completed non-clinical weeks (vacation) for all years of plastic surgery residency training.

 

 

Academic Year m/d/y to m/d/y	Resident Level	# Clinical Weeks Worked	# Non-Clinical Weeks	# Weeks Personal Leave
July 1, 20   – June 30, 20	PSY-I
July 1, 20   – June 30, 20	PSY-II
July 1, 20   – June 30, 20	PSY-III
July 1, 20   – June 30, 20	PSY-IV
July 1, 20   – June 30, 20	PSY-V
July 1, 20   – June 30, 20	PSY-VI
TOTALS

 

If you have any questions regarding the Board’s training, examination or certification requirements, please contact the Board Office at info@abplasticsurgery.org.  

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES:

2024-2025 Booklet of Information