Equivalency? An Analysis of the AACS General Cosmetic Surgery Fellowship Through the Lens of the ACGME 6 Core Competencies

Abstract

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgeons (AACS) and American Board of Cosmetic Surgery (ABCS) have developed a 1-year fellowship program in cosmetic surgery with a pathway for board certification. However, attempts by ABCS physicians to advertise as “board certified cosmetic surgeons” have been met with resistance in some states, claiming that this training is not equivalent in scope, content, and duration to training accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This has led us to examine the AACS Cosmetic Surgery Fellowship through the lens of the ACGME 6 core competencies and milestones. We conclude that the AACS General Cosmetic Surgery Fellowship meets the ACGME core competencies. Medical knowledge and patient care are the competencies in which it is easiest to demonstrate equivalency to training accredited by the ACGME. Professionalism, systems-based practice, interpersonal communication skills, and practice-based learning are met, although they are more challenging to document. This problem is no different from that faced by ACGME-accredited residency programs and fellowships, who have also found it difficult to measure the competencies independently of one another in a meaningful way.