Fwd: Board Certified Bariatric Surgeons

[Guest guest]

I received a response to a query I sent to the American Society of Bariatric

Surgeons asking if there existed any type of " Board Certification " in

bariatric surgery. I thought I would pass it along to everyone. As I

suspected,

surgeons may be " board certified " but it is NOT in bariatric surgery -- they are

blowing smoke if they tell you they are!

Beth

In a message dated 1/26/04 8:32:13 AM Central Standard Time, info@...

writes:

> You are correct, there is no Bariatric Board Certification. Many surgeons

> are Board Certified in general surgery and then specialize in bariatric

> surgery. We offer courses and training in the field of bariatric surgery, as

well

> as Medical Education Credits, but no certification process exists.

> We also have Preceptorship programs where a surgeon can work with an

> experienced bariatric surgeon for several days to a week and will receive a

“

> certificate†of completion.

> All of our Regular Members are Board Certified surgeons and are experienced

> in bariatric surgery. Our Affiliate Members are either NOT Board Certified

> or have not completed enough bariatric surgeries to be considered experienced.

>

> Some good questions to ask a surgeon are:

> How many bariatric surgeries has he/she performed? How many patients is

> he/she currently following? What does the follow up program entail? Is there

a

> support group?

> Since follow up is the most important part of keeping the weight off (and to

> staying healthy in the process) then the patient needs to find a surgeon

> that will be there for the long term.

> Good luck with your support group.

>

> Sincerely,

> Nichols, CME Coordinator

> 7328 W. University Ave., Suite F

> Gainesville, FL 32607

>