There is no set method to choosing a physician. First and foremost, you must be comfortable with the person to whom you are trusting your face or other body part. The rest of the suggestions provided should be taken together as a whole to make your decision. No one factor is more important than another in determining a competent physician. Taken as a whole, they provide a good starting point to get the best results possible.
Certification
Training
Teach Faculty Appointment
Articles and Presentations
Hospital Credentialing
Second Opinion
Board certification can be a very tricky criteria. There are many boards which certify doctors. These can require rigid criteria for inclusion and retesting or may simply require a yearly enrollment. In addition, just because a doctor is board certified does not mean that they are up to date on the current trends in medicine. The main board certification comes from one of the member boards of the ABMS. These boards require both written and oral testing as well as some form of competency evaluation for surgeons. Recredentialing is required every 10 years. Other boards which are not members can also provide top rate credentialing.
Training is critical for any physician. Board certification determines a minimum competency, training will ensure that a doctor can get results. For some, this training may be formal training in a medical school while others may be observing other doctors. Be ware of physicians who only obtained training from weekend courses. This can be acceptable for already trained physicians learning a new technique or updating their skills, but can almost a significant problem.
Teaching appointments at medical schools can be a good way to find doctors who are dedicated to staying abreast of the latest in technology and trends. Some faculty are permanent members of the medical school teaching system while others donate their time from their solo practice to teach young doctors without pay.
Articles and presentations in peer reviewed journals and at national and international meetings can indicate a physician who has an interest in continuing education. For an article to be published in a peer reviewed journal, it must be approved by other medical doctors. These articles are of scientific value and indicate both a volume of patients necessary for a study and the effort of the physician to maintain timely techniques.
Though not required for medical licensing, hospital privileges are essential when considering a physician for any type of procedure. If your physician is not credentialed at a local hospital and something goes awry, you may be placed under the care of another doctor a distance from the location where you had your procedure.
There are few if any procedures which are only performed by one physician. If things dont seem quite right or your are simply not comfortable with the physician, get a second opinion.
Choosing a surgeon is a difficult decision. These criteria are but a few that should be considered and serve only as a starting point for further evaluation.
Dr. D.J. Verret is a facial plastic surgeon in Plano, Texas. Nothing here is to be construed as a substitute for evaluation by a physician. For a listing of web sites with best doctors and best doctors list .