American College of Surgeons - Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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Requirements for Fellowship 5 3. The candidate shall give evidence that he has served at least one year as interne in a creditable hospital and two years as surgical assistant, or he shall give evidence of apprenticeship of equivalent value. Five to eight years after graduation in medicine, devoted to special training and to practice, are normally the time- requirement for eHgibiUty to Fellowship. Due importance is attached to laboratory and research work. 4. The moral and ethical fitness of the candidate shaU be determined by reports of surgeons whose names are submitted by the candidate himself, and by such other reports and data as the Credentials Committee and the administration of the College may obtain. 5. The professional activity of the candidate shall be re- stricted to the study, diagnosis, and operative work in general surgery or in special fields of surgery, such as eye, ear, nose, and throat, genito-urinary, orthopedics, and gynecology and obstetrics, as follows: First, if the candidate resides in a city of less than fifty thousand inhabitants, at least fifty per cent of his professional activity shall be restricted to practice of general surgery or to practice within special fields of surgery as stated. Second, in cities of over fifty thousand inhabitants, at least eighty per cent of the professional activity of the candidate shall be restricted to practice of general surgery or to practice within special fields of surgery. In other words, the College desires to admit to its Fellowship only those who are primarily speciaHsts in surgery, and the minimum proportion of specialization which is acceptable may vary according to the size of the city in which the candidate resides. 6. The candidate shall make formal apphcation for Fellow- ship. Blank forms for this purpose may be had from the Director General of the College upon request. 7. In making apphcation for Fellowship the candidate shall sign a declaration which reads as follows: Upon my honor as a gentleman, I hereby declare that I will not practice the division of fees, either directly or indirectly, in any manner whatsoever.

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4 American College of Surgeons Be It Resolved, that it is the unanimous decision of the Com- mittee of the Clinical Congress of Surgeons of North America, as above stated, and of the Regents of the American College of Sur- geons in joint session, first, that for the welfare of the two organiza- tions the management and the control of the Clinical Congress of Surgeons shall be vested hereafter in the American College of Surgeons; second, that hereafter the Clinical Congress of Surgeons shall be known as the Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons with its invited guests. The past presidents of the CUnical Congress of Surgeons are Dr. Albert J. Ochsner of Chicago, Dr. Edward Martin of Phil- adelphia, Dr. George E. Brewer of New York, Dr. John B. Murphy of Chicago, Dr. Charles H. Mayo of Rochester, Dr. Fred B. Lund of Boston, Dr. John G. Clark of Philadelphia, and Dr. William J. Mayo of Rochester. REQUIREMENTS FOR FELLOWSHIP Immediately after the organization of the College the Board of Regents authorized the appointing of Committees on Creden- tials. These Committees consist of the Central Committee which reports its recommendations for Fellowship directly to the Regents, and of State and Provincial Committees which report to the Central Committee. In a separate bulletin the requirements for admission are pub- lished in detail. Briefly stated, these requirements are as follows: 1. The candidate shall be a graduate in medicine, licensed to practice medicine in his respective state or province, or accepted as a medical officer in the service of his country. 2. To be eligible for Fellowship without technical examination the candidate shall be a graduate of a medical school approved by the American College of Surgeons. If the candidate ' s school of graduation is not accredited by the American College of Surgeons, he may be required to pass a technical examination in one subject or all subjects of the medical curriculum.

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6 American College of Surgeons In the meaning of this declaration the signer agrees that in order to obviate any semblance of division of fees, he will as a general principle of practice not collect fees for others referring patients to him; nor permit other doctors to collect fees for him; nor make joint fees with physicians or surgeons referring patients to him for operation or consultation. 8. As evidence of his qualifications in the technique of surgery, the candidate is requested to submit in complete detail the case records of fifty consecutive major operations which he has per- formed himself. 9. In addition to the complete case records of fifty consecu- tive major operations, the candidate is asked to submit in brief abstract a report of at least fifty other major operations in which he has acted as assistant or which he has performed himself. ID. Surgeons widely recognized by the profession as progres- sive leaders and exponents of finished technique may, by a unan- imous vote of the Board of Regents, be admitted to Fellowship on recommendation of the Committee on Examinations. II. The Regents of the College reserve the right to alter as they may think proper, the regulations respecting admission of Fellows to the College. PROCEDURE OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS IN CONSIDERING CANDIDATES FOR FELLOWSHIP The American College of Surgeons pursues a definite routine program in receiving and considering appUcations for Fellowship in the College. Before a final decision is reached an appUcant ' s papers must necessarily pass through several stages. In outUne, these are as follows: I. Any legahzed practitioner in medicine in North and South America may apply for Fellowship, and an appUcation blank will be forwarded by the College upon receipt of a request.