American College of Surgeons - Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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8 American College of Surgeons required to submit case histories are notified of the requirements for Fellowship on that basis. 6. According to a resolution adopted by the Board of Regents on October 28, 1921, all applicants for Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons whose appUcations shall bear a date later than January i, 1923, will be required to furnish the Committee on Examinations fifty complete case-records of major surgical opera- tions. AppUcants over forty years of age may have the histories of these operations prepared by assistants. 7. When case-records are received from a candidate they are referred to the Committee on History Reviews. This Committee is comprised of a group of competent surgeon s who volunteer to serve in the capacity of examiners, and who spend many hours in the execution of their task. After each set of records has been carefully reviewed by the Committee, a summary of the findings with the recommendation signed by the examiner is attached to the records for the guidance of the Central Committee on Cre- dentials, 8. All accumulated evidence that has come into the executive ofl ces is finally brought before the Central Committee on Creden- tials. This Committee, as the higher court, peruses in detail the records of each candidate, sifts all the evidence on file in regard to his qualifications, and makes its recommendation. 9. One of three recommendations is made by the Central Com- mittee: Acceptance, rejection, or postponement. An application may be postponed to enable the executive offices to secure further evidence of the candidate ' s fitness or unfitness for Fellowship; to afford the candidate an opportunity to correct or elaborate his records, which may have been lacking in some particulars; or to give the candidate an opportunity to prove that he is doing a sufficient amount of surgery to entitle him to Fellowship. 10. The central office endeavors to give every candidate for Fellowship such information as will aid him in completing his records. If his case-records are lacking in any essential which in the judgment of the Committee can be corrected, he is notified

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Candidates for Fellowship 7 2. The formal application which is required of all candidates for Fellowship supplies the following information: Date and place of birth; preHminary education; medical schools attended as an under-graduate and as a graduate; hospitals in which interneship or residentship was served; period of assistantship and with whom; present hospital connections; medical teaching positions; specialty and period of specialization; percentage of professional activity devoted to surgery or one of the surgical specialties; research conducted; medical society affiliations; and a list of personal contributions to medical literature. The candidate is also required to furnish five references, and to sign a pledge against the practice of the division of fees. 3. Upon receipt of the formal application, the College en- deavors to verify the statements recorded therein. Each individual given as a reference is communicated with and is asked to fill out a comprehensive questionnaire that will furnish definite statements about the candidate ' s surgical judgment and ability, and con- fidential information about his moral and ethical standing. A questionnaire is also sent to Fellows of the College who live in the vicinity of the candidate. 4. When the data received from this preliminary survey are complete the candidate ' s application is then presented to the Credentials Committee of his state or province for recommenda- tion. The state or provincial Committee, acting as a preliminary court makes its recommendation upon the evidence as presented together with such facts concerning the candidate as may be in the possession of the individual members of the Committee because of personal acquaintance. 5. In favorably considering a candidate for Fellowship, the State Committee on Credentials suggests the following procedure: a. If the candidate is under forty years of age he be required to submit case histories; b. If the candidate is over forty-five years of age, he be admitted without having to submit the case histories; c. If the candidate is between forty and forty-five years of age, he be or be not required to submit the case histories, as may be determined by the Central Committee on Credentials. Candidates

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Candidates for Fellowship g of the fact and an opportunity is given him to supply the omissions. Throughout its dealings with the candidate the central office endeavors to simplify the routine as much as possible, and to aid each appUcant for membership in his task of furnishing satisfactory evidence of his qualifications. 11. Occasionally complaints are filed in the central office against what is considered unnecessary red tape in determining a candidate ' s qualifications for Fellowship. It is absolutely necessary that the uniform regulations formulated for the admis- sion of candidates by the executive offices after several years of experience should be disinterestedly observed. Even though the candidate may appear most worthy to the officials of the College, short-cut methods cannot be employed without subjecting the Committee to severe criticism and lessening the judicial standing of the College. 12. The central office for obvious reasons must decline to furnish information about a candidate ' s appHcation to other than the candidate himself. 13. Any candidate who is rejected, or whose candidature is delayed, may make a direct appeal to the Board of Regents for information. 14. The State and Provincial Committees on Credentials of the College are elected by the Fellows in the respective states and provinces, one-half of the membership being retired at each yearly election. The Central Committee on Credentials is appointed by the Board of Regents, and is changed from year to year. PAN-AMERICAN PROGRESS In the Spring of 1920, Dr. W. J. Mayo, ex-President, and the Director General of the College visited Panama, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay in behalf of the American College of Siu-geons. The 1921 Year Book of the College contains an outline of the affiliation between the surgeons of South and North America which resulted from this trip.