It seems that there is no longer collegiality amongst friends where completion is concerned.
I’m a [board-certified General Surgeon][1] and a [board-certified Cosmetic Surgeon][2]. I am even credentialed at our local hospital to perform cosmetic surgery.
There has long been a *turf* battle between the [board-certified Plastic Surgeons][3] and anyone else wishing to practice *cosmetic* surgery. Evidence of this is everywhere. All you have to do is see where Plastic Surgeons always say that the only *qualified* surgeons to perform cosmetic surgery are those certified by *their* board.
This is utter rubbish. During a standard 2 year Plastic Surgery fellowship a minimal amount of time is spent in *cosmetic* surgery, perhaps 6 months at best and then not full time. *Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery* is a vast field encompassing tissue transfer, hand surgery, facial and cranial reconstruction amongst others.
In my [*General Cosmetic Surgery* fellowship][4] I’m quite certain that I spent much more time learning and performing *cosmetic* surgery than any Plastic Surgery fellow. But they won’t tell you this.
I welcome any rational discussion of this topic. Sometimes I think this is a more west coast phenomenon than east coast.
[1]:http://home.absurgery.org/
[2]:http://americanboardcosmeticsurgery.org/
[3]:http://www.abplsurg.org/
[4]:http://www.americanboardcosmeticsurgery.org/cert.php