In February 2017, the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) approved an addition to the International Fellowship requirements that necessitates the conduct of an interview for all international surgeons who apply for Fellowship, beginning with applications being considered for induction in 2018.
This change was made to ensure the thorough evaluation of an applicant based on their surgical judgment and experience, professional competence, ethical conduct, and professional standing in the local community. Additionally, the change is intended to make the International Fellowship application process more similar to the Domestic application process and to continue to ensure that the standards of practice established by the College are being met by all applicants.
In the new International process, once an application for International Fellowship has been submitted, and the ACS credentials staff has conducted a thorough review of the application and corresponding documentation to confirm the applicant has complied with the application requirements for Fellowship, the applicant will be scheduled for an interview.
Once scheduled, specific details about the interview will be provided to each applicant, but a general overview of the process and time line follows, for your information.
For additional information about this change, contact the Credentials staff at intlapp@facs.org or 1-800-293-9623.