The Adult Complex Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery Focused Practice Designation recognizes surgeons who dedicate a significant percentage of their practice to the care of patients with benign or malignant and functional or non-functional tumors of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
Focused Practice Designation (FPD) is a designation of ABMS member boards that recognizes diplomates who have focused their practice on one particular aspect of a given field of medicine or surgery that is not already recognized by specialty or subspecialty certification.
Adult complex thyroid and parathyroid surgery (ACTPS) involves the care of a distinct and definable patient population that includes those with benign or malignant and functional or non-functional tumors of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. It also encompasses the management of patients with locally advanced thyroid cancer, aggressive histologic subtypes, and inherited endocrine syndromes.
The ABS has worked in conjunction with the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS) to define the standards of practice, participation, and knowledge that are required to be identified as a surgeon who focuses their practice in complex thyroid/parathyroid surgery. This new FPD can be achieved through a combination of fellowship training and/or clinical practice that is dedicated to the treatment of the patient population defined above.
Eligible candidates are expected to have successfully completed an ACGME-accredited general surgery residency and/or complex general surgical oncology fellowship training program, and be currently certified by the ABS.
To be eligible for this exam, applicants must meet the following requirements:
A total of 120 or more thyroid/parathyroid cases are required over 3 consecutive years.
This total includes core cases and a minimum of 24 complex cases as defined below:
If surgeons have completed a fellowship providing a thyroid/parathyroid case experience as defined below, they will be able to shorten the Clinical Practice Requirements noted above from 120 cases over 3 years to 80 cases (16 complex) within the first two years of practice following fellowship completion. Fellowships must be accredited by the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), or American Head and Neck Society (AHNS). Candidates participating in the training pathway have up to five (5) years following fellowship completion to apply for the examination.
If a diplomate meets the requirements for this designation as defined above, they may access the application through the Apply & Register page in their ABS surgeon portal.
Items Required
The steps above must be completed by the application deadline to be considered for the examination in ACTPS, to be administered at Pearson VUE centers.
Following approval of their application, applicants may move to the registration section to complete registration, submit payment for the examination (credit card only), and schedule a testing center location
The ACTPS FPD exam consists of about 150 multiple-choice questions designed to evaluate a surgeon’s knowledge of adult complex thyroid and parathyroid principles and applied science.
It is a one-day exam lasting approximately 4.5 hours and is held at computer testing facilities across the U.S. The exam is administered in two 120-minute sessions, with an optional 10-minute break after the first session. Once a session has concluded, examinees will not be able to revisit those questions.
Results are posted approximately 4-8 weeks after the exam; surgeons will be notified by email when they are available. The exam’s contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or disclosed in any manner.
All diplomates with an ACTPS FPD must actively maintain their general surgery and/or complex general surgical oncology certification through participation in the ABS Continuous Certification Program, including completion of the applicable Continuous Certification Assessment every other year. Additional requirements directly related to maintenance of the FPD will apply, with additional information on this process forthcoming.
Most questions can be answered with the information available on our website. For specific inquiries, please contact the FPD coordinator.
Diplomates who pass an ABS Focused Practice Designation examination may apply to the AMA to receive 50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. The AMA will also grant credit for teaching at a live CME activity, being first author on a published article, and obtaining a medically related advanced degree. Please see the AMA website and the direct CME application for details.
Please use the form below to contact the appropriate exam coordinator. They will respond as soon as possible.