EDITORIAL Head and Neck Surgery: The Province of Whom? Hiram C. Polk, Jr., MD, FACS’ and Ward 0. Gdffen, Jr., MD, FACSt The continuing appearance of the foregoing papers in a mainstream general surgery journal has ac- quired new importance for a number of reasons. In the very recent past, the American Board of Surgery has redefined an “appropriate interest” in the broad field of head and neck surgery to include trauma and congenital illness, as well as the more tradition- ally identified neoplastic illnesses, for general surgeons hoping to be certified by that Board. This action has been ratified by the Residency Review Committee for Surgery in its accreditation process for educational programs in surgery. More recently, the American Board of Surgery has determined that applicants without operative experience in at least two of the seven primary com- ponents of general surgery will not be admitted to the examinations in 1987 and will not be admitted in 1988 if they have not gained operative experience in one primary component. The ultimate implication is that the general surgeon, hoping to be certified by the American Board of Surgery, and parenthetical- ly, his or her professor of surgery and residency program director, hoping to maintain a fully accred- ited program, will find it necessary to have appropriate experience in head and neck surgery, specifi- cally the procedures listed on the Resident’s Record provided by the Residency Review Committee and which also appear on the Operative Experience ‘Editor tSecretary-Treasurer. The American Board of Surgery form of the American Board of Surgery. These procedures are listed as follows: Head and Neck Resection of Lesions of: Lips Ton ue Floor of mouth w uccal mucosa Other (specify) Parotidectumy Other salivary glands Radical neck dissection Resection, mandible or maxilla Tracheostomy This stance on the part of the American Board of Surgery is not a threat nor an attempt to have general surgeons take over alI head and neck surgery. It is hoped that it will make the experience of the young surgeon broad enough so that he or she will be truly a general surgeon and may encourage some persons to gain additional experience in head and neck surgery as a career choice. Further, the Board would welcome this as the delineation of a unique, but incompletely realized opportunity for general surgeons to work with colleagues in oncologic surgery, otolaryngology, and plastic and reconstructive surgery to build meaningful exchanges of information and experience among all those interested in head and neck surgery. Surely we have done this in simi- larly politically complex areas, such as fiberoptic gastrointestinal endoscopy and operative gynecolo- gy. It is only fitting that these efforts get the positive attention and action of all concerned. voknw 152, octobor 1986 475

Head and neck surgery: The province of whom?

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EDITORIAL

Head and Neck Surgery: The Province of Whom?

Hiram C. Polk, Jr., MD, FACS’ and Ward 0. Gdffen, Jr., MD, FACSt

The continuing appearance of the foregoing papers in a mainstream general surgery journal has ac- quired new importance for a number of reasons. In the very recent past, the American Board of Surgery has redefined an “appropriate interest” in the broad field of head and neck surgery to include trauma and congenital illness, as well as the more tradition- ally identified neoplastic illnesses, for general surgeons hoping to be certified by that Board. This action has been ratified by the Residency Review Committee for Surgery in its accreditation process for educational programs in surgery.

More recently, the American Board of Surgery has determined that applicants without operative experience in at least two of the seven primary com- ponents of general surgery will not be admitted to the examinations in 1987 and will not be admitted in 1988 if they have not gained operative experience in one primary component. The ultimate implication is that the general surgeon, hoping to be certified by the American Board of Surgery, and parenthetical- ly, his or her professor of surgery and residency program director, hoping to maintain a fully accred- ited program, will find it necessary to have appropriate experience in head and neck surgery, specifi- cally the procedures listed on the Resident’s Record provided by the Residency Review Committee and which also appear on the Operative Experience

‘Editor tSecretary-Treasurer. The American Board of Surgery

form of the American Board of Surgery. These procedures are listed as follows:

Head and Neck Resection of Lesions of: Lips

Ton ue Floor of mouth w uccal mucosa

Other (specify) Parotidectumy

Other salivary glands Radical neck dissection

Resection, mandible or maxilla Tracheostomy

This stance on the part of the American Board of Surgery is not a threat nor an attempt to have general surgeons take over alI head and neck surgery. It is hoped that it will make the experience of the young surgeon broad enough so that he or she will be truly a general surgeon and may encourage some persons to gain additional experience in head and neck surgery as a career choice. Further, the Board would welcome this as the delineation of a unique, but incompletely realized opportunity for general surgeons to work with colleagues in oncologic surgery, otolaryngology, and plastic and reconstructive surgery to build meaningful exchanges of information and experience among all those interested in head and neck surgery. Surely we have done this in simi- larly politically complex areas, such as fiberoptic gastrointestinal endoscopy and operative gynecolo- gy. It is only fitting that these efforts get the positive attention and action of all concerned.

voknw 152, octobor 1986 475