A board-certified veterinary surgeon is a veterinarian who has undergone additional training and certification in surgery. The technical terminology is to say a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS). A “Diplomate” is someone who has a diploma, and is not the same as a Diplomat, which is a political role. (The “e” is important!).
After graduating from veterinary school, we must pursue at least 4 additional years of training. The first year is typically a rotating internship – this focuses on surgery, internal medicine, critical care, emergency medicine, and other disciplines such as anesthesia, cardiology, neurology, oncology, etc. The next goal is to be accepted into a surgical residency program, these are typically 3 years long. It is very competitive to be accepted into a residency, so many candidates must continue additional surgical training such as specialty surgery internships or research fellowships to improve their application and knowledge to be a more competitive candidate.
The residency programs are monitored by the ACVS to ensure appropriate and consistent training throughout all the residency programs in the USA and Canada. The residency consists of 3 years of focused training in surgery, as well as some additional training in anesthesia, internal medicine, radiology, pathology, and research. We must publish an article in a scientific journal on the topic of veterinary surgery. We must also pass a rigorous examination from the ACVS that covers various topics in soft tissue, orthopedic, and neurological surgery, as well as applicable material on anesthesia and patient care. Once all of those requirements have been met, then one earns the distinction of being a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
On the veterinary side we do not (yet) sub-specialize like physicians do for human surgery, into areas such as orthopedic, cardiothoracic, general surgery, etc. The veterinary surgeons that work and teach in a veterinary school will often have an area of clinical focus (e.g., soft tissue or orthopedics) because of their area of research focus. In private practice, we often perform all types of surgery. The ACVS has begun developing some fellowship programs to give even more advanced training on various aspects of surgery, such as surgical oncology (cancer), minimally invasive surgery (“keyhole” surgery), and craniomaxillary/facial surgery (head and jaws).
Diplomates of the ACVS work in all areas of veterinary medicine. They may work in veterinary schools to teach veterinary students as well as interns and residents. Many work in private practice – most of these surgeons are in the operating room and treating patients every day. Some private practices are also teaching hospitals, so the veterinarians are teaching interns and residents, and sometimes students that may be doing a rotation at their hospital. Some surgeons are more focused on research or even work in organized veterinary medicine or government roles.
Click here to see an electronic poster from the ACVS that also helps explain what makes a Diplomate.