FACOG/ YOUR OB-GYN'S QUALIFICATIONS.

[Guest guest]

Hi Lynn and all, just found this.

Dee~

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Your Ob-Gyn's Qualifications

All ob-gyns receive complete medical training. Their training equips them to give general care to women, as well as care that relates to pregnancy and the reproductive organs. Ob-gyns have earned degrees from college and medical school. They also have completed a four-year course of special training — a residency — in obstetrics and gynecology.

After residency, a doctor may be board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. To become board certified, the doctor must pass two tests. The first is a written test. This test shows that he or she has the knowledge and skills required to treat women. It covers both medical and surgical care.

He or she also must show experience in treating women's health conditions for two years in practice after residency. At this point, he or she takes a second test — an oral exam given by a panel of experts. This exam reviews the skills, knowledge and ability to treat many conditions. It includes a review of cases treated during the past year. Doctors certified after 1986 must be recertified in 10 years.

There are three subspecialty areas in obstetrics and gynecology:

Gynecologic oncology (care of women with cancers of the reproductive system)

Maternal–fetal medicine (care of women whose pregnancies are complicated by medical or obstetric problems)

Reproductive endocrinology (care of women who have hormonal or infertility problems)

All certified ob-gyns can treat patients with these disorders. Some doctors have special training that qualifies them to take a test to be certified in these areas. Such doctors often teach other doctors.

If the letters FACOG are written after your ob-gyn's name, it means that he or she is a Fellow (full member) of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). All ACOG Fellows are board certified. ACOG is a national group of more than 36,000 ob-gyns. It supports women's health care issues and offers a range of teaching programs to help doctors keep up with the latest advances in women's health care.

Your doctor may be a Junior Fellow in ACOG. Junior Fellows are in a training program or have just finished training. They are in practice preparing to pass the final oral exam.