by Caroline B. Davila, Public Relations

Board certification is more than just a requirement for medical staff membership at MUSC. It is a choice made by the professionals of this institution in order to reach the level of expertise necessary to belong to this faculty.

Becoming a licensed, board certified physician means meeting the most rigorous training and continuing education of any profession. Medical school is just the beginning of a long and expensive process, followed by residency, fellowship training, national and board exams as well as a commitment to continuing education.

“As a medical school and a teaching hospital, we are responsible for educating and training new generations of physicians, medical scientists, nurses and many other health care professionals,” said Layton McCurdy, M.D., vice president for medical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine. MUSC doctors are not only practicing physicians; they are also “medical school” teachers. This dual role requires them to have the highest level of training and the most up-to-date knowledge of their particular field, McCurdy said.

Stephen Jones, executive assistant to the president, describes the faculty as having “enthusiasm… and optimism and the ability to get things done.” He said that James B. Edwards, DMD, as MUSC president, leader, and health professional, “inoculated the faculty with a can-do spirit.”

After four years of attending medical school, and passing three national exams, a doctor is given a general license to practice medicine. At this point, depending on the specialty he chooses, he must follow three to seven more years of training.

The training of a specialist begins after the doctor has received his medical degree from a medical school, in what is called a residency. Resident physicians dedicate as many as seven or more years to full-time experience in a hospital or ambulatory care setting, caring for patients under the supervision of experienced teaching specialists. Once these clinical requirements are met, the physician obtains a certificate from his program director making him eligible to sit for a board exam. The applicant must pass the qualifying examination before becoming admissible to the certifying examination.

Board certification in a specialty is a separate procedure from medical licensure, which assures the public that a doctor has successfully completed an approved specialty program. This certification is given by one of the 24 individual specialty boards who in turn are members of the larger American Board of Medical Specialties.

These boards are private, voluntary, non-profit, autonomous organizations and are made up of doctors who serve for a period of one to seven years. “These boards are technically not government agencies,“ said McCurdy, “but our federal government and most insurance companies recognize them as the American standard of quality.”

Five doctors from MUSC’s staff serve on these boards. They were elected from among nominees provided by certain national and regional societies and organizations. These doctors must not only be highly qualified but also have excelled in their field.

The purpose of these boards is to protect the public by giving certification only to those who demonstrate that they have acquired the knowledge, experience and skills necessary to provide high quality patient care in a specialty.

“I think that the selection of Dr. Carolyn Reed as the first woman to serve on the American Board of Thoracic Surgery is a remarkable achievement that… brings status and recognition to MUSC,” McCurdy said. As a member of our Thoracic Surgery Department, Reed is sharing her knowledge and expertise with the medical school students as well as seeing patients.

As a member of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Reed also accepts the responsibility of setting standards for thoracic surgeons throughout the United States. MUSC’s “Miracle Workers” video documentary demonstrates the extensive commitment that she has made to patient care and surgical work as well as continuing education.

MUSC’s commitment to a high level of education and excellent patient care is evidenced by the success of its operations, according to Edwards. MUSC is in the top tier of academic health centers. “Almost every day I receive a letter of thanks from a patient or family member for the compassionate care delivered by our talented and dedicated faculty and staff” Edwards said. “The best doctors start with the best education,” and the best health care starts with the best doctors.

In order to maintain their certification, MUSC doctors must periodically be reevaluated by these same boards. The pressure of recertification encourages physicians to do research and keep up with the latest findings in their field. They are constantly reading and keeping themselves informed of recent medical breakthroughs. Ultimately it is the MUSC patient who benefits from good health care based on the latest medical research.

Faculty members who are presently serving or who have served on a specialty board

Fred Crawford, M.D., Chairman of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery; Carolyn Reed, M.D., Director, American Board of Thoracic Surgery; Warren Y. Adkins, M.D., American Board of Otolaryngology; John D. Osguthorpe, M.D., American Board of Otolaryngology; John C. Maize, M.D., President-Elect of the American Board of Dermatology; Layton McCurdy, M.D., Ex-Chairman of the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology; William R. Turner, Jr., President, American Urological Association

Faculty members who have served on the test material development committees for the United States Medical Licensing Examination and the National Board Examinations since the late 1980s

Alexander W. Chessman, Step 2 R-set Task Force, 1/1/98, 12/31/98; Robert M. Galbraith, Step 1 Microbiology, 1/1/92, 7/1/95; Robert M.Galbraith, Part II Hematopoietic/Immune Task Force, 1/1/89, 12/31/90; Perry V. Halushka, Step 1 Pharmacology, 1/1/96,12/31/98; Hartwell Z. Hildebrand, Step 3 Item Modeling Task Force, 1/1/98,12/31/98; Paul E. Kaplan, Step 3 TMDC 5 (Acute Care Cases), 9/1/98, 12/31/98; Paul E. Kaplan, Step 3 Item Modeling Task Force, 1/1/96, 12/31/96; Bruce Lydiard, Step 2 Psychiatry, 1/1/96, 12/31/98; Harry S. Margolius, Step 1 Pharmacology, 1/1/87, 3/31/94; Roger R. Markwald, Step 1 Embryology Task Force, 1/1/96, 12/31/96; Roger R. Markwald, Step 1 Anatomy, 1/1/88, 12/31/97; Roger R. Markwald, Step 1 Human Development Review Task Force, 7/1/96, 12/31/96; William M. Rambo, Step 2 R-set Task Force, 1/1/97,12/31/97; Steven A. Sahn, Part II Pulmonary Task Force, 1/1/89, 12/31/90; Stephen I. Schabel, National Board Member, 4/1/94, 3/31/01; Stephen I. Schabel, NBME Digital Image Library Task Force, 1/1/97, 12/31/99; Stephen I. Schabel, Step 3 Modeling by Degree Task Force, 1/1/97, 12/31/97; Stephen I. Schabel, Assessment Center Program Committee, 1/1/96,12/31/00; Stephen I. Schabel, Step 3 Committee, 1/1/90,12/31/91; Stephen I. Schabel, Patient Encounter Pictorial Library Task Force, /1/1/92, 12/31/96; Stephen I. Schabel, Part II Standard Setting, 1/1/91, 12/31/91; Gabriel Virella, Cross-Step Task Force for Immunity, 8/1/94, 12/31/96; Sally A. Webb, Step 3 TMDC 2 (Resource Utilization), 1/1/98, 12/31/99