No. Not all Orthopaedic Surgeons have demonstrated a commitment to their patients and profession by undergoing or maintaining the process of ABOS Board Certification. By law, an orthopedic surgeon must have a proper medical license in order to perform surgeries. ABOS Board Certification goes beyond an MD title and certifies that an Orthopaedic Surgeon has attained and/or maintained, the highest level of competence, skill, knowledge base, and achievement for orthopaedic surgery.
You are well within your rights as a patient to simply ask your Orthopaedic Surgeon directly or query a member of his or her medical staff. Another simple verification method is to visit the
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery at www.abos.org. Click on ‘Verify Certification’ to see if an Orthopaedic Surgeon in your area is Board Certified.
