Program Criteria
The 2020 new member program application process opened on April 21, 2020. The deadline to submit completed applications was June 19, 2020. Please note: this is for program applications only, this is not for prospective fellows. Applicants applying for fellowship positions should visit the Applicants for Fellowship section.
To be a member of the Fellowship Council, a program must meet the following minimal requirements:
Each member’s fellowship must be a clinical fellowship at least one year in duration and must include a research component
Each member’s program must adhere to the application and matching process deadlines and guidelines
Each member must pay its membership dues by the designated date
Each member must participate in the accreditation process following the initial new member site visit
Each member must integrate an articulated curriculum with goals and objectives
There must be a written quarterly evaluation of the fellow (Fellowship Council assessments are required)
There must be a quarterly operative assessment of the fellow (Fellowship Council assessments are required)
There must be a written quarterly evaluation of the faculty (Fellowship Council assessments are required)
There must be evidence of scholarly activity. Fellows must submit at least one research study or quality improvement project during the fellowship to a National, International or Regional Society meeting or journal. The research project need not be accepted for presentation by the conference or for publication in the journal to which it was submitted. Documentation of these activities needs to be provided with all membership or accreditation applications.
The fellowship program should be designed such that transition to independent practice is emphasized.
The fellowship Program Director must have been at the applying institution for at least one year and must be at minimum 3 years out of fellowship training at the time of the application.
The program is required to have both an Associate Program Director and Designated Institutional Official (DIO).
A site visit for all new member applicants is required as part of the application process. A Membership Committee member will conduct a physical site visit and will expect to interview the Program Director, Associate Program Director, Program Director of the General Surgery Residency at the same institution (if applicable), Chair or Chief of Surgery, DIO (Designated Institutional Official) if different than Chair of Surgery, Representatives of the teaching faculty of the fellowship, a chief resident(s) in Surgery of the associated surgical training program at the institution (if applicable), and a Current fellow(s) (if applicable). A tour of the facility should also be planned. The site review should take no less than four hours and no more than one day. The cost of the site visit is $2,200.
Prior to applying, Program Directors must review the following to ensure that they will be able to meet Fellowship Council criteria for the type of fellowship for which they are applying:
- The Fellowship Council Program Guidelines
- To access the Fellowship Council Specific Fellowship Type Curricula and Program Requirements, click here. NOTE: For the update on the dual accreditation designations for the 2020-2021 Fellow Year and Beyond, click here.
New programs applicants are also strongly encouraged to review the following:
New member applications are reviewed by the Fellowship Council Membership Committee and the Board of Directors. If approved, member dues for new members are $2,000 for the first year, and will be $1200 thereafter.
Please note that the Fellowship Council and the Foundation for Surgical Fellowships are two independent entities. Programs must apply for funding separately via the Foundation for Surgical Fellowships site.
For questions, please email your name, institution, email address, and phone number to [email protected].