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What Is A Colorectal Surgeon?

What Is A Colorectal Surgeon?

December 29, 2021
Ray Scott Daugherty, MD
Ray Scott Daugherty, MD

Colon and Rectal Surgery

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Transcript

You may get referred to a colorectal surgeon and you may be asking, “What is a colorectal surgeon?”

 

We are surgeons that, like general surgeons, go through our four years of medical school, and then five years of general surgery, residency, or training. With a colorectal surgeon, we then do an extra year of fellowship in a colon and rectal surgery-specific fellowship. Following this, we also take boards in both general surgery and colon and rectal surgery.

 

We often have what’s called a double boarded certification. So colon and rectal surgeons will actually take the general surgery boards, which is oral and written, followed by the colorectal boards, which are both oral and written as well, and so they’ll have to pass both of them to be a board certified colon or rectal surgeon. We’ll then have to maintain certification to keep that board certification throughout our career.

 

Key Takeaways

1. Colorectal surgeons, like general surgeons, go through our four years of medical school, and then five years of general surgery, residency, or training.

2. Colorectal surgeons do an extra year of fellowship in a colon and rectal surgery-specific fellowship.

3. They also take boards in both general surgery and colon and rectal surgery and often have a double boarded certification.

4. They then have to maintain certification to keep that board certification throughout their career.