Division of Member Services
The letters “FACS” (Fellow of the American College of Surgeons) after a surgeon’s name mean that the surgeon’s education and training, professional qualifications, surgical competence, and ethical conduct have passed a rigorous evaluation and have been found to be consistent with the high standards established and demanded by the College. The Division of Member Services is charged with the responsibility for that evaluation process.
A Fellow must maintain the high standards required for admission to the College throughout his or her career. Furthermore, a Fellow must be unequivocally committed to placing the welfare of the patient above any other consideration; to avoiding division of fees with other physicians; to making his or her fees commensurate with the services rendered; and to abstaining from performing unnecessary operations. A Fellow who violates these principles is subject to disciplinary actions and may be expelled from Fellowship in the College.
The American College of Surgeons also has a category of affiliation with the College known as “Associate Fellowship.” The Associate Fellow category provides an opportunity for surgeons to assume an active role in College affairs, including its educational activities, at an early stage in their surgical careers before they are eligible to apply for Fellowship. Surgeons who are beginning surgical practice and who have met specific requirements may apply for Associate Fellowship status.
The Young Fellows Association (YFA) is an organization within the College formed for members 45 years and younger. The YFA serves to make College activities meaningful to young surgeons in all specialties by promoting their participation in ACS affairs.
In addition, another organization formed within the College—called the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS)—serves to benefit surgeons of the future through involvement in ACS activities. Membership in the RAS-ACS is open to all surgical residents enrolled in accredited graduate surgical education programs and to young surgeons (Associate Fellows) who are within five years of graduation from formal surgical training.
Finally, a category of membership in the American College of Surgeons exists for medical students and is open to students in medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in the United States and in accredited Canadian medical schools.
Moreover, the division is responsible for administering the activities of the ACS Board of Governors, the ACS Advisory Councils, and for liaison activities with local ACS chapters. Several scholarship and fellowship programs are administered through the Division of Member Services, as well as the ACS Operation Giving Back Program, a volunteerism initiative established to reflect the humanitarian tenets central to the profession of surgery. The Division also is responsible for maintaining all of the College’s international activities
Revised June 16, 2011