What Kind of Training Does My Doctor Have? Did He or She Learn Hair Transplantation at a Weekend Clinic?
Medical training and education can be very confusing to people outside of the medical profession. There are DOs, MDs, and a variety of board certifications. For those of you who aren’t sure what all of that means, here is how it works.
There are only two degrees of medicine in the United States of America that give an individual the right to apply for a state license (each state administers its own license) to practice surgery (cut and suture) or prescribe FDA and DEA regulated medications without supervision. These are the “allopathic” MD (medical doctor) degree and the “osteopathic” DO (doctor of osteopathic medicine) degree. Any individual who graduates from one of these four-year programs has earned the title “doctor” of medicine (as opposed to history or chemistry).
It is exceedingly rare for new doctors to begin practicing medicine right out of medical school. 99% of new doctors enter into a residency to learn a specific field of medicine (dermatology, emergency medicine, plastic surgery, etc.). Residencies are at least three years in length and can be as long as seven years. The goal of the residency is to prepare a doctor to practice his or her specialty and to pass the “board” examination for that specialty. Successfully completing a residency entitles a physician to sit for a specialty board and, if he or she passes, become “board certified.”
Beyond the residency, doctors wishing to “sub-specialize” can receive additional training in a “fellowship.” A fellowship is highly specific field of study. There are fellowships in sports medicine, hand surgery, hair transplantation, toxicology, invasive cardiology, etc. Fellowships are important because they allow physicians to focus their time exclusively on a concentrated field of medicine and typically teach physicians to perform a limited number of procedures very well. This is especially important in hair transplantation, which is often minimally covered or excluded altogether from residencies. Even plastic surgery and dermatology residencies do not generally require their surgeons to have performed or ever to have seen one hair transplantation.
At Ziering Medical, we believe that physicians who have dedicated a year of their lives to a fellowship focusing exclusively on hair transplantation (hair grafts) and hair loss will have a better understanding of the artistic and surgical intricacies of hair transplantation. As part of our commitment to quality, all of the surgeons at Ziering Medical have completed a residency and are board certified in that specialty. In addition, they have all completed a minimum one-year fellowship in hair transplantation surgery and are board certified or eligible to take the board exam offered by the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery. Every Ziering Medical surgeon has a minimum of eight years of medical and surgical education with at least a one-year fellowship specifically in hair transplantation.
Dr. Craig Ziering is board certified in dermatology by the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology, and in hair transplantation surgery by the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery. In addition, he has over 15 years of hair transplantation surgery experience. He is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and accomplished hair transplantation and hair loss experts in Southern California, Nevada, Utah, or anywhere else in the United States.
Is a hair transplant or hair graft right for you? Ziering Medical could have the answer you’re looking for. Visit our private consultation form and get started toward a more confident, self-assured life.
Dr. Craig L. Ziering is one of the leading authorities in hair transplant surgery. With more than 20 years of experience as a preeminent hair transplant surgeon in Southern California, Dr. Ziering has provided help to countless men and women who suffered from hair loss.