Industry Benchmarks

The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons represents plastic surgeons (reconstructive and cosmetic) who have trained and practiced their specialty in compliance with the professional standards and ethics of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS).

To be accredited by the Society, surgeons must undergo a minimum of seven years postgraduate training in surgery which includes a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) or its equivalent.

The specialist training involves the following requirements:

• Five years undergraduate medical training
• Two years postgraduate surgical training
• Five years plastic surgery training, including reconstructive and cosmetic surgery
• Most plastic surgeons then spend further years studying a specialised area, e.g. cosmetic surgery, hand surgery, cranio-facial surgery or microsurgery, before commencing practice.

In addition to being responsible for maintaining acceptable standards of professional conduct to which all members must adhere, the Society promotes public education about reconstructive and cosmetic surgery procedures.

The NSW Health Commissioner Inquiry into Cosmetic Surgery in 1999 upheld the RACS as the benchmark standard for surgical certification.