Membership Information

The deadline for submitting a completed membership application to APSA is August 29, 2008. The application forms and instructions are available on this Web site or can be obtained by contacting:

APSA Headquarters
111 Deer Lake Road, Suite 100
Deerfield, IL 60015
847-480-9576
E-mail: eapsa@eapsa.org

If you would like to sponsor a prospective member please notify them of this application deadline. Completed applications received on time will be reviewed by the Membership and Credentials Committee, forwarded to the Board of Governors and, if successful, to the APSA membership.

2007 Applicants: Announcement of membership will be at the annual meeting in May 2008.

2008 Applicants: Announcement of membership will be at the annual meeting in 2009.

All members are expected to adhere to the Principles of Medical Ethics and are encouraged to serve on APSA specialty committees and related professional organizations.

APSA has six categories of membership, which are summarized here. For details about surgical qualification and experience, see What is a Pediatric Surgeon?

Regular Membership
Must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or Canada and be licensed to practice surgery in the United States or Canada. Applicants must have a practice devoted entirely to pediatric surgery and may not be elected to membership until he or she has practiced pediatric surgery for one year after completion of the required surgical training. Annual member dues are $525. All Regular Members are required to carry a subscription to the Journal of Pediatric Surgery at the special rate of $172 per year.

Candidate Membership
Must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or Canada and be licensed to practice surgery in the United States or Canada. Candidate members shall have completed all training required and be in the process of obtaining the board examinations given by the American Board of Surgery or by the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and have completed the first year of an approved pediatric surgery residency program in the United States or Canada. Annual member dues are $75. All Candidate Members are required to carry a subscription to the Journal of Pediatric Surgery at the special rate of $172 per year.

Charter Membership
Charter membership was established and then closed on April 15, 1970. Charter membership was extended to persons actively engaged in the practice of pediatric surgery, who had already amply demonstrated excellence and fitness as a trained specialist in pediatric surgery, who had devoted his or her practice to pediatric surgery, and who was certified by the American Board of Surgery, or by the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.

Honorary Membership
Honorary membership may be conferred up on a physician for outstanding contributions to pediatric surgery by unanimous vote of the Board of Governors and an affirmative vote by two-thirds of the voting membership attending the Annual Meeting.

International Membership
A physician who is a citizen neither of the United States nor Canada, and who does not live within the Territory of the United States nor Canada, may apply to the American Pediatric Surgical Association as an international member. Such applicants must provide documentation that they have successfully completed the established training curriculum in pediatric surgery as required by their respective national or regional agencies. Such applicants must meet the same practice criteria as required of regular members. Three letters of recommendation from APSA members as well as one letter from a local reference must accompany his/her application. Annual member dues are $525.

Associate Membership
A physician may apply for associate membership if he or she has been exclusively engaged in the practice of pediatric surgery for five years, except as may be required by emergency care or special circumstances. An associate member requires written endorsement by a regular member sponsor as well as two other members at the time of application and must provide a comprehensive current two year case log as well as a letter from the Chief of Surgery at each hospital where he/she practices confirming the validity of the case log and indicating that the applicant is a member of the hospital staff in good standing. Annual member dues are $525. All Associate Members are required to carry a subscription to the Journal of Pediatric Surgery at the special rate of $172 per year.

For details about the requirements of each of these categories, contact APSA headquarters.