title: [Problems and reformation of the board of medical specialties in Japan].
abstract: The Board of Medical Specialties, which is closely related to postgraduate training in Japan, including the Board of Surgery, has serious defects in its system because it has developed on its own initiative and has been administered by a medical society. Many of the public are not aware of its existence, and its workings are difficult for them to understand. In the past 20 years, the Organization for the Board of Medical Societies (tentative English translation) has aimed to ensure sound development of the Board of Medical Specialties. Along with the activities of this organization, the Japan Surgical Society also decided to improve and reform its Board of Surgery and the boards of its subspecialties. The management, examination, and evaluation of the board system should be under the control of a third party separate from the medical societies. The ideal Board of Medical Specialties should not only foster gifted physicians but also benefit the public, communities, and medical societies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tohoku University Postgraduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryoji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ohi
mesh_terms: D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008511:Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013038:Specialization