The American Board of Thoracic Surgery or an equivalent International Board Certification should be a prerequisite to credentialing independent practice of Thoracic Surgery in the United States.

The need for specialty boards gained impetus during a period of sweeping transformations in medical education and clinical practice during the 20th century. The overarching tenet of establishing specialty boards, independent from professional societies, was to define the high standards in clinical knowledge and competence afforded to board-certified physicians, with the dual intention to demonstrate accountability through self-regulation and, by extension, build public credibility through leadership in advancing quality and transparency in clinical practice.

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