ABPS Case-List and Case-Report Preparation: A Candidate Workflow
A disciplined workflow for maintaining the official record, preparing for Board selection, and converting fully de-identified copies into repeatable oral defense without confusing rehearsal with submission.
Key takeaways
- The current 2027 cycle uses a July 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027 collection period and requires at least 50 major operative cases of sufficient quality, complexity, and variety to finalize the list.
- Candidates must enter all cases from the collection period, not only 50; minor cases are entered but do not count toward the minimum, and no more than three cases per patient count toward the minimum.
- ABPS selects five cases for formal reports, and all cases should have appropriate photographic documentation because any case may be selected.
- SurgiTest Personal Case Uploads are for fully de-identified rehearsal only and are not connected to the ABPS Clinical Case Log or submission portal.
Know the current published case-list requirements
| Requirement | Current public description |
|---|---|
| Collection period | Nine months, July 1 through March 31; for the 2027 cycle, July 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027. |
| Minimum volume | At least 50 major operative cases of sufficient quality, complexity, and variety to finalize the list. |
| All-case entry | All cases performed during the collection period are entered, not only the minimum 50. |
| Minor cases | Entered in the log but do not count toward the 50-major-case minimum. |
| Multiple procedures / same patient | A maximum of three cases per patient count toward the 50-major-case minimum. |
| Photographs | Routine preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative documentation is emphasized; selected cases require the published photo and consent materials. |
| Board selection | The Board reviews the list and selects five cases for case reports when the list is accepted. |
Build a weekly case-list habit during collection
- 01
Enter the case promptly
Record the correct facility, category, diagnosis, procedure, codes, role, and required fields while the details are available.
- 02
Secure the photographic sequence
Maintain appropriate consent and organized preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative photographs, including functional documentation for hand cases and meaningful follow-up.
- 03
Track outcome and adverse events
Document wound issues, prolonged care, antibiotics, therapy, readmission, reoperation, revision, dissatisfaction, functional status, and final condition rather than recording only a favorable early visit.
- 04
Reconcile the operative and billing record
Ensure the log, procedure report, and submitted coding are internally consistent. Do not use preparation time to retrospectively make the record look cleaner.
- 05
Audit diversity and completeness monthly
Review whether the list reflects sufficient volume, complexity, and breadth, and identify photo, consent, privilege, accreditation, or follow-up gaps early.
Prepare every case as potentially selectable
- Concise presentation of the patient, problem, goals, and indication.
- Preoperative evaluation and plan-changing findings.
- Meaningful alternatives, including no operation or staging when relevant.
- Procedure sequence, critical anatomy, and attending decisions.
- Anesthesia, facility, prophylaxis, and postoperative plan.
- Photographs organized chronologically and represented honestly.
- Complications, unplanned care, revisions, and final outcome.
- Functional result, aesthetic result, patient concern, and ongoing issue.
- Consent, ethics, economic consideration, advertising, or coding issue relevant to the case.
- What you would do differently and why—without rewriting history.
When five cases are selected, build a single source of truth
The formal case report must follow ABPS instructions. For oral preparation, create a separate, fully de-identified study sheet that points back to the verified source material rather than relying on memory. It should never alter or replace the official record.
| Study-sheet field | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Case thesis | Why this patient needed this treatment and what outcome mattered most. |
| Chronology | Consultation, operation, postoperative events, complication, revision, and final follow-up in the correct sequence. |
| Operative ownership | What the candidate evaluated, selected, performed, supervised, and managed. |
| Decision pivots | The findings that changed timing, operation, donor site, implant, flap, fixation, or postoperative care. |
| Complication | Recognition, mechanism, treatment, communication, outcome, and prevention lesson. |
| Outcome | Function, form, symptoms, photographs, revisions, residual problem, and patient perspective. |
Use Personal Case Uploads as a rehearsal layer—not a submission layer
SurgiTest can turn a fully de-identified educational case packet into repeatable examiner-style practice. This is especially valuable for Plastic Surgery because the official format directly examines Board-selected personal case reports.
The candidate remains responsible for verifying every extracted fact. The generated rehearsal should be compared with the de-identified source packet before use, and the candidate should correct any ambiguity rather than practicing an invented detail.
- 01
De-identify outside SurgiTest
Remove names, dates, medical-record numbers, facilities, clinicians, accession numbers, image metadata, faces, unique tattoos, and all other protected information before upload.
- 02
Upload only the educational minimum
Use a concise packet containing the facts needed for indication, operation, complication, outcome, and follow-up. Do not upload the entire unredacted chart.
- 03
Verify the summary
Confirm diagnosis, procedure, chronology, complication, and outcome. Resolve missing or contradictory details before rehearsal.
- 04
Practice multiple examiner branches
Rehearse indication, alternatives, technical detail, early and late complications, ethics, coding, consent, outcome, and reflection rather than memorizing one presentation.
Final personal-case audit
- The official case report follows the current Board instructions and deadlines.
- The spoken chronology matches the official record and photographs.
- Every complication and unplanned event is accounted for.
- The patient’s final condition is known—not inferred from discharge.
- The indication and alternatives remain defensible in retrospect.
- The candidate can describe the operation without reading the report.
- Ethical, economic, consent, advertising, and coding issues have been considered.
- The rehearsal copy is fully de-identified and stored separately from official submission material.
Put the framework under pressure
Rehearse the exact decisions in your own cases.
Voice-first cases, adaptive examiner follow-up, imaging, complications, and structured educational feedback for plastic surgery.
Questions candidates ask
Frequently asked questions
Do I enter only my 50 best cases?
No. The current Booklet states that candidates must enter all cases performed during the collection period, not only 50. The minimum refers to qualifying major cases needed to finalize the list.
Do minor cases count toward the minimum?
Minor cases should be entered but do not count toward the published 50-major-case minimum.
Can I upload official case reports directly to SurgiTest?
Only after creating a fully de-identified educational copy. Never upload an unredacted official report, medical record, consent, photograph, or file containing protected information.
Does SurgiTest send my case to ABPS?
No. Personal Case Uploads are solely an independent practice feature and have no connection to the Board’s Clinical Case Log or case-report upload system.
Source transparency
Official references
Board requirements, dates, and candidate instructions can change. Confirm current details directly with ABPS and the Board’s candidate portal.
Continue preparing