Membership Information

The American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) encompasses nearly all pediatric surgeons in the United States and more within North America. APSA provides a community specific to the interests and needs of the pediatric surgeon, as well as CME, training and educational opportunities. We encourage all pediatric surgeons to apply for membership, and have recently opened membership to general residents with a waived fee.

Current APSA members: Renew Your Membership

Applying for membership?
Membership applications are reviewed four times per year: February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1. If you would like to sponsor a prospective member please notify them of these application deadlines. The application forms and instructions are available on this Web site (scroll down) or can be obtained by contacting:

APSA Headquarters
E-mail: eapsa@eapsa.org
+1-847-480-9576
111 Deer Lake Road, Suite 100
Deerfield, IL 60015 USA

Completed applications will be reviewed by the Membership and Credentials Committee, forwarded to the Board of Governors and, if successful, to the APSA membership for voting. Voting takes place twice per year: April and November, and approved members are notified in May and December. Member induction ceremony is at the annual meeting.

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

Regular Membership
Regular Members 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 $189 per year.

To apply for Regular Membership, you must complete an application and case log form.

Download the Regular Membership Application (Word format - 44 KB)
Download the Case Log Form (Excel format - 29 KB)

Candidate Membership
Candidate Members must be licensed to practice surgery in the United States or Canada. Candidate Members must have successfully completed the examination in general surgery given by the American Board of Surgery or by the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, or, they must be eligble for examination by those respective Boards. 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 $189 per year.

To apply for candidate membership, you must complete an application.

Download the Candidate Membership Application (Word format - 39 KB)

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 $189 per year.

To apply for Associate Membership, you must complete an application.

         Download the Associate Membership Application (Word format - 44 KB)
         Download the Case Log Form

Resident Membership General Surgery Residents
A Resident Member must be a general surgery resident in good standing in an ACGME-approved residency program or Royal College of Surgeons equivalent.  The term of membership will be for one year and will automatically expire after one year unless a written request for extension is submitted to and approved by the Membership and Credentials Committee.  There are no dues for Resident Membership, and an optional subscription to the Journal of Pediatric Surgery may be purchased at a discounted rate of $189 per year.

To apply for Resident Membership, you must complete an application.

Download the Resident Membership Application (Word format - 90 KB)

International Membership
A physician who is not a citizen of the United States or Canada, and who does not live within the Territory of the United States or 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, and an optional subscription to the Journal of Pediatric Surgery may be purchased at a discounted rate of $222 per year.

To apply for International Membership, you must complete an application.

Download the International Membership Application (Word format - 20 KB)

Honorary Membership
Honorary Membership may be conferred upon 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.

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.

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