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Training for Mohs Surgery

About the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS)

Our commitment to training for a Mohs surgeon reflects the same standards upheld by the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS), a membership organization of more than 1,400 fellowship trained skin cancer and reconstructive surgeons specializing in the Mohs micrographic surgical technique used to treat skin cancer. The ACMS serves as the voice of the specialty, promoting and advancing the highest standards of patient care through fellowship training, research, education and public advocacy.

Our Standards Behind the Training for a Mohs Surgeon

The ACMS was founded in 1967 by Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, who pioneered a highly specialized and precise technique that removes skin cancer in stages, one tissue layer at a time, resulting in minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue and the highest potential cure rate, up to 99%. The ACMS is the only organization that requires its members to have successfully completed an extensive one- to two-year fellowship training program in Mohs micrographic surgery after they have completed their years of dermatology residency training.

From its inception, the ACMS has promoted and continues to set the highest standards of patient care relating to Mohs micrographic surgery through its fellowship training process, during which members must have participated in at least 500 Mohs surgery cases under the supervision of an experienced Mohs surgeon.

Learn more at mohscollege.org.

Our Approach to Training for a Mohs Surgeon

Any board-certified dermatologist may perform Mohs surgery, but only ACMS members complete rigorous fellowship training. Selected through a highly competitive process, fellows must finish an intensive 1- or 2-year post-residency program that includes at least 500 Mohs surgery cases under an experienced ACMS-approved surgeon.

Fellowship programs must pass a strict application and review process before training a fellow, then maintain accreditation through the ACMS (international programs), the ACGME (U.S. programs), or the ACD (Australasian programs). The ACMS recognizes both ACGME and ACD programs, helping ensure fellows gain the expertise needed to safely perform Mohs surgery.

Accredited programs follow a structured curriculum covering graded responsibility, hands-on and non-operative training, and exposure to long-term results and complications. Programs are re-evaluated every 1 to 5 years to confirm they continue meeting academic and clinical standards.

National Reach

The ACMS is a national organization with national reach and a national profile. Members have shared their expertise and been featured in numerous medical journals, publications and newspapers, as well as on television and radio programs. ACMS members are regularly relied on for information on the effective treatment of skin cancer.

Engagement

ACMS members are involved at the highest levels of top dermatological organizations nationwide, including the American Academy of Dermatology, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, and more.

Unique Collaboration

Mohs surgeons work closely with members of the American Society for Mohs Histotechnology (ASMH), an organization of 375+ skilled technicians who process the slides used to determine the amount of tissue removed during the Mohs surgery. They are a vital part of the surgical process and are essential to successful surgical outcomes.

Origin and History

Mohs surgery is named after its founder and originator, Frederic E. Mohs, MD (1910-2002), who pioneered the procedure during his time at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

In June 1936, Dr. Mohs treated his first patient, who had squamous cell cancer of the lower lip.

The present-day ACMS was founded in 1967 by Dr. Mohs as the American College of Chemosurgery. Over the years, the Mohs surgical process was refined and in 1988, membership changed the name to

March 2017

American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology. This was shortened on the College’s 40th anniversary in 2007 to American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS).

Millcreek Dermatology

We Moved!

We are officially moved in to our new office!

Our new location is conveniently located close to our old location.

Our new address: 4252 S Highland Dr, Suite 200 Millcreek, UT 84124