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What Is the ABPS?

The American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS) is one of the three most prominent nationally recognized multi-specialty certifying entities in the United States. The Member Boards of the ABPS offer specialty certification examinations for qualified allopathic (MD.) and osteopathic (DO) physicians. Oversight of the ABPS is governed by the board of directors and chief executive officer, who help make sure that eligibility requirements and testing standards are stringent.

Physician Board Certification Options Offered by the ABPS

The 12 Member Boards of the ABPS administer 20 specialties:

  • Administrative Medicine
  • Anesthesiology
  • Dermatology
  • Diagnostic Radiology
  • Disaster Medicine
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Family Medicine Obstetrics
  • Family Medicine
  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Hospital Medicine
  • Integrative Medicine
  • Internal Medicine
  • Obstetrics & Gynecology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Plastic Surgery
  • Psychiatry
  • Radiation Oncology
  • General Surgery
  • Urgent Care Medicine

The ABPS is the only multi-specialty certification body that offers certification in integrative medicine and disaster medicine. Additionally, physicians who have extensive experience working in emergency departments, but who completed their residencies in a primary care field, can earn emergency medicine certification with the ABPS without needing to complete an additional residency.

A Pragmatic Approach to Board Certification

Physicians have invested considerable time and money in their medical training, so it’s only right that they should be able to choose the certification board that best reflects their values and enhances their careers. At the ABPS, we have maintained this pragmatic approach to certification since our founding way back in 1952. That’s when a group of osteopathic surgeons who had completed allopathic residencies and were denied AOA and ABMS certification created a certification board that didn’t discriminate on training and actually tested a physician’s knowledge of the specialty. The ABPS certified its first physician in 1960 and since then has certified and recertified physicians in a wide range of specialties. Today, ABPS Diplomates can be found in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, and many ABPS Diplomates are leaders at respected institutions.

High Certification Standards to Benefit the Public as Well as Physicians

The objectives of the ABPS are to:

  • Set rigorous standards for physician board certification
  • Provide an active forum for addressing certification issues confronting physician specialists
  • Establish and maintain professional standards for each medical specialty board of certification and verify that members meet and maintain these standards
  • Promote communication and provide a coordinated structure for conducting the affairs of the affiliated boards of certification
  • Review and act upon applications for new specialty boards
  • Promote collegiality, fraternity, and service among ABPS Diplomates
  • Inform the public about specialty certification, the certification process, and the status of certified physicians

Every ABPS Diplomate is expected to adhere to the organization’s code of ethics and stated values, which include a dedication to conducting themselves with the highest level of integrity while ensuring that patients are safely administered the highest level of medical care. To learn more, contact the ABPS today. We would be happy to provide you with detailed information that includes our various eligibility requirements.

 

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Patient Care Is Our Priority

Medical organizations throughout North America understand that our rigorous certification standards prove that ABPS Diplomates are capable of delivering the best patient care possible.

Far too often, medicine is led by less than 5% of non-practicing physicians taking away and replacing the voice of the 95% of physicians practicing and placing patient safety and care first on the front lines every day. The American Board of Physician Specialties has raised the standards in physician board certification not only in the quality of their boards of certification, but in hearing and allowing for the voice of those active physicians caring directly for patients. Having been a part of the ABPS over the last 28 years has allowed me to grow as a woman leader in a field often wrought with challenges. It helped me and others raise the bar of the standards of care in my specialty, Emergency Medicine, through their Board Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM). ABPS also helped raise the standards of care for 21st century medicine through their certifications in other specialties, particularly in Integrative Medicine & Disaster Medicine. Having physician voices heard matters to medicine and is essential in the betterment of patient safety and care.

Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP
Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP
Emergency Medicine
On October 18, 2007, President George W. Bush released Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 (HSPD-21), calling on our nation, among other initiatives, to “collectively support and facilitate the establishment of a discipline of disaster health”. It is a great testament to the wisdom and foresight of the American Board of Physician Specialties that it immediately set to work and created, within the short span of only one year, an educational blueprint and set of certification examinations, both written and oral, for a new subspecialty of disaster medicine—and it is why I chose to be part this vital initiative and this wonderful organization. This is but one of the many innovative programs initiated by the American Board of Physician Specialties over the years, and why I am proud to support its work on behalf of our nation’s public health.

Art Cooper, MD
Disaster Medicine
When the American Board of Physician Specialties offered to host the American Board of Integrative Medicine, ABPS became a landmark organization working to move medicine into the twenty first century. Certifying physicians who have completed rigorous academic training in Integrative Medicine ensures that the field of Integrative Medicine will continue to develop academically, clinically, and professionally. The leadership of ABPS continues to impress me - they are diligent in constantly innovating to provide certifications for physicians who want to advance their careers and their areas of expertise. I am honored to be a part of this organization.

Ann Marie Chiasson, MD
Integrative Medicine
There are many ways board certification advances a physician career. ABPS Board examination verifies your accuracy, precision, and reflects your mastery of your residency training verifying your expertise. ABPS Board certification demonstrates your level of expertise beyond your practice experience, primary education degrees, and training which are necessary for insurance reimbursement and practice privilege requirements. Attaining your ABPS Board Certification will clarify your purpose, secure your practice growth, and expand into leadership positions. Board certification can serve as an indication of a physician’s commitment to medicine, beyond the minimal standards and competency of training, their measurement to quality of care, and attaining an award for excellence.

Chris Kunis MD
Internal Medicine
When I think historically, advancement in medicine and patient safety and care has been driven by the diversity of people and scientific thought. That’s what I found at the ABPS and more. For over 60 years that is just who we are. I found a physician certifying body that provides a choice and voice to all physicians ensuring that patients are always placed first.

Jerry Allison, MD
Emergency Medicine
When I decided to pursue a full time role as a physician executive it was important to me to obtain additional professional training, education and work experience. Board certification through the ABPS in Administrative Medicine is validation of my efforts and a demonstration of dedication to professional development. We need more physicians to become full time health care executives, knowing there is a board certification option in Administrative Medicine encourages physicians to take the leap from full time clinical practice to healthcare organizational leadership.

Richard Paula, MD
Administrative Medicine
The American Board of Physician Specialties has provided me with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of internal medicine through board certification. As a hospitalist, board certification is an expected credential, and hospitals recognize the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) as one of the three standard credentialling bodies for Internal Medicine. Additionally, the ABPS has helped me develop leadership skills as a Board member and Committee Chairperson. ABPS has also helped me sharpen critical thinking skills as a test question developer and reviewer. The Allopathic (MD) and Osteopathic (DO) physicians in the ABPS are lifelong learners and frequently pursue multiple board certifications. I enjoy the camaraderie of my peers in ABPS.

Loren Jay Chassels, DO
Internal Medicine
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