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.