Find Your Specialty 813-433-2277

The Importance of Maintaining Current Status in Physician Board Certification

Board Certification StatusThe staff members at the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) understand that the time constraints that confront most physicians in this day and age can be overwhelming. In many ways, time is a physician’s greatest adversary, especially in today’s environment. They are torn in many directions by patients who need them, digital paperwork that won’t wait, and the demands placed upon them by employers if they work within a healthcare group or at a hospital. It is understandable, then, that the annual responsibilities related to physician board certification within their chosen specialties might lose out on the list of priorities. Yet, it is well worth dedicating the relatively brief amount of time required to make sure that a certification status remains current and updated.

Online Verification of Certification Can Impact a Physician’s Career

The ease of online verification of a physician’s board certification status with the ABPS and other certifying bodies is one reason it is more important than ever for a physician to remain current each year. This applies to recertification every few years, certainly, but it also is important for a physician to meet annual responsibilities as well. Why? Because there are a number of entities that regularly attempt to confirm a physician’s status for a variety of reasons, and what used to take weeks or months now can be accomplished in minutes online.

Who might check verification? The list is relatively short, but substantial, and could very well impact a physician’s ability to get hired or to retain a position. Verification might be sought by:

  • Hospital recruiters
  • Hospital CEOs and other administrators
  • Patients
  • A current employer
  • Regulatory agencies
  • Licensing agencies
  • Verification organizations that maintain records for insurance companies

Recertification Enhances a Physician’s Professional Standing

By recertifying, physicians demonstrate their dedication to both career growth and the advancement of their medical field. This is also a significant benefit to medical organizations, as patients often consider the qualifications of a physician when deciding which facility to visit. Recertification can therefore serve as an assurance of quality for prospective patients.

To earn board recertification through the ABPS, physicians must participate in a regular schedule of maintenance and enhancement of competency in their specialty. They must also:

  • Complete a non-remedial medical ethics course
  • Complete specialty-specific CME during the preceding eight years
  • Certify annually that their medical licenses are full and unrestricted in every state in which they practice
  • Pass a 100-question, securely administered written exam in the final year of the eight-year certification cycle

Current Diplomates of ABMS and AOA member boards are eligible to recertify with ABPS, and we encourage them to consider the ABPS as an option.

To learn more about the importance of maintaining a current status with board certification, contact the ABPS today. The ABPS is the official multi-specialty board certification body of the American Association of Physician Specialists, Inc.

Save the Date
House of Delegates & Annual Scientific Meeting
Innovation & Overcoming Challenges
June 10-15, 2022
Plan Your Visit. Meeting Information
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
Meet Our Staff Read All Reviews
Boards
Careers
Login
Contact