Articles - General Certification Information

2018 Testing Information

All written examinations that are administered by American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS) are computer based. Exams are offered across a network of testing centers in the United States and Canada. Depending on the specialty, candidates may sit for testing during one of two three-week-long testing windows: May 1–21, 2018 or October 1–21, 2018. When registering, each candidate is encouraged ...

Does Your Healthcare Organization Reflect the Current Standards of Physician Board Certification?

While not everyone knows the steps that physicians must complete in order to become board certified, they largely understand that board certified physicians represent some of the best and the brightest in their specialty. And, currently in the United States there are three organizations that provide highly regarded, reliable, and reputable board certification to physicians: The American Board of Medical ...

The Physician Board Certification Standard

Board Certification is the single most reputable, regarded and trusted indicator of a physician’s expertise and qualifications in his or her area of expertise. In order to become board certified, interested physician candidates must meet rigorous eligibility requirements, which usually includes the successful completion of a standardized written and, in some cases, oral examination, which seeks to identify physician leaders ...

Hospital & Healthcare Organization Credentialers Increasingly Look for ABPS Board Certification

At the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS), we work tirelessly to ensure that our Diplomates get all of the professional opportunities that they deserve. A central component to this relationship is that, in recent years, we have made tremendous progress building lasting relationships with hospitals and other healthcare organization credentialers throughout United States. Today, the ABPS is the third-largest ...

The Steps to Developing an American Board of Physician Specialties® Examination

A central component to becoming board certified by the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS) is the successful completion of a standardized, written examination. This exam is designed to be rigorous but fair, singling out the most competent, highly trained and knowledgeable physicians in their specialty area. As a result, credentialing organizations, physician peers and the public can be confident ...

2017 Testing Schedule Set for ABPS Member Certification Boards

At the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS), one of the central components of our board certification process is that each of our applicants must successfully pass a written examination. Our standardized, psychometrically validated examinations test core concepts of a specialty area and measure the subject matter mastery of the physician candidate. Available at testing centers located throughout the United ...

Credentialers: Are Any of Your Staff Physicians Certified by the American Board of Physician Specialties?

At the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS), we offer a helpful online tool that can be an invaluable resource to credentialers. Our ABPS Online Verification Database is available to healthcare and credentialing organizations that are interested in confirming the credentials of physicians. Through this system, you have access to the physician’s specialty, certificate number, and expiration date, and our ...

Trends in Dual Board Certification

Over the years, as the healthcare sector has become increasingly specialized, more and more physicians have chosen to become board certified in more than one field. Sometimes physicians have naturally developed experience in a subspecialty or field similar to his or her own residency training. In other instances, physicians have been called upon to fill gaps in their community healthcare ...

The Difference Between Licensure and Board Certification

There is a crucial difference between being licensed to practice medicine and being a board certified physician, which is why it is important that patients understand the two concepts in order to select the most qualified physicians in their communities. A medical license is a minimum requirement that all physicians must receive in order to be eligible to practice medicine. ...

What Does it Mean to be a Board Certified Doctor?

Board certification is a useful credential that helps validate the expertise and experience of a physician specialist. This is beneficial to the physician from a personal satisfaction standpoint in that it formally recognizes a mastery of the core concepts that define the physician’s area of expertise, but beyond that, it is also a trusted barometer that patients, employers, and other ...

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Patient Care Is Our Priority

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