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Are You Board Certified in Family or Internal Medicine and Working in the Emergency Room?

Family Medicine ERIf you are board certified in family or internal medicine and have spent your career working in the emergency room of your hospital, you might be interested to know that you may be eligible to pursue board certification in emergency medicine through the American Board of Physician Specialties®. We recognize that many of our country’s talented physicians work in the emergency department to fill a need within their community, even though they received their training in a different specialty. These men and women are highly trained physicians and deserve to be recognized for their accumulated medical experience, and thanks to the ABPS and the Board of Certification in Emergency Medicine®, they can.

Emergency Medicine Certification Benefits Patients, Hospitals, and Physicians

Board certification has long been used by prospective patients as a helpful tool for identifying highly qualified physicians. However, in recent years, employers have begun to prioritize hiring physician specialists with board certification as well. In fact, many hospital groups and insurance companies require that their physician employees be board certified in the specialty they practice. This is extremely troublesome for emergency department physicians who completed their residencies in a field other than emergency medicine, as it could have a profound impact on their future employment opportunities and eligibility for advancement.

To address this problem, the BCEM offers board certification to physicians who have:

  • Successfully completed an AOA or ACGME residency in a primary care specialty
  • Accumulated a minimum of 7,000 hours of certifiable work in an emergency department over a five-year time period
  • Met all of our other eligibility requirements for board certification

To earn BCEM certification, candidates must pass both a written and oral exam. The computer-based written exam consists of 325 multiple-choice questions. Candidates must pass the written exam to take the oral component. You can find information about dates and fees for the application and the written exam here.

The BCEM Invites Qualified Emergency Physicians to Apply for Certification

If you are a physician who has spent your career working in the emergency room of your hospital, you deserve the opportunity to pursue board certification in your area of expertise to demonstrate to your peers, employers, and patients that you have mastered the specialty in addition to family or internal medicine. What’s more, you will come away with a verifiable record that you have the knowledge and skills to provide exceptional emergency care in virtually any setting. Contact us today to learn more about your options. As a nationally recognized choice for board certification, we are fully committed to providing physicians a pathway to certification in the specialties they practice.

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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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