Obstetrics & Gynecology Board Certification Eligibility Requirements Highlighted
Completion of the obstetrics & gynecology board certification exam through the Board of Certification in Surgery (BCS) demonstrates that a physician has the knowledge and experience to provide the best possible care in obstetrics and gynecology. As with any Member Board of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS), the BCS requires its candidates to adhere to the ABPS Medical Code of Ethics and hold a current, unrestricted license in every state where he or she practices medicine.
Also like every other board certification exam with the ABPS, obstetrics & gynecology has eligibility requirements that are specific to this particular specialty. Here are the highlights of those eligibility requirements:
- A physician must have practiced as a specialist in this field for a period of at least one year, subsequent to the completion of the required minimum of four years of special training, and prior to being examined.
- An applicant must provide notarized documentary evidence that they have performed a minimum of 50 major obstetrical & gynecologic operations on their own responsibility. An applicant’s scope of surgical and obstetrical practice must be such that their records will demonstrate that he or she has handled and is capable of handling (as shown by their morbidity, mortality, and end results) major gynecological surgical and obstetrical procedures.
- An applicant must submit detailed case records, acceptable to the BCS Credentials Committee, of five major gynecological surgical and five obstetric cases, in which the candidate was the responsible surgeon and obstetrician respectively and handled the cases. Case reports must be no older than twelve months from the date the candidate’s application for certification is received by the ABPS. These records shall include history, physical examination, routine and special laboratory examinations, preoperative diagnosis, detailed findings, detailed operative procedures, postoperative diagnosis, progress notes, gross and histological description and diagnosis of the excised tissue and case summary.
- An applicant must provide letters of recommendation from two certified obstetricians and gynecologists, who are personally acquainted with the applicant and will vouch for his or her obstetric and surgical training, experience, personal character and who have personally observed the skill of the applicant.
To learn more about the details of the eligibility requirements to become board certified in obstetrics and gynecology through the BCS, contact the ABPS. The ABPS is the official board certifying body of the American Association of Physician Specialists, Inc.