Find Your Specialty 813-433-2277

Why It Is Important for a Physician to Be Board Certified in a Specialty

Physician Board CertifiedA physician who is board certified in his or her chosen specialty automatically is afforded an extra level of respect from patients, peers, and potential employers. Achieving board certification is proof that the physician has mastered the knowledge and core competencies necessary to provide the best patient care possible.

Why is it important? Because patients deserve to know that their physicians have mastered the specialty, and healthcare employers want to know the same thing before they make a new hire. It is about engendering confidence in the health care industry as a whole, as well as confidence in the expertise of an individual physician specialist. It also is about a physician’s career – board certification is considered mandatory for credentialing by many health plans.

Board Certification Benefits Both Patients and Physicians

Certification from a recognized board reassures patients that a physician is a leader in his or her specialty. In a competitive medical environment where credentials often guide patient choices, having board certification provides physicians with a distinct competitive edge.

As healthcare organizations increasingly prefer to hire board-certified physicians, the value of obtaining certification becomes more evident. Certification acts as a credential verification tool for employers and marks the physician as a prime candidate for new career opportunities. Board certification not only potentially increases a physician’s earning capacity but also:

  • Boosts a physician’s confidence in his or her specialty skills and knowledge,
  • Encourages continuous learning and keeps physicians abreast of developments in their field,
  • Earns them recognition and respect from their peers,
  • Signals a physician’s dedication to providing outstanding patient care.

The American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) provides a physician who wishes to become board certified a broad selection of specialties. ABPS exams are developed using the most rigorous standards for measuring the knowledge base and skill set required to provide the absolute best patient care available. A physician might also wish to become board certified through the ABPS in order to become part of a diverse, eminent community of his or her peers. The priority of this distinguished group of physicians is the advancement of patient care and safety, to which end best practices and clinical experiences are shared in the name of education. In addition, every ABPS Diplomate has access to many leadership opportunities within the organization, and every voice is heard and valued.

Why Choose ABPS for Your Board Certification

As you explore your options for board certification, consider these key features of the ABPS:

  • The ABPS oversees 12 Member Boards offering certification across various medical specialties, from traditional areas like family medicine and internal medicine to newer fields such as integrative medicine and interventional pain management.
  • The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook recognizes the ABPS as a valid option for board certification.
  • Numerous state medical boards explicitly recognize the ABPS in their regulations, acknowledging that it meets their stringent standards.
  • Our certification exams, procedures, and protocols are clinically, psychometrically, and legally sound, comparable to those administered by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
  • Well-respected credentialing organizations such as Greely, HCPro, and the National Association of Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) recognize and endorse the ABPS as a reputable choice for physician certification.

To learn more about the benefits of physician board certification through the ABPS, contact us today.

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