Find Your Specialty 813-433-2277

Fellowship and Residency Program Directors Should Empower Residents with all of their Options for Physician Specialty Certification

Fellowship & Residency Program Directors At the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS), we encourage all fellowship and residency program directors to give their staff the information they need to make the right decision when it comes to considering physician specialty certification. The business side of medicine has greatly changed over the last 50 years, and the need for a physician to be able to prove his or her expertise in a specialty area is more important today than ever. As a result, board certification has become an industry standard that is practically mandatory for demonstrating competency in the field. At the ABPS, we know how important board certification and re-certification is to physicians, and we have worked very hard to develop a number of highly respected member boards for our candidates to consider.

The ABPS Offers Unique Certifications

In North America, there are only three nationally recognized multi-specialty physician certifying organizations: the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Osteopathic Association® (AOA), and the ABPS. Each organization is established, well regarded, and trusted to provide board certification to the most qualified physicians in the healthcare industry. Yet, each member organization also has its own unique advantages. At the ABPS, for example, we have options for board certification that aren’t available anywhere else. As healthcare has become more specialized, we’ve expanded to accommodate these new areas of expertise. For instance, we have options for physicians who have extensive training in:

  • Integrative medicine
  • Emergency medicine
  • Administrative medicine
  • Disaster medicine
  • Orthopedic surgery
  • Family medicine/obstetrics

Additionally, our Board of Certification in Emergency Medicine® offers the opportunity for primary care physicians who have made their careers in the emergency room to pursue board certification in Emergency Medicine. This is so important because as many as 80 percent of emergency department physicians in rural America are not board certified in EM in part because they completed their residency training in a field other than Emergency Medicine. These physicians deserve to be eligible to pursue certification in their area of expertise, and BCEM was developed to provide this opportunity to qualified individuals.

ABPS Board Certification Standards

The ABPS has set some of the highest board certification standards in the medical industry. Developed in collaboration with accomplished physicians, these standards ensure that every certified physician presented by our Member Boards is recognized as a qualified specialist.

To apply for ABPS certification, candidates must meet general requirements and specialty-specific eligibility criteria. Each specialty’s standards signify mastery of its core competencies, emphasizing psychometrically evaluated testing, advanced training, moral character, and experience.

For certification in any specialty, candidates must pass a written examination with multiple-choice questions. Some specialties also require an oral exam to showcase candidates’ knowledge and skills in patient diagnosis and treatment. ABPS certifications cover the essential technical knowledge, skills, and abilities required of physicians practicing their medical specialties.

Recertification standards vary by specialty board. Typically, Diplomates and eligible physicians seeking ABPS recertification must commit to ongoing medical education, pass a recertification exam, and participate in a non-remedial medical ethics program.

Learn More About the Wide Range of ABPS Physician Certification Boards

As physicians complete their residency training, they should be encouraged to research all of the options available to them. Ultimately, we all want the same outcome: for the best and brightest physicians in America to receive the recognition they deserve. To learn more, contact us today. The ABPS is the official certifying 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.

With declining access for maternity care amid rising maternal mortality, ABPS and their Board Certification in Family Medicine Obstetrics has been essential for me and many of my colleagues in getting privileges and thereby creating local access for mothers and their children.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
John B. Waits, MD
Family Medicine Obstetrics
Board certification through the American Board of Physician Specialties has served to substantiate my interest and additional training in several fields of medicine including Internal Medicine, Disaster Medicine, and Administrative Medicine. As a result, I have been able to serve my community in clinical, disaster response, and administrative medicine roles. Through the ABPS, I have become recognized as a leader in my various fields of interest.

Spencer Price MD, MPH, MBA
Administrative Medicine
In this era, when continuous updated medical knowledge means so much to you, when quality of emergency care matters most to you ,when you need to excel in your medical career to continue providing exceptional service to your critically ill patients, please consider board certification with the Boad of Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM). Where your knowledge & expertise translates to credentialing & certification with wider approval & recognition every day at many fronts. We Welcome you to join our team for a brighter future of our emergency healthcare where dedication to profession relies not solely on clinical practice but also on sound academic certification.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Ashraf A. Gerges, MD, FAAEP
Emergency Medicine
Board certification in Orthopedic Surgery through the American Board of Physician Specialties validated my training and surgical experience through a process that was both rigorous and respectful of real-world practice. ABPS recognizes clinical competence, not just credentials, and that sets it apart.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Orthopedic Surgery
The American Board of Physician Specialties is a forward- thinking organization that focuses on where Medicine is going, not just where it has been. Traditional Certification Boards like Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Dermatology are represented as are Integrative Medicine, Disaster Medicine, and Family Medicine-Obstetrics. Physicians appreciate the ability to showcase their skills and knowledge through Board Certification, and this organization allows excellent physicians the ability to bring their skills to patients. The dedication and commitment of this organization and its volunteers will ensure ongoing distinction and commitment for decades to come.

Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD
Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD
Dermatology
Serving as a member on the American board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) for many years and now serving as a Member at Large of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) has been an enriching and rewarding experience. The board’s commitment to excellence, integrity, and positive impact is truly inspiring. I am grateful to collaborate with such a dedicated and visionary group, and I am proud of the meaningful progress we continue to achieve together.

Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
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 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
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
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
Meet Our Staff Read All Reviews
Boards
Careers
Login
Contact