Why the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) is a Choice in Board Certification
If you’re interested in pursuing certification in a traditional field like family medicine or anesthesiology, we encourage you to apply to the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS). As a nationally recognized multi-specialty certifying body committed to meeting the challenges of emerging public health issues, we also offer many unique certification options, such as integrative medicine and disaster medicine. Additionally, physicians who have extensive experience working in emergency departments, but who completed their residencies in a primary care field, can earn emergency medicine certification with the ABPS without needing to complete an additional residency.
A ‘Big Tent’ Philosophy for the Advancement of Patient Care
At the ABPS, we think it’s only right that physicians have a variety of certification options. After all, they’ve invested considerable time and money in their medical training and should be able to choose the certification board that best aligns with their values and fosters their career development. This pragmatic approach to certification goes back to our founding in 1952. That’s when a group of osteopathic surgeons who had completed allopathic residencies and were denied AOA and ABMS certification created a certification board that didn’t discriminate on training and actually tested a physician’s knowledge of the specialty. The ABPS certified its first physician in 1960 and since then has certified and recertified both allopathic and osteopathic physicians in a variety of specialties. Today, the ABPS Diplomates can be found in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, and many Diplomates have become leaders at renowned institutions.
Why ABPS Certification Matters
Once certified by the ABPS, physicians become members of a distinguished community of like-minded professionals committed to offering compassionate medical care. Also, with more hospitals putting a preference on hiring board-certified physicians, ABPS certification makes physicians more marketable to employers. What’s more, the ABPS works tirelessly to build relationships with healthcare organizations, hospital groups, and legislators to ensure that our Diplomates have a strong voice in the community and that patient care always takes priority over the business of medicine.
If you would like to learn more about the ABPS, contact us today. We would be happy to provide you with detailed information that includes our various eligibility requirements.