Board certification

What does it take to become board certified?

ABMS sets standards "in partnership with its 24 certifying Member Boards," since its founding in 1933 [2]. A physician must first earn a medical degree, MD or DO, from a qualified school and obtain an unrestricted license to practice in the United States or Canada [1]. Candidates then complete three to seven years of residency training accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and pass an exam created and administered by their specialty's board [2]. Once certified, a physician may be referred to as a diplomate of the board [2]. Doctors earn ABMS certification in 38 medical specialties and 89 subspecialties [3].

How is certification different from a state license?

The license comes first: ABMS requires an unrestricted medical license before certification [1]. Certification is a separate step, which ABMS describes as an independent evaluation of a specialist's knowledge and skills and a credential patients can rely on when choosing a provider [1]. ABMS keeps a repository the public can use to verify a physician's status [2], and Certification Matters offers a free search with "No log-in required" [3]. Nurse practitioners are certified by national organizations such as NPCB, "a nationally accredited certifying organization," with renewal every five years through continuing education and practice hours or by retaking the exam [4].