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ABPS releases details about board certification requirements

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, February 24, 2009

In a statement to HCPro, the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) released details about its certification standards. The ABPS last month announced the first board certification for hospitalists ever with the establishment of the American Board of Hospital Medicine (ABHM), which has generated debate amongst the hospitalist community about its validity as a certifying board.

“The ABPS establishes high standards for physicians to demonstrate that they not only have the appropriate medical education and residency training, but also can demonstrate, through ABPS examinations, that they have the requisite knowledge and skills necessary to practice medicine safely and effectively in their specialty,” according to the statement.

ABPS is a multi-specialty physician board with 3,800 current members and was established in 1950, according to the ABPS statement. The ABPS requires all physicians obtaining certification to meet requirements, including:

• Have graduated from a duly accredited medical school
• Hold an active license to practice in at least one state
• Have completed a residency program approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
• Possess verified physician credentials for certification by inquiry to the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)’s Credentials Verification Service (FCVS)
• Obtain recertification that is required every eight years

According to the statement, “The ABPS’ written, oral, patient simulator, and clinical on-site examinations are administered by the certification staff. All of our exams have been reviewed by an independent psychometrician and have been documented as valid, reliable, and psychometrically sound. All of our written and oral examinations are consistent with testing standards of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the American Psychological Association (APA).”

Read more from the ABPS statement and participate in the discussion on the HospitalistLeadership.com blog.

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