American Board of Medical Specialties

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is a United States nonprofit organization that coordinates and represents 24 medical specialty certification boards. Established in 1933, it is the largest and most widely recognized physician-led specialty certification organization in the country. Rather than functioning as a single examination board for every specialty, ABMS sets organizational and educational expectations for its Member Boards, which independently certify physicians in defined medical specialties and subspecialties. ABMS Member Boards collectively cover more than 150 specialties and subspecialties. Their certification systems are intended to evaluate whether physicians have completed appropriate medical education, specialty residency training, professional preparation, and examinations. In general, candidates must complete undergraduate or premedical education, obtain a qualifying medical degree, finish an accredited residency program, hold an unrestricted medical license in the United States or Canada, provide professional attestations, and pass written and, in some specialties, oral examinations. Exact requirements differ by specialty and are administered by the relevant Member Board. The organization also supports continuing professional development through the ABMS Program for Maintenance of Certification, commonly abbreviated ABMS MOC. The program is designed to provide a continuing framework through which certified physicians maintain and demonstrate professional knowledge, skills, judgment, and improvement in practice. Its structure measures six broad competencies: practice-based learning and improvement, patient care and procedural skills, systems-based practice, medical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, and professionalism. These competencies are organized into four parts covering professional standing, lifelong learning and self-assessment, assessment of knowledge and skills, and improvement in medical practice. ABMS has also worked with other medical organizations and public or professional agencies on standards for specialty education, graduate medical education, and residency-program accreditation. Its historical relationship with the American Medical Association Council on Medical Education helped establish common expectations for specialty boards. Since 1948, the Liaison Committee for Specialty Boards has provided a formal mechanism for cooperation between ABMS and the AMA's medical-education representatives. The organization presents board certification and participation in MOC as public indicators of a physician's specialty qualifications and ongoing professional development. It makes information available to the public about physician certification and MOC participation. More than 80 percent of practicing physicians in the United States have reportedly achieved certification through one or more ABMS Member Boards, although individual certification status and continuing requirements remain dependent on the applicable specialty board. ABMS operates in a professional standards and credentialing environment alongside other certification systems, including the American Board of Physician Specialties and the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists.

The American Board of Medical Specialties was incorporated in 1933 during a period when organized medicine was developing formal systems for recognizing expertise in distinct medical fields. Its purpose was to provide an umbrella structure for specialty boards and to encourage consistent expectations for training, examination, and professional competence. The organization became associated with a physician-led model of specialty certification in which individual boards retained responsibility for evaluating physicians in particular disciplines while operating within broader membership standards. Beginning in 1934, specialty boards were considered for membership under principles developed by ABMS together with the American Medical Association Council on Medical Education. These principles were expressed in the Essentials for Approval of Examining Boards in Medical Specialties. The framework required a specialty board to represent a distinct and clearly defined field of practice, provide a single standard for preparation and evaluation, offer appropriate specialty training, and demonstrate that candidates could acquire and maintain relevant knowledge and skills. It also expected boards to establish training standards, evaluate educational programs, and show meaningful support from the relevant professional community. The relationship between ABMS and the AMA's medical-education representatives became more formal in 1948 with the creation of the Liaison Committee for Specialty Boards. This committee brought together representatives of ABMS and the AMA Council on Medical Education and provided a continuing forum for reviewing specialty-board standards and membership issues. The broader objective was to promote comparability and credibility across certification systems without eliminating the distinctive requirements of different medical specialties. ABMS membership expanded over subsequent decades. The early membership included boards for dermatology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, orthopaedic surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry and neurology, radiology, urology, internal medicine, pathology, surgery, neurological surgery, anesthesiology, plastic surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, colon and rectal surgery, preventive medicine, family medicine, allergy and immunology, nuclear medicine, thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, and medical genetics and genomics. The Member Boards collectively developed certification programs covering a large number of specialties and subspecialties. The organization's role evolved beyond initial certification. Specialty certification traditionally focused on determining whether a physician had completed an appropriate training pathway and passed examinations. ABMS and its Member Boards later emphasized continuing professional development through Maintenance of Certification. The ABMS Program for Maintenance of Certification was structured around continuing assessment of professional standing, lifelong learning, knowledge and judgment, and improvement in medical practice. Its competency framework was aligned with major expectations used in graduate medical education, including patient care, medical knowledge, communication, professionalism, systems-based practice, and practice-based learning. ABMS also became a public-facing source of information about whether physicians hold certification through an ABMS Member Board and whether they participate in applicable MOC activity. Its work intersects with residency education, accreditation, clinical quality, and professional self-regulation. The organization operates alongside other physician-certification bodies in the United States, including the American Board of Physician Specialties and the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists. ABMS remains active as a coordinating and standards-setting organization rather than a conventional commercial brand, with its principal value derived from certification credibility, professional governance, and public confidence in specialty qualifications.

• 1991

  Emergency medicine board admitted

  [1]American Board of Medical Specialtiesen.wikipedia.org

  The American Board of Emergency Medicine became an ABMS Member Board.

• 1979

  Additional specialty boards admitted

  [1]American Board of Medical Specialtiesen.wikipedia.org

  The American Board of Allergy and Immunology, American Board of Nuclear Medicine, and American Board of Thoracic Surgery were approved as Member Boards.

• 1971

  American Board of Family Medicine admitted

  [1]American Board of Medical Specialtiesen.wikipedia.org

  The American Board of Family Medicine became an ABMS Member Board.

• 1948

  Liaison Committee for Specialty Boards established

  [1]American Board of Medical Specialtiesen.wikipedia.org

  ABMS and the AMA Council on Medical Education formalized cooperation through the Liaison Committee for Specialty Boards.

• 1934

  Common membership standards developed

  [1]American Board of Medical Specialtiesen.wikipedia.org

  ABMS and the American Medical Association Council on Medical Education established principles for evaluating specialty boards seeking recognition or membership.

• 1933

  ABMS incorporated

  [1]American Board of Medical Specialtiesen.wikipedia.org

  The American Board of Medical Specialties was incorporated as a nonprofit umbrella organization for medical specialty certification boards.

A physician-led, nonprofit standards and certification umbrella organization focused on specialty medical competence, professional development, and public transparency.

• Professional certification

  ABMS Board Certification

  The ABMS certification system is delivered through 24 independent Member Boards covering broad medical specialties and more than 150 specialties and subspecialties. Certification generally requires an approved medical degree, accredited residency training, professional attestations, an unrestricted license, and successful completion of specialty examinations. Requirements vary by discipline, and the relevant Member Board determines eligibility, testing, and certification status.

• Continuing professional development

  ABMS Program for Maintenance of Certification

  The ABMS MOC program provides a continuing framework for physicians who hold specialty certification. It organizes ongoing professional development and assessment into four parts: professional standing, lifelong learning and self-assessment, assessment of knowledge and skills, and improvement in medical practice. Member Boards select the specific activities used for each specialty while applying a shared competency framework.

• Public information service

  ABMS Certification Information

  ABMS makes information available to the public about physician board-certification status and participation in applicable Maintenance of Certification programs. The service supports patients, employers, health organizations, and other users seeking to understand a physician's specialty credentials.

1. 1American Board of Medical Specialtiesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2American Board of Medical Specialties official websiteabms.org