ABMS Certification

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is the organization that formally recognizes specialties and subspecialties in allopathic medicine and confers specialty and subspecialty status. Although certification is sought and earned by physicians on a voluntary basis, it is widely recognized by government, health care systems, insurers, and patients themselves as an essential tool to judge that a physician has the knowledge, experience and skills for providing quality healthcare within a given specialty or subspecialty. It is considered the gold standard because of its unique physician-directed approach for assessing qualifications.

• Co-Sponsoring Boards

• Individual Board Eligibility and Exam Information

Co-Sponsoring Boards

In September 2006, ABMS approved the creation of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) as a sub-specialty of ten participating boards. Click here to view the press release. The co-sponsoring boards include the American Boards of Internal Medicine, Anesthesiology, Family Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry and Neurology, Surgery, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Radiology, and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Eligibility and Exam Information

The first hospice and palliative medicine certification exam is scheduled for October 29, 2008 and will then be offered every other year. Candidates will register for the certification exam through the primary board by which they are certified. Each board will be responsible for developing its own application materials.

How to Prepare

The exam content and blueprint is now available. This document includes the content areas covered, their relative percentages, and the approximate number of questions in each area to expect on a typical exam. Click here to view the blueprint on the American Board of Internal Medicine's Web site.

AAHPM shares this "How to Prepare" flyer for the hospice and palliative medicine certification exam.

Individual Board Information

The following boards have posted eligibility, exam information and registration dates. We will update this Web site as more information is made available.

American Board of Internal Medicine
Registration Opens: March 1, 2008
Deadline Registration: May 1, 2008
Late Registration (late fee required): May 2, 2008
Deadline Late Registration: June 1, 2008

• Subspecialty Policies
• Application Information
• Exam Blueprint

American Board of Family Medicine
Registration Opens: March 20, 2008
Deadline Registration: May 1, 2008
Late Registration (late fee required): May 2, 2008
First Deadline Late Registration: July 1, 2008
Second Deadline Late Registration: August 1, 2008

• Subspecialty Information
• Application Information
• Candidate Information Booklet

American Board of Anesthesiology 
Registration Opened: January 15, 2008
Standard Deadline Closed: March 15, 2008
Late Registration (late fee required): March 16, 2008
Deadline Late Registration: March 31, 2008

American Board of Emergency Medicine
The application cycle for the 2008 examination is March 1 through June 1, 2008.

American Board of Pediatrics
Registration Opened: February 4, 2008
Deadline Registration: March 31, 2008
Late Registration (late fee required): April 1, 2008
Deadline Late Registration: April 30, 2008

American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Registration Opened: December 1, 2007
Deadline Registration: February 15, 2008
Late Registration (late fee required): February 16, 2008
Deadline Late Registration: March 1, 2008

• Eligibility
• Application Schedule

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology 
Registration Opened: Currently Open
Deadline Registration: April 1, 2008
Late Registration (late fee required): April 2, 2008
Deadline Late Registration: May 1, 2008

• Eligibility
• Application Schedule

American Board of Radiology
Registration Opened: February 1, 2008
Deadline Registration: April 30, 2008
Late Registration (late fee required): May 1, 2008
Deadline Late Registration: May 31, 2008

American Board of Surgery
Registration Opens: Spring 2008
Deadline Registration: May 1, 2008
Late Registration (late fee required): May 2, 2008
Deadline Late Registration: June 2, 2008

• Subspecialty Information
• Application Schedule

For more information on ABMS, visit their website at www.abms.org.