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About Us: Board Certification

Our doctors are certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inc. was founded in 1934 as a private, voluntary, nonprofit, independent organization to serve the best interests of the public and the medical profession. These interests are achieved through the ABOS by establishing standards for the education of orthopaedic surgeons. These standards are evaluated by the ABOS through examinations and practice evaluations.

The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery is one of twenty-four certifying boards that have met the educational and organizational requirements necessary for membership in the American Board of Medical Specialties. The Directors of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery are distinguished orthopaedic surgeons who are active in patient care, education and research.

What is Board Certification?

The Board Certification process includes the following components:

Educational

• Must have graduated from an accredited medical school and passed all examinations necessary to receive an unrestricted medical license.
• Must have satisfactorily completed five years of graduate orthopaedic surgery education in an accredited orthopaedic surgery residency program in the United States or Canada. The residency training must include experience with all age groups in operative and non-operative treatment of musculoskeletal injuries1 diseases and deformities in pediatric orthopaedics, total joint and other arthritis surgery, sports medicine, the spine, foot and ankle, elbow and shoulder; hand, rehabilitation, fractures and other injuries, benign and malignant tumors of bone, joints and muscles and arthroscopy.

Examinations

After completing graduate orthopaedic surgery residency education a doctor must meet the following criteria to become Certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery:

• Have a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States, its territories, government service or Canada.
• Pass the Part I examination which is a written examination about the material taught during the residency training.
• Have completed 22 months of practice of operative orthopaedic surgery after successfully completing graduate education.
• Have demonstrated professional proficiency and ethical practice based on recommendations from physicians familiar with his/her practice.
• Pass the Part II examination which is an oral examination based on a six month list of operative cases.

What Does it Mean to be Board Certified by the ABOS?

Certification by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery means that the orthopaedic surgeon has met the specified educational, evaluation, and examination requirements of the Board.

Recertification

Since 1986, the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery has issued certificates that are valid for only ten years. Those orthopaedic surgeons who were certified in 1986 and since must complete a recertification process to continue to be certified. Recertification includes a review of credentials to determine if the surgeon has continued education in orthopaedic surgery and is respected by his her peers. Successful completion of a written or oral examination completes the recertification process and the orthopaedic surgeon's certification is renewed for another ten years.

Subspecialty Certification

The ABOS also awards Certificates of Added Qualifications in Surgery of the Hand. Subspecialization in hand surgery requires at least one year of education, endorsement by the program director, peer review, documented experience in a minimum number of hand surgery cases of specified types of problems and a written examination on hand surgery. These Certificates of Added Qualifications ore also valid for ten years and also require a recertification process at the end of the ten years.

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