You often times read it on a wall or in a brochure for the doctor you are visiting but many times we shrug it off. Being board certified is a rather large achievement that many patients really don’t understand. Being board certified usually means you have gained a proficient practice in a certain area of medicine. This is something that not every doctor achieves during their career.
The training to become a specialist in a certain area of medicine usually begins once the aspiring doctor has finished their initial pre M.D degree during the residency stage. During the residency stage a physician will go through a certain period of time practicing in an area they would like to specialize in. This is also applies to any sub specialties as well. In order to become board certified a physician must surpass a series of standards before they can gain their license to practice in a certain area of medicine. Becoming board certified and acquiring a license is usually handled on a state level and is governed by law. The American Board of Medical Specialties and The American Medical Association are the ones who recognize the 24 specialty boards.
There are a number of requirements typically required by an aspiring physician to complete in order to become certified. Usually a healthy combination of testing and examination coupled with generous experience in the field is required. Sometimes these certifications can be limited to a certain period of time once achieved. The goal of this process is not to make it complicated for the physician but to rather instill a certain confidence in the doctor you are working with.
