The American Board of Anesthesiology
Important Notices
Update on Subspecialty Certification in Pediatric Anesthesiology
The first Pediatric Anesthesiology Examination will be administered on October 19, 2013. All physicians interested in subspecialty certification in pediatric anesthesiology can apply for this examination via their ABA portal accounts. The application deadline for the 2013 examination is February 15, 2013. All physicians, including those who qualify via “grandfathering” criteria, must satisfactorily complete the subspecialty examination. Please visit the Pediatric Anesthesiology Certification section of the Examinations & Certifications page for more information on the examination, application criteria and frequently asked questions.
Click here to access Pediatric Anesthesiology Examination sample questions.
New ABA Policy on Duration of Candidate Status for Primary Certification in Anesthesiology
The ABMS is striving to establish consistency amongst its 24 Member Boards regarding the time frame in which a physician must complete the requirements for certification relative to the physician’s satisfactory completion of an ACGME-accredited residency program. On September 21, 2011, the ABMS created a new policy mandating that no more than seven (7) years can elapse between a physician’s completion of residency training and achievement of Board Certification.
Revised ABA Policy on Duration of Candidate Status
In order to meet the requirements of the ABMS policy, the ABA's policy on the duration of candidate status has been modified. Effective January 1, 2012:
- Candidates completing residency training prior to January 1, 2012, must satisfy all requirements for certification by January 1, 2019.
- Candidates finishing residency training on or after January 1, 2012, must satisfy all requirements for certification within 7 years of the last day of the year in which residency training was completed.
- The ABA will declare the candidate’s application void if the candidate does not satisfy the certification requirements within the time described above.
Further, at its Spring 2012 meeting, the ABA Board of Directors approved eliminating all limitations on the number of opportunities to satisfy the Part 1 and Part 2 Examination requirements for all candidates currently in the ABA’s Primary Certification Examination System. Candidates now have one examination appointment a calendar year until January 1, 2019 to successfully complete the ABA’s Part 1 and Part 2 Examinations and satisfy all other requirements for ABA certification.
"Board Eligible" Status Not Recognized by the ABA
The ABA does not recognize "Board Eligible" as a physician status relative to the ABA examination system for primary certification in anesthesiology. Physicians with an active application are considered candidates in the ABA examination system, not "Board Eligible." Therefore, physicians should refrain from making any representations of being "Board Eligible."
Anesthesiologists and Capital Punishment
Professional Standing
The ABA has incorporated the AMA’s Code of Medical Ethics, Opinion E-2.06 (June 2000) in its Professional Standing Policy.
ABA certification includes more than passing examinations; it also includes maintaining high professional and ethical standards. Specifically, it is the ABA’s Professional Standing Policy that diplomates should use their clinical skills and judgment for promoting an individual's health and welfare. To do otherwise would undermine a basic ethical foundation of medicine which is – first do no harm.
If diplomates of the ABA participate in an execution by lethal injection, they may be subject to disciplinary action, including revocation of their ABA diplomate status.
Click here for additional information on Anesthesiologists and Capital Punishment.
Information Regarding Status Designations
The ABA routinely reports through its web site or by mail, whether a physician is a Candidate in the ABA examination system or an ABA Diplomate.
The ABA Diplomate and Candidate Directory will display these new status designations to the public and others interested in obtaining information
about Board Certified anesthesiologists.
Diplomate status is limited to the period of time the physician's certification or application for certification is valid.
The ABA has expanded its diplomate status designations to include three new designations:
Instructions to changing status designations to:
- Retired
- Not Clinically Active for Primary Certification
- Not Clinically Active for Subspecialty Recertification
- Not Clinically Active for MOCA-SUBS
- Clinically Active
- Certified Post Retirement
Alternate Path for Entry into ABA Examinations for Primary Certification
The ABA has approved a 7-year pilot program that would allow international medical graduates, certified by the national anesthesiology organization in the country where they trained in the specialty and practicing anesthesiology in the United States, to qualify for entrance into the ABA examination system for initial certification in the specialty at most once via an alternate entry path. The objective of the pilot program is to encourage outstanding foreign trained and certified anesthesiologists, who come to the United States, to become productive members of U.S. academic anesthesiology programs.
Alternate Entry Path into ABA Primary Exam SystemData Privacy and Security Policy
The American Board of Anesthesiology exists to advance the highest standards of the practice of anesthesiology. To fulfill our mission, the ABA must collect and utilize personal and professional information pertaining to our applicants and diplomates. We are aware of the trust you place in us to protect your privacy. The ABA has published a Data Privacy and Security Policy describing how we approach data privacy and information security. Our goal is to assure all persons disclosing information to the ABA of the sensitivity and care utilized in protecting this information.