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Board Certification

Board certification status is the culmination of a physician's training and says to the public and to your colleagues that you have achieved the "gold standard" of accomplishment as you begin practice in your chosen specialty. Being "Board Certified" in today's world of the practice of medicine is also looked at by credentialing organizations, hospitals, medical groups, insurers and the public as a surrogate for measuring competence in your field.

The ABPM certifies in three specialties:

Aerospace Medicine

Aerospace medicine focuses on the clinical care, research, and operational support of the health, safety, and performance of crewmembers and passengers of air and space vehicles, together with the support personnel who assist operation of such vehicles. This population often works and lives in remote, isolated, extreme, or enclosed environments under conditions of physical and psychological stress. Practitioners strive for an optimal human-machine match in occupational settings rich with environmental hazards and engineering countermeasures.

Occupational Medicine

Occupational medicine focuses on the health of workers, including the ability to perform work; the physical, chemical, biological, and social environments of the workplace; and the health outcomes of environmental exposures. Practitioners in this field address the promotion of health in the work place, and the prevention and management of occupational and environmental injury, illness, and disability.

Public Health and General Preventive Medicine

Public health and general preventive medicine focuses on promoting health, preventing disease, and managing the health of communities and defined populations. These practitioners combine population-based public health skills with knowledge of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention-oriented clinical practice in a wide variety of settings.

The Application/Certification Process

The certification process begins with the online application. Applications with appropriate fees are due by June 1 each year and can be submitted before all requirements are fulfilled. There is an additional $200 fee for paper-based applications. Once the June 1st deadline passes, only paper-based applications will be available, so we encourage you to get your application completed before the deadline. The process is summarized below.

Data is collected through the online application. At the end of the online application, you will be prompted to pay the appropriate fees by credit card or check. If you pay by credit card and your payment goes through, you have completed the application and do not need to mail the application to the Board office. If you choose to pay by check, you will be prompted to print the signature page and send that along with your check to the Board office postmarked by June 1.

Once the Board office receives your application, it will be processed and you will receive a receipt and checklist of missing documentation via email (or first class mail if no email is provided). As additional documentation is received at the Board office, you will receive periodic updates via email.

Your application will be reviewed by the Board and you will be notified on the status of your application in mid August. Your application will be either approved, pending (needs additional documentation), or not approved (does not fulfill requirements at this time).

If your application was approved and your examination fee was paid, you will contact Pearson to select your examination site upon receipt of your approval letter.

The 2008 exam will be offered over a two week period from September 29 - 3 and October 6 - 10 at Pearson VUE Professional Centers.