The American Board of Anesthesiology
Important Notices
Subspecialty Certification in Pediatric Anesthesiology
The ABA is pleased to announce that the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has approved its application for sponsorship of subspecialty certification in Pediatric Anesthesiology. The first pediatric anesthesiology certification examination will be administered on October 19, 2013 and applications will be accepted beginning in March, 2012. Further information will be announced at a later date.
Certification in pediatric anesthesiology was requested several years ago by the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA). The ABA gave much consideration to this request and sought comments from individuals and organizations within the anesthesia community as well as from other specialty areas. Though opinions varied, the overall consensus was that this was in the best interest of children. The ABMS, which comprises 24 medical specialty certifying Boards, concurred. As background information, fellowships in pediatric anesthesiology have been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since 1997, and programs are currently offered in 46 programs throughout the country.
Physicians who apply for subspecialty certification in pediatric anesthesiology must:
- Possess an appropriate medical degree or its equivalent;
- Hold an unexpired license to practice medicine or osteopathy in at least one state or jurisdiction of the United States or Canada that is permanent, unconditional and unrestricted;
- Be a Diplomate of The American Board of Anesthesiology;
- Be participants in the ABA's Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA) program;
- Have satisfactorily completed fellowship training in pediatric anesthesiology or possess the required experience in pediatric anesthesiology.
The ABA is currently developing guidelines that will address specific requirements for fellowship training as well as clinical experiences. These will be announced in 2012 prior to the application process opening.
The Pediatric Anesthesiology Examination will comprise multiple-choice questions designed to broadly assess knowledge in the field of pediatric anesthesiology. This examination will be given under secure conditions in a computer-based format at testing centers throughout the United States. It will be drawn from the areas specifically identified in both the ACGME Program Guidelines as well as the Pediatric Anesthesiology Content Outline posted here. A committee composed of experienced pediatric anesthesiologists will develop items for the pediatric anesthesiology qualifying examination.
Subspecialty Certification in Sleep Medicine
The American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) is pleased to announce that the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has approved the ABA’s application for sponsorship of subspecialty certification in Sleep Medicine.
The Sleep Medicine Subspecialty Certification Program is designed to recognize excellence among physicians who are specialists in the care of patients with sleep problems and specific sleep disorders. Sleep medicine encompasses a multidisciplinary body of knowledge regarding the anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathophysiology, and pharmacology of sleep and wakefulness, and their disorders.
The Sleep Medicine Subspecialty Certification Program is jointly developed by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Family Medicine, the American Board of Pediatrics, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and the American Board of Otolaryngology. The examination is administered by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is offered every two years to candidates from all Boards at the same time in Pearson VUE testing centers. The 2011 examination date is November 10, 2011.
The ABA will accept applications from April 1 – June 15, 2011 for the 2011 examination. Applicants requesting test accommodation due to a specific disability must complete the ABA Request for Test Accommodation form and submit it to the ABA office by June 15, 2011. All supporting documentation substantiating the applicant's disability must be received by June 30, 2011. All applicants should read the ABA’s Guidelines for Requesting Test Accommodation. More information on requesting test accommodation is available in the Examinations & Certification section.
Physicians interested in obtaining subspecialty certification in sleep medicine must:
- Possess an appropriate medical degree or its equivalent;
- Hold an unexpired license to practice medicine or osteopathy in at least one state or jurisdiction of the United States or Canada that is permanent, unconditional and unrestricted;
- Be a Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology;
- Be a participant in the ABA’s Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA) program;
- Complete the specified education and training requirements or practice experience in sleep medicine.
Applicants who have completed training in anesthesiology in an ACGME-accredited core residency training program after July 1, 2009, will be required to have further successfully completed an ACGME-approved sleep medicine fellowship in order to qualify for the subspecialty certification process in sleep medicine. The applicant must provide documentation from the program director that the fellowship was satisfactorily completed. The applicant must be actively providing sleep medicine care at least one day per week. A letter to the ABA from the current Department Chair attesting to the extent and quality of their sleep medicine practice will also be required.
Applicants who completed training prior to July 1, 2009 may be eligible to apply for the sleep medicine examination if they have been certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine or if they have provided attestation of 12 months of full time post training practice experience in sleep medicine. Practice experience must include the clinical care of patients with sleep disorders, accumulated over a maximum of five years prior to application for examination. The clinical practice must involve a minimum experience of 400 patient evaluations, as well as interpreting and reviewing the complete raw data of 200 polysomnograms and 25 multiple sleep latency tests. This will be demonstrated by a letter from the applicant’s Department Chair or other institutional official certifying that the applicant’s clinical efforts are devoted to the practice of sleep medicine, at least to this extent. This application process for those who completed training prior to July 1, 2009, ("grandfathering") will be time-limited for the 2011 and the 2013 examination only.
The Sleep Medicine Certification Examination will be a comprehensive one-day computer-based examination of multiple-choice questions in the single best answer format with an absolute standard for passing. The examination is designed to evaluate the extent of the candidate's knowledge and clinical judgment in the areas in which a sleep medicine specialist should demonstrate a high level of competence. The detailed content outline, or examination blueprint, is available on the American Board of Internal Medicine's web site at www.theABIM.org.
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.
Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology for Subspecialties (MOCA-SUBS) Program
The ABA began transitioning from the current subspecialty recertification programs to Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology for Subspecialties (MOCA-SUBS) on January 1, 2010. The last subspecialty recertification examinations will be administered in 2016, and the first MOCA-SUBS examinations will be administered in 2017.
The MOCA-SUBS program is the only option for ABA Diplomates certified or recertified in a subspecialty after January 1, 2010. These Diplomates will be automatically enrolled in MOCA-SUBS. Diplomates awarded certification or recertification on or before January 1, 2010 may apply for subspecialty recertification as early as 7 years from their certification date and up to the application deadline of March 31, 2016.
Please click here for more information.
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:
- Instructions for requesting Status Change to Retired
- Instructions for requesting Status Change to Not Clinically Active
- Instructions for requesting Status Change to Clinically Active
- Application for Re-attaining Certification 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.