American Board of Medical Specialties

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is an organization of ABMS’ approved medical specialty boards. The mission of the ABMS is to maintain and improve the quality of medical care by assisting the Member Boards in their efforts to develop and utilize professional and educational standards for the evaluation and certification of physician specialists. The intent of the certification of physicians is to provide assurance to the public that a physician specialist certified by a Member Board of the ABMS has successfully completed an approved educational program and evaluation process including an examination designed to assess the knowledge, skills, and experience required to provide quality patient care in that specialty. The ABMS serves to coordinate the activities of its Member Boards and to provide information to the public, the government, the profession, and its members concerning issues involving specialization and certification in medicine. The ABMS Web site allows the public to check to find out whether or not a physician is board certified.