The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) updated several of its standards for specialty boards over recent years. Learn more about ABMS standards and updates. Changing the name from “Maintenance of Certification” to “Continuing Certification” was one of the standards updates, done in part to more accurately reflect the concept that board certified diplomates do not simply maintain their certification by participating in specialty boards’ continuing certification programs, but they, in fact, are continually increasing their knowledge base and skills in their respective specialties. At ABOG, we believe this standards modification is a positive change and better represents ABOG’s foundational pillar of our diplomates’ pursuits of mastery across the OB GYN specialty and subspecialties.
For more information about the name change to "Continuing Certification" click here.
The deadline was changed in order to allow sufficient time in the latter part of the year to process all Continuing Certification applications and ensure that credentialing issues can be resolved before December 31, 2025. Resolving all redentialing issues before year-end ensures that diplomates retain certification and avoid a full-year delay in regaining certification and credentialing privileges. Going forward, the exact date of the August application deadline may change slightly each year to ensure it falls on a business day and not a weekend. A one-month application extension will be automatically applied starting in 2025, with a $50 extension service fee added to the application fee in these cases. The extension date in 2025 will be September 1. There is no change to the final requirements completion date, which remains November 15, 2025.
ABOG is evolving several of its processes and offerings in order to be more effective and efficient in delivery of services offered to all of its stakeholders: residents, fellows, candidates, and diplomates. One of the areas in need of advancement to ensure quality service and optimum operational performance is the provision of assessments, including the Re-Entry and Continuing Certification Part III Exams. Moving to an annual delivery for these two exams offers consistency to diplomates and facilitates improved scheduling for all parties. Knowing well in advance when these exams are, and that both exams will be consistently delivered on or around a certain date each year enables all involved to better plan and schedule, and it mitigates potential operational issues that can arise when offering multiple exam opportunities.
ABOG is releasing Part II: Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment articles in January and May beginning in 2025. This allows diplomates to receive a higher volume of articles to select from earlier in the year, which is based on feedback we received from diplomates. ABOG was happy to accommodate this request, and we feel it affords diplomates more effective opportunities to complete requirements earlier in the year.
An evaluation of participation requirements is one aspect of the evolvement of several ABOG processes and offerings. This evaluation and ensuing modifications are being implemented to ensure that board certified diplomates strive toward mastery of knowledge and skills in the OB GYN specialty and subspecialties. As an example, the 2025 participation requirements modifications include completing an additional 15 articles and completing an additional Practice Improvement activity in a given year should diplomates fail to complete all Continuing Certification requirements. This modification provides an opportunity to increase knowledge and skills (rather than lose active certification status and have to take the Re-Entry Exam to regain it). This modification, however, will be offered only once per 6-year cycle.
As a trusted safekeeper of women’s health, a critical component of ABOG’s mission is to facilitate and support the fulfillment of all requirements. Setting deadlines and enforcing completion of requirements by those deadlines are necessary measures ABOG takes to advance mastery. Given that, ABOG is eliminating extension periods to resolve incomplete requirements, but is also offering opportunities to advance knowledge through additional requirements.
The completion requirements deadline will remain November 15.
These modifications are permanent, but ABOG reserves the right to adjust in the future, pending continued evaluations of processes, programs, and outcomes. Review all details of Continuing Certification modifications in the 2025 Bulletin.
ABOG is pleased to provide the Continuing Certification label to those who opt-in to receive it. We also see an opportunity to conserve environmental resources by foregoing delivery of the label to diplomates who do not place as high a value on it. Production and distribution of labels will begin after the 2025 completion deadline of November 15, 2025.
Yes; however, a fee will be assessed. Please submit your request via our ABOG Contact Us form. Ensure to include your ABOG ID, CC Year and physical mailing address.
Opting in to receive the label via the Continuing Certification application was the opportunity ABOG provided all active diplomates to receive the label free of charge. Outside of the opt-in process, ABOG does not have the resources to process labels upon request.