ABOG wants to provide this opportunity to physicians who wish to become board certified by ABOG in obstetrics and gynecology who have completed non-ACGME residency training and are currently certified in another country or by a different certifying organization, and who completed residency training with an organization other than the ACGME.
No. ABOG requires all physicians to have ABOG specialty initial certification prior to becoming subspecialty certified. Any physician who has board certification, whether from a different country or by a different certifying organization, and wants to pursue ABOG certification in any subspecialty, must first become certified in OB GYN. Once the OB GYN specialty certification has been earned, then that physician can pursue subspecialty certification by completing an ACGME-accredited fellowship and meeting the requirements outlined in ABOG’s Subspecialty Bulletin.
The American Board of Medical Specialties and ABOG define standards and requirements for OB GYN certification. Practicing OB GYNs help develop these through assessments of clinical knowledge, judgment, and skills necessary to achieve certification. ABOG standards for all eligible candidates for certification include two assessments, the Qualifying Examination and the Certifying Examination. All physicians who wish to pursue ABOG subspecialty certification, regardless of having acquired certification in any other manner or country, must first earn ABOG OB GYN specialty initial certification.
This pathway applies to graduates from OB GYN residency programs that are accredited by one of the following:
- a recognized international health or government authority or organization
- a recognized osteopathic organization
- the ACGME-International with Advanced Specialty Accreditation
- Have completed appropriate training in an obstetrics and gynecology residency program which is accredited by ACGME-I, or a recognized osteopathic organization, or an equivalent national accreditation body. The length of training must be at least four years and include obstetrics and gynecology clinical experience. There must be standards for the training program and graduates that are considered equivalent to the ACGME Program Requirements for GME in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
- Hold an Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certification, if an international medical graduate.
- Have achieved OB GYN certification in the country of training or practice. The certification body must be recognized as a national certification organization. The certifying authority must meet certification standards considered equivalent to the ABMS Standards for Initial Certification and the ABOG OB GYN certification.
- Hold a state medical license without restrictions and be in practice in the United States for a minimum of two years.
- Meet medical professionalism and professional standing standards that include denial of any history of: criminal convictions; drug and alcohol abuse or addiction; adverse actions, conditions, or restrictions on any prior medical licenses; adverse actions, conditions, or restrictions on any prior medical staff privileges or appointments.
- Be a member of a medical staff of a hospital and have full and unrestricted privileges to practice both obstetrics and gynecology that includes admission and management of inpatients. Privileges at an outpatient facility and surgical center do not qualify to meet this standard.
Physicians must pass two exams: 1) the Qualifying Examination (QE), which is a computer-based exam and will be administered next on June 28, 2021 at Pearson VUE test centers, and 2) the Certifying Examination (CE), also known as the oral exam. All eligibility requirements must be met according to each exam bulletin that applies to the year in which the physician seeks to take the QE and then the CE. View current bulletins.
Complete and submit this webform on abog.org to initiate the process.
All applicants must meet all requirements set forth in the Qualifying Exam Bulletin for the year they plan to take the exam. QE applications are available from January to March each year, but interested physicians must fill out the Alternate Pathway webform first to submit initial information. Watch this short video for additional details describing the process.