Important Change to New Assessment Enrollment

Mar. 15, 2018 Media Contact: Christine Shiffer, 215-568-4000

The American Board of Surgery appreciates all the comments we have received following last week's announcement of the new ABS Continuous Certification Program. We have listened to diplomates' concerns and therefore announce that all current ABS certificates will remain valid until their expiration date.
Diplomates will not need to begin taking the general surgery assessment until their certificate is due to expire. For diplomates who are enthusiastic about the online, modular, practice-focused assessment, we are pleased to make this new model available this year for general surgery as planned.
Additional opportunities to provide feedback will be offered in the coming weeks. We also continue to welcome your input via the Continuous Certification email address: cc@absurgery.org.

Learn More:

The American Board of Surgery is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1937 for the purpose of certifying individuals who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge in the field of surgery. Surgeons certified by the ABS have completed at least five years of surgical training following medical school and successfully completed an extensive written and oral examination process administered by the ABS. They must then maintain their board certification through ongoing learning and practice improvement activities.
The ABS offers board certification in general surgery, vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, complex general surgical oncology, surgery of the hand, and hospice and palliative medicine. It is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.