ABS Now Offering "Retired" Status to Qualified Diplomates
Feb. 19, 2019
The American Board of Surgery (ABS) is pleased to announce a new status for qualified diplomates who have retired and want their status on the ABS website to recognize that fact. Qualified diplomates are no longer active in practice in any capacity. If you are still active in any way, including an administrative role, this status is not for you. Please see our Clinically Inactive policy for information on the status that applies to diplomates who are still working but no longer seeing patients.
Surgeons who have reported themselves as “retired” after January 2017 have already been reviewed to confirm that they had retired “in good standing” with the ABS. Those who met the criteria are now listed as such on the ABS website.
If you are a retired surgeon who would like to take advantage of this new status, please complete the Diplomate Request for Retired Status. If you meet the necessary criteria, you will be awarded with a status that says, “Retired in Good Standing.” Please note that your status will not say “Certified” unless you are currently participating in the ABS Continuous Certification Program. In the case of most retired surgeons, the full status will be, “Not Certified; Retired in Good Standing.”
What does “good standing” mean? This means that, at the time of retirement, you:
- Had a valid medical license
- Had no disciplinary actions against your license or ABS certificate
- Were compliant with Maintenance of Certification (MOC) at the time of retirement, if applicable
The above list is not exhaustive, and there are other factors that may affect the application of this status. For more information, please see our Retired policy or contact the ABS via email.
