Board Certified

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Vox Animo

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What is the difference between being board certified in a field and being non-board certified? In the Dr. Rey post some one said was was not board certified but is still able to practice. What do you have to do to get this? Waht are the limitation in not having this?

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Vox Animo said:
What is the difference between being board certified in a field and being non-board certified? In the Dr. Rey post some one said was was not board certified but is still able to practice. What do you have to do to get this? Waht are the limitation in not having this?

Hi there,
One can practice without board certification but many insurance companies and HMOs are not willing to have you see their patients, hence, no income. Board certification comes after completing a residency and taking specialty boards with a passing score.
njbmd :)
 
I could be wrong, but I believe you have to be in practice for several years before you can be fully board certified. (You need a license, not board certification to be able to practice)
 
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depends on the specialty. some specialties require working for some time acruing a list of cases and complications and some testing.

for the most part, you'll take the certification tests in your first year out of residency.
 
oldman said:
depends on the specialty. some specialties require working for some time acruing a list of cases and complications and some testing.

for the most part, you'll take the certification tests in your first year out of residency.


Are these board certification steps the same thing as the step 3 of the USMLE??? Or is that different from the licensing exam???
 
Different. Board certification is usually granted from your specialty, although it could be a borad specialty like family practice or a a subspecialty like nephrology after you are boarded in internal medicine. You have to complete your residency before you can take your "boards" in your specialty, and sometimes you have to show other types of competence besides written and/ or exams. All specialties have their own individual requirements and police themselves.
 
gujuDoc said:
Are these board certification steps the same thing as the step 3 of the USMLE??? Or is that different from the licensing exam???

for surgery, there is a written test and oral exam the year after you finish. i think most people do the written test the fall after they finish and the oral exam the spring. the oral exam involves sitting in front of a group of surgeons answering their pimp session.
 
oldman said:
for surgery, there is a written test and oral exam the year after you finish. i think most people do the written test the fall after they finish and the oral exam the spring. the oral exam involves sitting in front of a group of surgeons answering their pimp session.


Wow that sounds real scary. So are you going into a surgical residency or going into something else?? How did the match go?
 
gujuDoc said:
Wow that sounds real scary. So are you going into a surgical residency or going into something else?? How did the match go?

i'm going into gen surg. i'm gonna head to NY. it was a tough year for the match, i'm glad i have a spot to go.
 
oldman said:
i'm going into gen surg. i'm gonna head to NY. it was a tough year for the match, i'm glad i have a spot to go.


That's cool. Congratulations. :p
 
License:

After you have graduated from medical school and taken Steps 1, 2, and 3, you can legally practice medicine and perform any procedure imaginable. However, like njbmd mentioned, you are going to have a tough time getting people to sign up for your neurosurg sessions if you haven't gone through a residency program yet.

Board Certification:

You have competed residency or a fellowship and then taken an exam that certifies you as a specialist. Here is when things get tricky. Usually, insurance companies will not pay for your procedures unless you are board certified. The ACGME grants accreditation to hospitals for residency programs. It also is the recognizing body for fellowships. The good news is that if ACGME accredits it, Medicare pays for it. The bad news is that other, non-recognized programs are left on their own. There are new fellowships and un-popular fields where the hospitals have to pay for the programs themselves. The training you could receive from one of these unaccredited programs might be phenomenal, but you won't get reimbursed for your future work from an insurance company. Some quick examples that I can think of are the clinical nutrition fellowship for primary care fields and the urgent care fellowship for family practice docs. Also, there is another certifying body called the AAPS. It only provides board certification, and not residency accreditation. It has received legal recognition in some states, but is not on the same level as ACGME.
 
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