Is there any reason to get Board Certified if I'm already doing well without it?

[DrZZ]

I finished IM residency 5 years ago and went right into private practice and also do some other independent contractor physician work on the side. I never attempted to get board certified and I make as much if not more than my colleagues in private practice who are certified. I'm not interested in academia or hospital faculty positions that might require board certification, I'm pure private practice as an independent contractor. Is there any reason to get board certified at this point?

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[gutonc]

Trollolol

 

[Law2Doc]

I finished IM residency 5 years ago and went right into private practice and also do some other independent contractor physician work on the side. I never attempted to get board certified and I make as much if not more than my colleagues in private practice who are certified. I'm not interested in academia or hospital faculty positions that might require board certification, I'm pure private practice as an independent contractor. Is there any reason to get board certified at this point?

First, if you are 5 years out of residency and asking advice of residents on the general residency board, there's something fishy going on. Like, why don't you have colleagues you can ask?

Second, board certification is relevant for hospital credentialing and often insurance, which you likely would have come across by now.

Third, your job may be great, but jobs come and go, and you might find yourself not very marketable without a board cert down the road.

 

[DrZZ]

Just to clarify, I am credentialed at a community hospital and it required completion of an IM residency not certification. Most of my work is at a private free-standing clinic and I sometimes do locum work at other private facilities on the weekends, both on an independent contractor basis (I practice as my own LLC).

 

[rokshana]

Just to clarify, I am credentialed at a community hospital and it required completion of an IM residency not certification. Most of my work is at a private free-standing clinic and I sometimes do locum work at other private facilities on the weekends, both on an independent contractor basis (I practice as my own LLC).

well one of the things to consider is that up until now you have been considered board eligible but after 5 years you will not be...it could make a difference in getting credentialed at other hospitals or getting new locums jobs...you may want to check to see if not being BE will have an impact.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

To add to the above, the ABIM now limits you to 7 years to become board certified. After that, you are required to complete additional residency training. This is a "new" rule in 2012. So, if you do not get board certified by 2019, you will never be able to be certified. Will this matter? You're doing fine, and as long as nothing changes you'll be OK. But if your community hospital changes its rules, you could be stuck. Or if insurance programs you're trying to bill require it, same thing. Only you can appraise the situation and determine whether these are concerning risks or not. Also, you may find that moving and getting a new job might be difficult without board certification.

Or, you might be just fine for your whole career. The safest thing to do is to take the exam and become certified -- but then you're stuck with all the MOC crap forever. So pick your poison.

 

[ERDOC555]

To add to the above, the ABIM now limits you to 7 years to become board certified. After that, you are required to complete additional residency training. This is a "new" rule in 2012. So, if you do not get board certified by 2019, you will never be able to be certified. Will this matter? You're doing fine, and as long as nothing changes you'll be OK. But if your community hospital changes its rules, you could be stuck. Or if insurance programs you're trying to bill require it, same thing. Only you can appraise the situation and determine whether these are concerning risks or not. Also, you may find that moving and getting a new job might be difficult without board certification.

Or, you might be just fine for your whole career. The safest thing to do is to take the exam and become certified -- but then you're stuck with all the MOC crap forever. So pick your poison.

Is MOC maintenance of certification? Does that basically mean all the CME and yearly stuff that is required to maintain your licensing?

What happens if you don't do MOC stuff? Do you lose your licensing, and if so for how long, and is it something you could lose until you needed it and re-certify?

I may be way off-based and totally confused, so I'm sorry if I'm not necessarily coherent. I'm just hoping to learn something before I start Med-School in the Fall.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Is MOC maintenance of certification? Does that basically mean all the CME and yearly stuff that is required to maintain your licensing?

What happens if you don't do MOC stuff? Do you lose your licensing, and if so for how long, and is it something you could lose until you needed it and re-certify?

I may be way off-based and totally confused, so I'm sorry if I'm not necessarily coherent. I'm just hoping to learn something before I start Med-School in the Fall.

To bolded - focus on the things you can as of now, young padawan. There's a strong push to get MOC changed, which may happen within the 7 years between now and when you would possibly be an IM attending.

But to answer your questions - Yes, yes, you lose licensing and IIRC (even I don't know the intimate details as a resident) if you lose it, the process to re-certify is more painful (along with you losing Board Certified status, which affects hospital privileges, insurance, etc.)

 

[Winged Scapula]

To bolded - focus on the things you can as of now, young padawan. There's a strong push to get MOC changed, which may happen within the 7 years between now and when you would possibly be an IM attending.

But to answer your questions - Yes, yes, you lose licensing and IIRC (even I don't know the intimate details as a resident) if you lose it, the process to re-certify is more painful (along with you losing Board Certified status, which affects hospital privileges, insurance, etc.)

Just to clarify:

licensing and certification are not the same thing. A state medical license requires a certain amount of continuing medical education (CME) to be maintained in good standing and to renew your license. Each state has their own rules about how much CME is required.

Board certification requires an active medical license and now this new thing called maintenance of certification (MOC); each board has a tone rules about what's required and how failing to keep up with this affects your certification.

But not fulfill ing the MOC requirements doesn't affect your medical license.


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[ERDOC555]

Thanks you guys! That was helpful information!

 

[Raryn]

To add to the above, the ABIM now limits you to 7 years to become board certified. After that, you are required to complete additional residency training. This is a "new" rule in 2012. So, if you do not get board certified by 2019, you will never be able to be certified. Will this matter? You're doing fine, and as long as nothing changes you'll be OK. But if your community hospital changes its rules, you could be stuck. Or if insurance programs you're trying to bill require it, same thing. Only you can appraise the situation and determine whether these are concerning risks or not. Also, you may find that moving and getting a new job might be difficult without board certification.

Or, you might be just fine for your whole career. The safest thing to do is to take the exam and become certified -- but then you're stuck with all the MOC crap forever. So pick your poison.

As far as I'm aware, you could always get certified once then not enroll in MOC and let the certificate expire. Once you have the initial certificate, the 7 year clock goes away and you can always renew later on if you need it.

 

[QofQuimica]

The general trend in medicine is to require more credentialing, not less. In ten years, which scenario do you think is more likely: other jobs will no longer require certification, or your job will start requiring it? Yeah, it's a PITA (not to mention expensive) to study for and take these tests. But good grief, you've already jumped through a zillion hoops in med school and residency to get this far. Jump through this last hoop* and be done with it so you can have the greatest possible number of options for the future.

*(Not counting MOC/recertification and CME/relicensing, of course.)