Qualifying Examination

 

 

Surgical Skills Standard

All candidates who graduated from residency in 2020 or later must, at the time of application, provide documentation of successful completion of either Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) or Essentials in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (EMIGS).

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Limitation of Eligibility

Physicians must achieve certification within eight (8) years of the completion of their residency training. For information on regaining eligibility please see the policy on Regaining Eligibility for Initial Certification found here. Years spent in an ACGME accredited OB-GYN fellowship training program, or an ACGME-accredited second residency, will not count toward the 8-year limit. Time spent between the completion of residency training and the start of additional ACGME-accredited training will count toward the 8-year limit.

 

For fellows in an ACGME-accredited OB-GYN fellowship or a government fellowship, an additional year of eligibility is added for each subsequent year of training. Fellowship training in non ACGME-accredited OB-GYN programs will not extend the 8-year eligibility limit. Fellowships completed prior to 2013 in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, or prior to 2017 in Gynecologic Oncology, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, or Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, when fellowships were accredited by ABOG, will also qualify for eligibility extension of one year per additional training year.

 

 

Good Moral and Ethical Character

ABOG requires evidence of a candidate's professionalism and professional standing.

• Your professional reputation, moral and ethical character, and in-hospital practice privileges will be verified by administrative officials of organizations and institutions that know you and your practice.
• If you're involved in an investigation by a health care organization regarding practice activities or for ethical or moral issues, you will not be scheduled for the Certifying Exam. A decision to approve or disapprove the application will be deferred either until you have been cleared or until ABOG has received sufficient information to make a final decision.
• If you have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony, you'll not be allowed to take the Certifying Exam.

 

 

Active, Unrestricted Medical License

You need at least one unrestricted license to practice medicine in a US state or territory or a province of Canada to be eligible to apply for the Certifying Examination.

• Each medical license must not be restricted, suspended, on probation, revoked, nor include conditions of practice. The terms "restricted" and "conditions" include any and all limitations, terms, or requirements imposed on a physician's license regardless of whether they deal directly with patient care.
• If you've ever had any action taken against any medical license in any territory, province, or state of the United States or Canada, or any foreign country at any time, a written explanation must be provided with the application. Such actions include, but are not limited to, admonitions, reprimands, conditions, restrictions, probation, suspension, fines, required coursework, denial of application/renewal, and revocation.
• Actions must be reported even if they occurred in the past and are no longer active.
• ABOG will investigate every license(s) using various search techniques. The Board reserves the right to determine candidate eligibility to take the Certifying Exam after reviewing all material.
• If you fail to inform ABOG of any action against your medical license(s) in any state, territory, or foreign nation, you'll be ineligible to take the Certifying Exam for a minimum of three years.

 

 

Actively Engaged in Unsupervised Clinical Practice

Candidates for the Certifying Exam must be in an unsupervised clinical practice of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the academic year leading up to their exam. Practice may include locum tenens work.

If you're in a non-ACGME-accredited fellowship related to the field of obstetrics and gynecology, you can apply for the Certifying Exam during your fellowship if you meet all of the additional requirements, including submission of an acceptable case list.

Time spent in a teaching or research appointment, or in a non-clinical fellowship or graduate education program that doesn't involve unrestricted privileges to practice as an obstetrician and gynecology and doesn't include clinical practice, will not fulfill the practice requirement.

 

 

Unrestricted Hospital Privileges

To qualify for the Certifying Examination, you must hold unrestricted hospital privileges to practice as an obstetrician-gynecologist in each of the hospitals in which you have been responsible for patient care.

The latest date you can obtain privileges and still qualify for the specialty certifying exam is December 11th of the year prior to the exam. For any questions regarding limitations in privileges, please contact applications@abog.org.

• "Unrestricted hospital privileges" means that you're a member of the medical staff and have privileges to admit patients and to practice obstetrics and gynecology.
• If you hold hospital privileges in more than one hospital, you can give up privileges voluntarily as long as you still hold unrestricted privileges in another hospital.
• Privileges that are resigned or dropped in lieu of an investigation or adverse action are not considered to be given up voluntarily and must be reported.
• Required Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE) or proctoring for new privileges are not considered a restriction for examination purposes.
• Any Focused Professional Practice Evaluation (FPPE) must be reported with the application and will be reviewed.
• When the quality of care, professionalism, or peer review activities have led to a limitation of privileges or required supervision, this is considered a restricted practice, and you're not eligible to take the Certifying Exam.
• If your privileges are under investigation, suspended, or on probation (for cause), you're not eligible to apply for the Certifying Exam until and unless the investigation is completed or the suspension or probation is lifted and full and unrestricted privileges are granted.
• If you're enrolled in a fellowship in an area of medicine related to obstetrics and gynecology, you're not required to hold hospital privileges. However, if you have such privileges, they must be unrestricted and not under investigation for any reason.

 

 

Terms of Agreement

 

 

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