Appendix 2: American Osteopathic Association Specialty Board Certification
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J. Michael Wieting
The certification process is an important assessment tool for enhancing the quality of health care and protecting the public. Certification demonstrates a standard of excellence for osteopathic physicians, including quality of services and commitment to lifelong learning. In addition, many health care facilities and insurers require physicians to be board certified.
Since its establishment in 1939, the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (BOS), the official certifying body of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), has issued 49,058 certifications, including primary certifications, subspecialty certifications, and certifications of added qualifications (family medicine and preventive medicine only). As of December 31, 2017, a total of 31,762 osteopathic physicians were certified by the AOA and held a combined total of 36,982 active certifications, representing a 7% increase over the number of active certifications held in 2016 (34,555).
The Table provides the total number of new certifications and osteopathic continuous certification (OCC) completions processed in 2017, as well as the total number of active certifications. This information is provided by specialty and in the aggregate. In total, 2206 certifications were processed in 2017, as follows:
■ primary specialty: 1891
■ subspecialty: 224
■ certification of added qualifications (family medicine and preventive medicine only): 91
Certification Statistics 2017, Currently-Offered Certificationsa
| No. (%) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Osteopathic Board of… | Certification Type | Description | New Certifications | Osteopathic Continuous Certifications | Total Active Certifications |
| Anesthesiology | Primary | Anesthesiology | 48 (2) | 11 (1) | 704 (2) |
| Subspecialty | Critical care | 3 (<1) | 0 | 10 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Pain management | 4 (<1) | 0 | 78 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Pediatric anesthesiology | 3 (<1) | 0 | 12 (<1) | |
| Dermatology | Primary | Dermatology | 0 | 1 (<1) | 608 (2) |
| Subspecialty | Mohs micrographic surgery | 0 | 0 | 39 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Pediatric dermatology | 0 | 0 | 10 (<1) | |
| Emergency Medicine | Primary | Emergency medicine | 294 (13) | 205 (15) | 3530 (10) |
| Subspecialty | Emergency medical services | 2 (<1) | 0 | 7 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Medical toxicology | 1 (<1) | 2 (<1) | 14 (<1) | |
| Family Physicians | Primary | Family medicine/OMT | 628 (28) | 367 (27) | 13,179 (36) |
| CAQ | Adolescent and young adult medicineb | 0 | 0 | 7 (<1) | |
| CAQ | Geriatric medicine | 4 (<1) | 14 (1) | 290 (1) | |
| Internal Medicine | Primary | Internal medicine | 174 (8) | 144 (11) | 5169 (14) |
| Subspecialty | Cardiology | 16 (1) | 30 (2) | 594 (2) | |
| Subspecialty | Clinical cardiac electrophysiology | 3 (<1) | 7 (1) | 29 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Critical care | 3 (<1) | 7 (1) | 198 (1) | |
| Subspecialty | Endocrinology | 5 (<1) | 2 (<1) | 58 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Gastroenterology | 13 (1) | 16 (1) | 283 (1) | |
| Subspecialty | Geriatrics | 2 (<1) | 1 (<1) | 56 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Hematology | 7 (<1) | 2 (<1) | 65 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Infectious diseases | 7 (<1) | 5 (<1) | 97 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Interventional cardiology | 3 (<1) | 6 (<1) | 133 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Nephrology | 13 (1) | 7 (1) | 165 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Oncology | 3 (<1) | 1 (<1) | 124 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Pulmonary diseases | 25 (1) | 11 (1) | 255 (1) | |
| Subspecialty | Rheumatology | 3 (<1) | 2 (<1) | 89 (<1) | |
| Neurology and Psychiatry | Primary | Neurology | 12 (1) | 19 (1) | 280 (1) |
| Primary | Psychiatry | 28 (1) | 24 (2) | 339 (1) | |
| Subspecialty | Child neurology | 0 | 0 | 3 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Child psychiatry | 3 (<1) | 0 | 45 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Geriatric psychiatry | 0 | 0 | 15 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Neurophysiology | 1 (<1) | 0 | 25 (<1) | |
| NMM | Primary | NMM/OMMc | 35 (2) | 32 (2) | 759 (2) |
| Nuclear Medicine | Primary | Nuclear medicined | 0 | 0 | 20 (<1) |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | Primary | Obstetrics and gynecologyc | 87 (4) | 150 (11) | 1461 (4) |
| Subspecialty | Female pelvic medicine/reconstructive surgery | 0 | 0 | 8 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Gynecologic oncology | 1 (<1) | 2 (<1) | 17 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Maternal and fetal medicine | 2 (<1) | 3 (<1) | 35 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Reproductive endocrinology | 0 | 1 (<1) | 13 (<1) | |
| Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery | Primary | Ophthalmology | 18 (1) | 13 (1) | 407 (1) |
| Primary | Otolaryngology and facial plastic surgeryc | 21 (1) | 10 (1) | 525 (1) | |
| Subspecialty | Otolaryngic allergy | 1 (<1) | 0 | 22 (<1) | |
| Orthopedic Surgery | Primary | Orthopedic surgery | 98 (4) | 103 (8) | 1491 (4) |
| Subspecialty | Hand surgery | 4 (<1) | 4 (<1) | 71 (<1) | |
| Pathology | Primary | Anatomic pathology | 0 | 0 | 23 (<1) |
| Primary | Anatomic pathology and laboratory medicineb | 0 | 0 | 11 (<1) | |
| Primary | Laboratory medicine | 0 | 0 | 14 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Forensic pathology | 0 | 0 | 4 (<1) | |
| Pediatrics | Primary | Pediatrics | 63 (3) | 1 (<1) | 648 (2) |
| Subspecialty | Adolescent medicine | 0 | 0 | 1 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Neonatology | 0 | 0 | 36 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Pediatric endocrinology | 0 | 0 | 3 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Pediatric pulmonologyb | 0 | 0 | 2 (<1) | |
| Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Primary | Physical medicine and rehabilitation | 22 (1) | 1 (<1) | 295 (1) |
| Preventive Medicine | Primary | Aerospace medicine | 0 | 3 (<1) | 33 (<1) |
| Primary | Occupational-environmental medicinec | 0 | 7 (1) | 82 (<1) | |
| Primary | Public health | 0 | 2 (<1) | 34 (<1) | |
| CAQ | Occupational medicine | 2 (<1) | 3 (<1) | 46 (<1) | |
| Proctology | Primary | Proctology | 2 (<1) | 1 (<1) | 28 (<1) |
| Radiology | Primary | Diagnostic radiologyc | 31 (1) | 17 (1) | 797 (2) |
| Primary | Radiation oncology | 0 | 1 (<1) | 19 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Angiography and interventional radiologyb | 0 | 0 | 18 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Body imagingb | 0 | 0 | 8 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Diagnostic ultrasoundb | 0 | 0 | 1 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Neuroradiology | 2 (<1) | 3 (<1) | 76 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Nuclear radiologyb | 0 | 0 | 4 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Pediatric radiology | 1 (<1) | 1 (<1) | 23 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Radiation therapyb | 0 | 0 | 1 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Vascular/interventional radiology | 2 (<1) | 2 (<1) | 22 (<1) | |
| Surgery | Primary | Cardiothoracic surgeryc | 11 (<1) | 2 (<1) | 74 (<1) |
| Primary | General surgery | 218 (10) | 59 (4) | 1436 (4) | |
| Primary | General vascular surgery | 18 (1) | 3 (<1) | 151 (<1) | |
| Primary | Neurological surgery | 31 (1) | 2 (<1) | 169 (<1) | |
| Primary | Plastic and reconstructive surgery | 14 (1) | 6 (<1) | 99 (<1) | |
| Primary | Urological surgery | 38 (2) | 15 (1) | 278 (1) | |
| Subspecialty | Surgical critical care | 33 (1) | 7 (1) | 138 (<1) | |
| Conjoint | Subspecialty/CAQ | Addiction medicine | 74 (3) | 4 (<1) | 84 (<1) |
| Subspecialty | Adult and pediatric allergy and immunology | 5 (<1) | 0 | 34 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty/CAQ | Correctional medicine | 0 | 0 | 8 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty | Dermatopathology | 1 (<1) | 1 (<1) | 15 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty/CAQ | Hospice and palliative medicine | 12 (1) | 0 | 381 (1) | |
| Subspecialty/CAQ | Pain medicine | 21 (1) | 0 | 108 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty/CAQ | Sleep medicine | 3 (<1) | 4 (<1) | 90 (<1) | |
| Subspecialty/CAQ | Sports medicine | 26 (1) | 10 (1) | 301 (1) | |
| Subspecialty/CAQ | Undersea and hyperbaric medicine | 1 (<1) | 0 | 48 (<1) | |
| Totals | 2206 | 1357 | 36,982 | ||
a Data are current as of December 31, 2017.
b No longer issued.
c Specialties that are no longer offered but are equivalent to currently offered specialties have been combined as appropriate. These specialties are as follows: special proficiency in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) has been combined with neuromusculoskeletal medicine (NMM)/OMM; obstetrics and gynecologic surgery has been combined with obstetrics and gynecology; facial plastic surgery, otolaryngology, and otorhinolaryngology have been combined with otolaryngology and facial plastic surgery; preventive-occupational medicine has been combined with occupational-environmental medicine; diagnostic roentgenology, radiology, and roentgenology have been combined with diagnostic radiology; and thoracic cardiovascular surgery and thoracic surgery have been combined with cardiothoracic surgery.
d New certifications in nuclear medicine are no longer issued. The American Osteopathic Board of Nuclear Medicine manages the Osteopathic Continuous Certification process for existing certifications in nuclear medicine.
Abbreviations: CAQ, Certificate of Added Qualifications; OMT, osteopathic manipulative treatment.
In addition, 1357 OCC completions were processed in 2017.
Since 2013, the number of active board certifications held has risen steadily (Figure). This number is expected to continue to rise in the future.
Total active certifications held, 2013 to 2017. aThe number of certifications awarded in 2013 was previously reported as 30,267. However, the correct number of certifications for 2013 is 30,168 and is reflected in this figure.
Recent Activities in Certification
In January 2017, the AOA empaneled the AOA Certifying Board Services (CBS) Task Force II to address the directive of enhancing board certification services and marketability to make AOA board certification more attractive and competitive. Specifically, the Task Force was charged with addressing the following goals:
■ Align board leadership structure to strengthen physician-led, professionally managed relationships. The demands on CBS have grown substantially, and the expectations placed on the CBS are more than the current system can handle. The goal is to have working physicians serve as the backbone of AOA certification while allowing them to focus on specific tasks that require a physician's skill set and expertise. Nonphysicians can thus provide administrative support to those efforts.
■ Unify the certifying boards through common practices, bylaws, reporting processes, operational alignment, and expenses.
■ Develop uniform, reasonable, and competitive examination fees.
The Task Force presented its recommendations to the BOS at its midyear meeting on April 8, 2017. Several of these recommendations are currently being implemented by CBS. For example, board meetings are being aligned into a cluster-based system to facilitate communication. Initiatives to standardize operations to ensure consistent products are also underway.
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Editor's Note: This article is an update of last year's appendix (http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2613999) on AOA specialty board certification.
© 2018 American Osteopathic Association
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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- EDITORIAL
- Osteopathic Medical Education: Answering the Call
- JAOA/AACOM MEDICAL EDUCATION
- Educational Intervention in a Medically Underserved Area
- Factors Associated With Osteopathic Primary Care Residency Choice Decisions
- Interprofessional Collaborative Practice: Use of Simulated Clinical Experiences in Medical Education
- Assessment Considerations for Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency
- Resident and Faculty Attitudes Toward Osteopathic-Focused Education
- Single Accreditation System Update: A Year of Progress
- APPENDIX
- Appendix 1: Osteopathic Graduate Medical Education, 2018
- Appendix 2: American Osteopathic Association Specialty Board Certification
- CLINICAL IMAGES
- Aortic Arch Mycotic Aneurysm
- Bronchopulmonary Sequestration
- IN YOUR WORDS
- Shared Journey in Medicine: Following in My Father's Footsteps
Articles in the same Issue
- EDITORIAL
- Osteopathic Medical Education: Answering the Call
- JAOA/AACOM MEDICAL EDUCATION
- Educational Intervention in a Medically Underserved Area
- Factors Associated With Osteopathic Primary Care Residency Choice Decisions
- Interprofessional Collaborative Practice: Use of Simulated Clinical Experiences in Medical Education
- Assessment Considerations for Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency
- Resident and Faculty Attitudes Toward Osteopathic-Focused Education
- Single Accreditation System Update: A Year of Progress
- APPENDIX
- Appendix 1: Osteopathic Graduate Medical Education, 2018
- Appendix 2: American Osteopathic Association Specialty Board Certification
- CLINICAL IMAGES
- Aortic Arch Mycotic Aneurysm
- Bronchopulmonary Sequestration
- IN YOUR WORDS
- Shared Journey in Medicine: Following in My Father's Footsteps
