Board Eligibility
A physician’s eligibility for AOA board certification begins upon completion of their specialty or subspecialty training program and ends on Dec. 31 of the following sixth year.
Board eligibility status will be automatically terminated in the following circumstances:
- After completion of the board eligibility timeframe.
- Upon denial of an appeal to extend the board eligibility timeframe for an individual.
- Upon award of certification.
The following eligibility requirements must be met for AOA board certification:
- You must be a graduate of a COCA-accredited college of osteopathic medicine and have completed an AOA or ACGME-accredited training program OR be a graduate of a LCME-accredited medical school and have completed an ACGME-accredited training program.
- You must hold a valid, active license to practice medicine in a U.S. state, commonwealth, District of Columbia, or U.S. territory.
- You must adhere to the AOA Code of Ethics.
- You must follow the process as outlined by the board’s requirements and meet any specialty-specific requirements for board certification during the six-year board eligibility period.
- You must pass all required certification exams.
Re-Entry into the Certification Process
A physician who has not obtained final certification at the end of six years of board eligibility may petition the AOBOO-HNS for re-entry into the certification process. In order to be approved for re-entry, the candidate must complete 75 CME credits in the specialty following the most recent examination attempt.
Upon acceptance by the Board for the first re-entry process, the candidate must start at the beginning of the certification process. Prior activity toward certification will not be recognized in the first re-entry process. Candidates must participate in the first available administration of the qualifying examination and will have two attempts to pass each step of the examination process. If unsuccessful on a given administration, the candidate must participate in the next available examination administration.
Candidates who were not successful in becoming certified at the end of the first re-entry pathway process may pursue certification only by petitioning the certifying board for entry into the final pathway process. Candidates must participate in the first available administration of the qualifying examination and will have two attempts to pass each step of the examination process. If unsuccessful on a given administration, the candidate must participate in the next available examination administration. The AOBOO-HNS may require the candidate to fulfill additional requirements prior to sitting for the certification exam.
Candidates who were not successful in becoming certified at the end of the final pathway have no further opportunity to become certified.
Right to Appeal
If a candidate feels that the actions of the AOBOO-HNS with regard to any part of the examination constitute unequal application of the regulations and requirements or standards, unwarranted discrimination, prejudice, unfairness or improper conduct of the examination, he or she has the right to appeal to this Board.
Appeals must be made in writing to the AOBOO by sending an email to aoboo@osteopathic.org within two hours of the exam administration. All appeals submitted after the two-hour deadline will be denied.
A majority vote of the committee will determine whether the AOBOO-HNS accepts or denies the appeal.
Candidates will be advised by the AOBOO-HNS of the Appeal Committee’s decision by email. If the Appeal Committee accepts an appeal, then the candidate’s examination will not be scored or recorded, and the candidate has the right to take a new exam at the next scheduled exam date with no additional fee.
If an appeal is denied by the AOBOO-HNS, the candidate retains the right to request an appeal to the AOA Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (BOS) and AOA Board of Trustees.
The AOBOO-HNS will not consider appeals based on examination content, sufficiency or accuracy of given answers, scoring of the examination or individual questions, and/or the determination of the minimum passing score. If a candidate’s six years of board eligibility is set to expire while he or she is appealing a failed exam, their board eligible status will not terminate until the appeal is resolved.
Compliance With Federal Regulations
The AOBOO-HNS complies with all applicable federal and state regulations, including:
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The AOBOO-HNS complies with requirements prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and transportation, as well as regulations for Title II and Title III (and all subsequent regulations) as printed in the federal register.
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): In compliance with the HIPAA Act of 1996 and any subsequent modifications, the AOBOO-HNS ensures that individuals’ health information is properly protected, while allowing the flow of health information to provide and promote high quality health care. All medical records submitted for review by candidates for AOBOO-HNS certification will be de-identified by the candidate prior to submission, such that the remaining information cannot be used to identify an individual patient.