OSTEOPATHIC BOARD CERTIFICATION

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AOA Specialty Certifying Boards

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Other Recognitions

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 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.

Post-board eligibility process

A physician who has not obtained final certification at the end of six years of board eligibility must apply for examination to the AOBOS to enter the post-board eligibility certification process within three (3) years of termination of the board eligibility status timeframe.

Candidates must participate in the first available administration of each exam and will have four (4) attempts to pass each step of the examination process. If unsuccessful in a given attempt, candidates must participate in the next available administration. Non-participation will be considered a forfeiture and an unsuccessful attempt.

Candidates who are not successful in becoming certified at the end of this process have no further opportunity to become certified by this Board.

Resolution 56: Eligibility for ABMS-certified DOs

Resolution 56 defines the certification eligibility for ABMS-certified physicians seeking primary certification from the AOBOS. To be eligible for Resolution 56, ABMS-certified osteopathic physicians must meet the following requirements:

  • Be certified by the ABMS and have completed residency training prior to submitting an application. Note that ABMS-certified osteopathic physicians who participated in a clinical pathway (in lieu of completing a residency program) to achieve ABMS certification may be allowed to enter the certification process under the following conditions:
    • The pathway must have been completed prior to 1995; and
    • The candidate must meet any additional requirements set by the specialty board for certification.
  • Additional requirements and fees as designated by the certifying board.
  • Complete and submit application and release of information form.

Appeal policy overview

  • Appealable issues
    Candidates may appeal to the AOBOS to raise concerns relative to the examination’s administration (i.e., alleged bias/prejudice of a member of an examination team or failure to follow established examination procedures).
  • Non-appealable issues
    The AOBOS will not consider appeals based on examination content, sufficiency or accuracy of answers given to examination questions, scoring of the examination, scoring of answers to individual questions and/or the determination of the minimum passing score.
  • Appeals must be submitted in writing to the AOBOS via the AOBOS Appeal Submission Form.
  • Appeal deadlines
    • Written examinations: Appeals must be submitted within three (3) business days of completion of the examination.
    • Clinical examinations: Appeals must be submitted on or before the published due date for examiner score submission for the appellant’s exam cycle.
    • Late appeals: Appeal requests submitted after the deadlines noted above will be denied.
  • Following submission of an appeal to the AOBOS, the candidate’s examination will not be scored or recorded. When the appeal is submitted, the examination will be considered null and will not be scored regardless of whether the appeal is accepted or denied by the AOBOS Board.
  • Accepted appeals
    • A candidate whose appeal is accepted will have the right to a new examination at the next scheduled examination date at no additional application or examination fee. All other fees incurred are the responsibility of the candidate.
    • If the accepted appeal pertains to a clinical examination, different examiners will be assigned to the candidate and the candidate’s original surgical log may be used for the new clinical examination administration.
  • Denied appeals
    • A candidate whose appeal is denied will have the right to retake the examination at a future administration and will be responsible for the applicable examination fees.
    • If an appeal is denied by the AOBOS, the candidate will have the right to request an appeal to the AOA Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (BOS) by contacting the BOS Secretary at [email protected]. As required in the Handbook of the BOS, the request for an appeal and supporting documentation must be submitted electronically within sixty (60) days of the date of the decision letter.

View full appeal policy

Rescoring of examinations

Candidates have the right to request a rescore and audit process of their examination scores. Requests for the rescoring and audit must be submitted to the Board in writing via formal letter emailed within two weeks of the Board’s release of the exam results. The fee for rescoring and audit is $200. The Board will commence the rescoring and audit process following receipt of the candidate’s request and payment. This process is limited to rescoring and audit of the candidate’s exam. Candidates are not allowed to review specific items on the examination. The Board will not reevaluate or reset the “cut” score for passing the exam.

Compliance with federal regulations

The AOBOS complies with all applicable federal and state regulations, including:

  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The AOBOS 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 AOBOS 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 AOBOS certification will be de-identified by the candidate prior to submission, such that the remaining information cannot be used to identify an individual patient.