Certification Exam

AOBR announces alternate pathway for Pediatric Radiology certification

To address the nationwide shortage of pediatric radiologists, the American Osteopathic Board of Radiology is pleased to announce the creation of a temporary alternate pathway for certification in Pediatric Radiology.

AOBR Diplomates may be eligible for the AOBR alternate pathway if they meet the following criteria:

• Hold active primary AOBR certification in Diagnostic Radiology
• Hold an active license to practice in the U.S., its territories or Canada
• Have a minimum of 50% of their clinical responsibility be pediatric cases for two consecutive years
  • Candidates must have their department chair submit a letter verifying their practice experience during the application process.

This pathway is available beginning with the 2024 administration of the exam and will be available through 2028.

Eligibility

To be eligible for subspecialty certification in Pediatric Radiology, candidates must meet the criteria below:

• Hold primary AOBR certification in Diagnostic Radiology.
• Have completed a one-year AOA-approved or ACGME-accredited fellowship in Pediatric Radiology.
  • Alternate Pathway: Have a minimum of 50% clinical responsibility be pediatric cases for two consecutive years.
• Hold an active license to practice in the U.S., its territories or Canada.
• Adhere to the AOA Code of Ethics.

Requirements

At the time of application, you must submit the following to the AOBR:

• A completed application
• Examination fee

Candidates applying for the exam using a fellowship must have AOA recognition of the training. If it is not already on file, the AOBR office will work with you to get this recognition.

Candidates applying for the exam via the Alternate Pathway must have their department chair submit a letter directly to AOBR via email to aobr@osteopathic.org verifying that a minimum of 50% of their clinical responsibility was pediatric cases for two consecutive years.

Exam Fees

An examination fee of $900 must accompany your completed application. No application will be considered complete until all fees have been paid.

Exam Dates and Deadlines

The Pediatric Radiology Subspecialty Certification Exam is offered once per year, in the fall. For a list of currently scheduled exam dates, please visit our Important Dates page.

For more information on what to expect on exam day, please visit our Remote Proctored Examination information page.

Exam Content Outline

The exam consists of 100 questions representative of pediatric radiology. It is a computerized, image-rich exam. Candidates will have three hours to complete the exam, which covers the following topics:

• Anatomy and physiology
• Methods of examination
• Technique
• Indications and contraindications
• Pharmacology of contrast agents, where applicable
• Radiation safety and protection
• Elements of normal and abnormal interpretation applicable to vascular and interventional radiology

Exam Scoring

Scoring Criteria

AOA reports candidates’ certification results using standardized scaled scores. Scaled scores are more valid and reliable compared to raw scores and make scores comparable across different forms of the exam. The AOA reports scores on a 200 to 800-point scale with a scaled score of 500 or higher required to pass.

• A scaled score of 500 represents the minimum level of knowledge and skill necessary to pass the exam as established by AOA Certifying Boards.
• The highest possible scaled score is 800.
• The lowest possible scaled score is 200.
• Overall scores are based on the total number of items answered correctly, regardless of content area.

Results by Content Area

• When possible, a breakdown of exam scores by content area is provided to help you identify your areas of strength and areas that may need more development.
• The number of items for each content area indicates the relative amount of test questions on the exam for that content area.
• Content area scores are not weighted to calculate your overall score; each content area is scored separately after the overall analysis is complete.

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