CERTIFICATION

Board Certification is a voluntary process, and one that is very different from medical licensure. Obtaining a medical license sets the minimum competency requirements to diagnose and treat patients, it is not specialty specific. Board Certification demonstrates a physician’s exceptional expertise in a particular specialty and/or subspecialty of medical practice.

A candidate who has met all the requirements and successfully completed the examinations of The American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery will be issued a Certificate attesting to his/her qualifications in colon and rectal surgery. The President or President-Elect and the Executive Director shall sign the Certificate which bears the corporate seal of the Board.

The Certificate granted by the Board does not confer privilege or license to practice colon and rectal surgery but is evidence that a physician’s qualifications for specialty practice are recognized by his/her peers. It is not intended to define the requirements for membership on hospital staffs, to gain special recognition or privilege for its Diplomates, to define the scope of specialty practice, or to state who may or may not engage in the practice of the specialty.

Unless the candidate specifies otherwise, the Board forwards the names of candidates who have achieved certification to the American Board of Medical Specialties for publication in the Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists.

Click Here General Information Book 2021 Edition to review our General Information Book.

Value of Board Certification to Health Care

Board certification is an important initial step in professional development.

As physicians’ practices change over time, anticipating future workforce needs requires an understanding of practice change and overlapping scope of practice among different medical specialties.

The ABMS Program for MOC plays a vital role in making sure physicians critically evaluate their practices, acquire new skills, and adapt their practices to changing patient health needs.

Importance to Patients

Patients benefit from a physician’s focus on the core competencies for quality care by receiving:

• Better communicative relationships built on listening and sharing
• Improved sensitivity to their needs and concerns
• Demonstrated clinical knowledge concerning their medical condition
• Coordinated care from interprofessional teams and integrated systems of care