The American Board of Surgery (ABS) is pleased to announce an alternate pathway into the ABS certification process for surgeons who trained at an institution that is not accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Surgeons who have completed an equivalently structured and accredited training program in surgery, in comparison to an ACGME-accredited general surgery or vascular surgery residency program, may be eligible.
Get the details on the ABS website.
Overview
The pathway is intended for surgeons who are in active practice in the United States and who are not currently admissible for ABS certification. Surgeons who practice in other countries and aspire to practice in the United States are not eligible for this pathway.
Program sponsorship is required in order for a surgeon to pursue this pathway. Applicants must meet all pathway requirements as defined. Application to the Nontraditional Pathway to ABS Certification is a multi-phase process requiring specific information and/or documentation at each stage. Applicants meeting the criteria for the first stage will be eligible to enter this pathway and must remain in practice at the same institution/location while completing the certification examination process.
Surgeons who previously applied for ABS certification through the now defunct Academic Pathway to ABS Certification may re-enter the certification process through the Nontraditional Pathway to ABS Certification provided that they meet the necessary requirements as outlined.
Interested applicants to this pathway must request an ABS surgeon portal user account by Oct. 1 of a given year in order to apply for the next scheduled Admissibility Examination, the first exam required in this pathway.