The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) is an independent, non-profit organization that sets standards of education, training, and expertise for orthopaedic surgeons. ABOS Board Certification helps orthopaedic surgeons demonstrate their commitment to providing high-quality patient care. To become Board Certified by the ABOS, an orthopaedic surgeon must:
- Graduate from an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency program
- Pass the ABOS Part I Examination, an 8-hour multiple choice examination that evaluates knowledge of general orthopaedics, basic science, and the application of that knowledge to patient diagnosis and treatment
- Be in independent practice and have hospital admitting and surgical privileges
- Submit a 6-month Case List
- Complete the Peer Review process
- Pass the ABOS Part II Oral Examination, where Candidates present 12 of their own cases to experienced orthopaedic surgeons who use a Scoring Rubric to score nine facets for each of the 12 cases
Those who pass the ABOS Part II Oral Examination become Diplomates of the ABOS. They are awarded a certificate that is valid for 10 years. They enter the ABOS Continuing Certification Program in order to maintain their ABOS Board Certification.
Examination Statistics
- In the past five years, the ABOS Part I Examination pass rate for first-time examinees has been between 92-98%
- In the past five years, the ABOS Part II Oral Examination pass rate for first-time examinees has been between 85-92%
Board Eligible
An orthopaedic surgeon who has passed the ABOS Part I Examination but has not yet passed the ABOS Part II Oral Examination is deemed Board Eligible. Board Eligibility is limited to five years; surgeons who have not passed Part II within 5 years of taking Part I are no longer Board Eligible, and must re-take Part I before moving on to Part II. Time spent in fellowship education after passing the ABOS Part I Examination does not count as a part of the five-year time limit.
