Certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) signifies skill, competence, and a commitment to ongoing development of specialized expertise and to meeting peers’ standards of practice.¹ Hospitals and managed care plans typically require their surgeons to be board certified, and private groups often provide newly certified diplomates with partnership offers or other rewards.

Most surgical specialty boards administer examinations once per year, and some specialties boards require the candidate to present case collections. A candidate who cannot take an examination at a certain time or meet a deadline for submitting a case collection loses 1 of the 7 allowed years of eligibility for obtaining certification, potentially postponing the monetary and career benefits associated with board certification. Given its unproven benefit and the stress it places on candidates, the 7-year eligibility limit should be extended or possibly removed. But what more can be done to remove obstacles to board certification?