Having a board certified doctor matters
Good health depends on great health care. Nine in 10 people surveyed (93%) agreed that board certification is important when choosing a doctor, according to a 2025 survey* of more than 1,500 U.S. adults conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Four in five (81%) agreed that board certified doctors provide higher-quality care and have more expertise.
U.S. adults surveyed want their doctors to stay up to date. Respondents …
Doctors who meet requirements of American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Member Boards achieve the gold standard in board certification.
More than one million physicians are board certified by one or more of the 24 ABMS Member Boards, which require them to periodically pass a test of current knowledge and skills.
Patients deserve the highest quality of care from their physicians, hospitals, and health systems.
Research suggests that continuing medical education (CME) alone is not enough. 90% of survey respondents say physicians should be evaluated periodically in their specialty beyond earning CME credits.
Research across seven out of 24 ABMS Member Boards shows that physicians performing well in continuing certification have lower incident rates of disciplinary actions by state medical licensing boards.
Not all board certifications are created equally. Learn what makes ABMS different.
Collectively, studies of doctors in certain specialties suggest that those ABMS board certified physicians who perform well on continuing certification examinations are more likely to:
- Provide care resulting in positive patient outcomes, such as better adherence to clinical guidelines
- Engage in safer prescribing practices
- Demonstrate the accelerated uptake of new evidence
- Provide more efficient and more accurate diagnoses
Stay up to date with trends in ABMS board certification
ABMS Insights is our free newsletter featuring news about board certification and the 24 certifying boards that compose ABMS. Learn about their latest programs, initiatives, and innovations, and hear from guest columnists.
Talk to ABMS about board certification.
Connect with our team and find out more about the importance of board certification through one of the 24 ABMS Member Boards.
The 24 Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties
| American Board of Allergy and Immunology | American Board of Neurological Surgery | American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation |
| American Board of Anesthesiology | American Board of Nuclear Medicine | American Board of Plastic Surgery
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| American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery | American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology | American Board of Preventive Medicine |
| American Board of Dermatology | American Board of Ophthalmology | American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology |
| American Board of Emergency Medicine | American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery | American Board of Radiology |
| American Board of Family Medicine | American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery | American Board of Surgery |
| American Board of Internal Medicine | American Board of Pathology | American Board of Thoracic Surgery |
| American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics | American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
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American Board of Urology |
* 2025 Consumer Perceptions of Medical Specialty Board Certification commissioned by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Total respondents (U.S. adults 18+): 1516. Margin of error: ± 3.54 percentage points.