The new Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a worldwide societal impact and placed the entire global health care community in a state of emergency. This unprecedented public health crisis has placed enormous strain on health care providers, who daily place their health and well-being in jeopardy to combat this deadly virus.
The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and its Member Boards support the efforts of trainees and board certified physicians by offering programmatic flexibility with regard to examination scheduling, as well as offering relevant, up-to-date treatment and prevention information to all on the front line of this pandemic. Each board has posted easily accessible information about their COVID-19 response and continues to monitor the pandemic’s progression to make further adjustments as needed. The rapid response and transparent communications of the boards serves to reinforce the commitment to respond to the greater physician community and address the recommendations outlined in the Vision for the Future Commission final report.
The four “Achieving the Vision” Task Forces continue their work with many of the physician volunteer members making an extraordinary effort to actively contribute while meeting the demands of being on the front line battling COVID-19. On May 1, the Chairs of the Advancing Practice, Professionalism, Remediation, and Information and Data Sharing Task Forces met virtually with the members of the American Medical Association Council on Medical Education (Council). The meeting allowed the Task Force Chairs to share updates on their progress and receive feedback from Council members that will help inform and guide their work moving forward.
The Standards Task Force presented the most current version of their draft continuing certification standards at the May 4 virtual meeting with the ABMS Stakeholder Council. Composed predominately of representatives from external stakeholder organizations as well as practicing physicians and public/patient advocates, the Stakeholder Council’s feedback is part of a greater commitment by ABMS and the Member Boards to actively pursue input from a broad collective of external audiences. Despite the disruption and new demands faced by all due to the pandemic, the Standards Task Force remains on schedule at this time to meet its goal of opening a substantial public commentary in late 2020.
Please share this update with your colleagues and encourage them to engage with the process by subscribing to the Achieving the Vision updates. Be safe, protect yourself, your colleagues, and your family. And most importantly, if you are member of a health care team combating COVID-19, we thank you for your dedication, service, and selfless efforts on behalf of your patients and communities.
Find resources and follow the progress of ABMS and its 24 Member Boards on the Achieving the Vision web page.
Sign up for email updates about the boards’ implementation efforts.
