AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY
American Board of Surgery Update
MARY HAWN, M.D.
JUNE 2024
AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORGAMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
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General Surgery
Examinations
AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
General Surgery
Qualifying Exam Requirements
• Candidates must be meeting all requirements at the time of
application to the GSQE
• To be eligible for this exam, applicants must:
o Have satisfactorily completed a general surgery residency training program
accredited by the ACGME or RCPSC.
o Have met all ABS training requirements for graduate education in general
surgery, including 48 weeks of full-time clinical activity in each year of training.
o Submit an operative experience report that meets ABS standards of volume,
complexity, and diversity of cases.
o Submit copies of certificates showing that certification in ACLS, ATLS, FLS and
FES programs was successfully achieved.
o Applicants must adhere to the ABS Ethics and Professionalism Policy, as well as
any other applicable policies related to initial certification in general surgery.
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AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
General Surgery
Qualifying Exam Requirements
• Medical License Requirement
o While possession of a medical license is not required to apply for general surgery initial certification examinations,
candidates must possess a full and unrestricted U.S. or Canadian medical license before they will be
considered certified by the ABS.
o Candidates must provide proof of medical license before they will be issued their certificate and will be listed in
the ABS verification system as “in the examination process” until proof is submitted.
o Temporary, limited, educational or institutional licenses will not be accepted, even if the candidate is currently in a
fellowship.
• Other required documentation
• Prior ABS Letters of Approval: If prior ABS approval has been received for credit for foreign medical education
training, flexible rotations, an international rotation, an extension of training, etc., these letters must be uploaded
via the ABS portal.
• PGY 4 chief rotations: The training program is responsible for obtaining prior AGCME approval for chief rotations
completed in the PGY-4 year. Documentation of ACGME approval must be uploaded via the ABS portal for any
chief rotation completed in the PGY-4 year.
• Residents who trained in multiple programs: Documentation of satisfactory completion for years in prior
programs must be uploaded via the ABS portal (e.g., copies of certificates of residency year completion or letters
from former program directors).
• International medical graduates: If the applicant is required to have an ECFMG certificate, a PDF of it must be
uploaded to the ABS portal. The certificate must be valid indefinitely. For Canadian residents, the certificate must
be valid through the date of application.
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AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
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General Surgery Exam Performance
AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
General Surgery
CE Performance:
Live vs. Remote
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• Virtual oral exams introduced in 2020
during beginning of COVID pandemic
• Total number of examinees:
• 2017: 1,437
• 2018: 1,466
• 2019: 1,025
• 2020: 1,815
• 2021: 1,694
• 2022: 1,631
• Since the move to virtual exams, ABS has
found no significant changes to:
o Pass/fail rates
o Reliability of scores
o Examiner rating patterns
Virtual exams allow
for larger capacity
AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
ABS Continuous Certification Program
• Introduced in 2018 for general surgery
o 2019 for vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care
o 2021 for complex general surgical oncology, hand surgery
• Why Continuous Certification?
o ABS recognized that maintaining certification needed to be more convenient and more
reflective of a surgeon’s daily practice
o Establishes a national standard for maintaining knowledge and skill in surgical practice
o Documents the ongoing commitment of surgeons to professionalism, lifelong learning,
and quality patient care
o Upholds board certification as a standard of quality defined by the surgical community
o Gives the surgical community a proactive position in the health care quality debate,
using surgeon-developed metrics and reporting methods
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AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
Continuous Certification
Program Requirements
• Medical license: Diplomates must hold a valid, full, and unrestricted (U.S. or
Canada) medical license
• Hospital/surgical center privileges: Hospital or surgical center privileges are
required if the diplomate is clinically active
• Professional references*: Two reference forms must be submitted every five years
• Practice improvement: Ongoing participation in a local, regional, or national
outcomes registry or quality assessment program
• CME and self-assessment: Diplomates must earn 150 credits of Category 1 CME
relevant to their practice over five years, of which at least 50 must include self-
assessment
• Requirement changes to 125 CME credits with no self-assessment required after a
diplomate passes their first Continuous Certification Assessment
• Continuous Certification Assessment (CCA): Successful completion of a
Continuous Certification Assessment prior to certificate expiration
• Annual Fee: Due each year as long as a surgeon is participating in the program
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AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
Ongoing Certification Requirements
• Operative reports were removed from Continuous Certification
Program requirements in fall 2022.
• In June 2023, the ABS Council approved a new ABS Code of Ethics
and Professionalism, with a goal to implement the changes prior to
the 2024 Continuous Certification Assessment.
o A corresponding attestation will be added to diplomate portals and diplomates
will be responsible for reviewing the Code, signing the attestation and listing
two references that may be contacted if needed.
o This will replace the previous system of having a reference letter on file for
five years.
o Additional details and related information will be provided to diplomates when
the new Code is ready to go into effect.
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AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
Continuous Certification Assessment
• Each ABS specialty board determines the content for their specialty, with
input from diplomates and societies
• All assessments have 40 questions presented in random order
o GS CCA is modular: 20-question “Core” module + select a second 20-question
module of choosing from four practice-related areas:
1. Breast
2. Abdomen and its Contents
3. Alimentary Tract
4. Comprehensive General Surgery
• Questions written by community (including rural) and academic surgeons
• Once a diplomate registers for their first assessment, they are enrolled in
the Continuous Certification Program
o Surgeons who achieved certification in 2018 or later are automatically enrolled
in the Continuous Certification Program
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AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
Continuous Certification Assessment
• Educational format:
o Assessments are untimed, open book, have an educational format and
provide immediate learner feedback
o Take on own computer or mobile device in your home or office
o References and a list of topics for each assessment are published on the
ABS website prior to start of assessment window each summer
o Second attempt to answer incorrect questions may be offered (must
achieve 40% or higher on first attempt)
o Immediate results based on overall score (correct answers from 1st +
2nd attempts)
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AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
Continuous Certification Assessment
• Timing
• Assessments are available for ten (10) weeks in the fall
• Diplomates have two (2) weeks to complete once started
• Can save results at any point and return later within the two-week window
• If unsuccessful, can retake the assessment the following year (grace year)
• If unsuccessful in grace year, must pass a secure exam
• Scoring details:
• Must attain a total score of 80% (32 questions correct) after the two attempts to pass
the assessment
• A score of at least 40% (16 questions correct) must be achieved on the first attempt to
qualify for a second attempt
• Must pass one assessment every other year
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AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
Continuous Certification Assessment
• The 2023 ABS Continuous Certification Assessment was available from Aug. 29-
Nov. 6, 2023.
• Total assessments completed: 11,159
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□ General surgery: 8,182
□ Vascular surgery: 1,171
□ Pediatric surgery: 177
□ Surgical critical care: 1,510
□ Complex general surgical oncology: 90
□ Hand surgery: 29
• For the first time in 2023, key references for all 2023 Continuous Certification
Assessments were free for diplomates to access.
• Beginning with the 2024 Continuous Certification Assessments, all references will
be available to diplomates as part of their CCA fees.
AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORGAMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
2024 Continuous
Certification
Assessment
Timeline
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August 1, 2024
Registration for all assessments becomes
available
August 26, 2024
Assessment window opens
November 4, 2024
Assessment window closes at 11:59 p.m. ET
AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY | ABSURGERY.ORG
Questions?
Thank You!
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