IC Diagnostic Landing
Initial certification information is for candidates who have not been certified in diagnostic radiology.
Information about the ABR's Core and Certifying Exams Overview FAQs Core Exam Study Guide Transition to the Core and Certifying Exams Core Exam Blueprints
Time Limitation for Attaining Initial Certification (“Board Eligibility”)
Candidates have specific time limits for remaining eligible to be initially certified by the ABR and to maintain their status as "board eligible." Board eligibility will begin at the completion of diagnostic radiology residency training. For international medical graduates, "end of training" is defined as the end of the four-year period outlined in the Sponsoring Department Agreement.
For candidates who have already completed training, the “board eligibility” period ends according to the following schedule:
End of Training: Termination of board eligibility
2004 or before: December 31, 2014
2005: December 31, 2015
2006-2010: December 31, 2016
2011 and afterward: six full calendar years from end of training
After the period of board eligibility ends, candidates failing to successfully complete the initial certification process will no longer be considered by the ABR as "board eligible," will no longer be permitted to designate themselves as such for communications or credentialing purposes, and will no longer be reported as such on the ABMS website (www.certificationmatters.org) or in verification letters.
To return to "board eligible" status, candidates must take an additional year of training in a department with an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)-accredited diagnostic radiology residency program. At the end of that year, the department chair or program director must attest to satisfactory completion of the experience. After that documentation is provided to the ABR, the candidate may re-enter the certification process and will again be required to pass both the qualifying and certifying examinations within a six-year interval.
Questions related to these or other board certification issues can be addressed to icnotification@theabr.org, or by calling (520) 790-2900.
To read the Board Eligibility Policy, please click here.
The Certificate
As you progress through your residency, you will take examinations to qualify for your initial certification in diagnostic radiology.
If you have chosen to subspecialize, you can also take exams to qualify for subspecialty certificates in the following disciplines:
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Neuroradiology Nuclear Radiology Pediatric Radiology Vascular and Interventional Radiology
Your certificate is valid contingent upon meeting the requirements of Maintenance of Certification (MOC).
Throughout the period for which you hold certification, you are expected to continue learning and improving your skills in a personalized program (see ABR-MOC). Your progress will be evaluated annually on a rolling three-year “look-back” window. One of the requirements to maintain certification is successful completion of the cognitive examination (MOC Part 3), which must be passed before the end of the tenth year from your previously passed examination. This is a practice-profiled, computer case-based examination. The examination is different from the current series of initial examinations for certification. Your certification status and MOC status will be publicly reported on our website, as well as at the official public reporting website of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), www.certificationmatters.org.