The ABR Board recently made updates to the board eligibility policy for candidates pursuing subspecialty certification.

The biggest change impacts the period during which the ABR grants board eligible status. Candidates graduating fellowships in 2019 or later have until December 31 of the sixth full calendar year after the completion of their training to become certified. Those graduating before 2019 have 10 years from that date or until December 31, 2024, whichever comes first.

Candidates who have an approved registration with the ABR for purposes of certification are considered “enrolled, not yet eligible for certification.” After the requirements for board eligibility are met, the candidate is recognized as board eligible. If a candidate fails to achieve certification by the end of the board eligibility period, that individual is recognized as “not certified, not board eligible” indefinitely until such a time that the status changes.

Candidates failing to successfully complete the initial certification process within the board eligibility time period are no longer considered by the ABR to be board eligible and are not permitted to designate themselves as such for communications or credentialing purposes.

For more information on the policy, including ways to return to board eligible status, additional training year details, and general and discipline-specific requirements for the training year, please click here.