As an organization that serves around 60,000 diplomates from four distinct fields, we at the American Board of Radiology depend on volunteers to help fulfill our mission.
Last year, we were fortunate to have more than 1,300 diplomates contribute more than 70,000 hours as board members, oral examiners, self-assessment module reviewers, representatives on standard-setting committees, and members of initial certification and Maintenance of Certification advisory committees.
More than 1,500 subject matter experts participated in our Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) pilot or developed questions in 2018. When OLA was introduced to diagnostic radiology diplomates in January 2019, we were confident it was fair and relevant because of volunteer efforts.
We’re getting similar assistance from those in the interventional radiology, medical physics, and radiation oncology fields this year. OLA starts for them in January after a practice period in November. Content is being written and vetted by volunteers.
Diplomates volunteer because they want to advance their professions. The work they do is performed on their own time; they typically spend around 40 hours a year per committee they serve. We cover their travel expenses to Chicago or Tucson.
While we have hundreds of volunteers, there’s always a need for more, especially from private practice. We’re supported by many diplomates from academia because their institutions often encourage members to serve. Everyone would benefit from perspectives provided by men and women from the private ranks. We encourage them to consider helping us and their field.
Learn more about volunteering by visiting our website, selecting a specialty, and clicking on the volunteer link. If you’re interested in signing up, please fill out our application.
The more volunteers we have, the better we can serve our diplomates. We appreciate the help we receive from professionals in the field and encourage anyone who has considered volunteering to join their peers on one of our committees.
Help spread the word