ABOS GME Chair Message
On behalf of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS), I am pleased to welcome you all to this new academic year. In addition to being the leader in Orthopaedic Surgery Board Certification, the ABOS has developed innovative competency-based medical education (CBME). The Board believes that residents should demonstrate competency in orthopaedic surgery prior to taking the ABOS Part I Examination and is providing residents with assessment tools to assist in achieving that goal.
The paradigm for residency education is shifting from the traditional time-based model to incorporate competency assessments in addition to time requirements and subspecialty exposure. The ABOS has developed easy-to-use tools to assess competency in surgical skills and professional behavior. These tools have been validated, and now residency programs have the ability to use these tools and evaluate the competency of graduating residents.
More importantly, these tools help you—the resident surgeon—improve your skills. They are intended to provide you with useful feedback, so you can see where you excel and what areas present opportunities for improvement. The surgical skills tool can provide you with real-time feedback as you progress through residency. The professional behavior tool can offer valuable feedback from your attendings as well as others in the healthcare setting.
The ABOS has developed a partnership with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to submit surgical cases for resident case logs through a devoted app/web portal. This saves you time by only having to enter surgical case data once—then it goes to both the ACGME and the ABOS. With a single click you can request an assessment on a logged case.
At next month’s American Board of Medical Specialties Annual Conference, ABOS Executive Director Dr. David F. Martin will deliver a keynote address discussing the ABOS approach to CBME. As orthopaedic surgeons, we consider ourselves innovators. I am proud that the ABOS is a leader in the field of competency-based medical education.
Lisa A. Taitsman, MD, MPH
Chair, ABOS Graduate Medical Education Committee
Executive Director Report
As you may have heard, a group of Examinees who took last month’s American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) Part I Examination had their examination end prematurely. This is the first time this has occurred on an ABOS Computer-Based Examination and steps have been taken to ensure that it does not happen again. We have been communicating regularly with Examinees, but I want to provide a brief explanation here.
The ABOS works with three organizations to produce the ABOS Part I Examination, taken primarily by orthopaedic surgeons who have just completed residency: the American Board of Medical Specialties (edits and analyzes the Examination); Internet Testing Systems (prepares the Examination for electronic distribution to examination centers); and Pearson VUE (the testing centers that administer the Examination).
During the Examination preparation process, the total 9-hour length of the Examination (8 hours of Examination time and 1 hour of tutorial and break time used at the Examinee’s discretion) was entered into the system as a total of 8 hours (examination and break). That resulted in the Examination ending early for those Examinees who reached the 8-hour mark prior to completing the Examination.
The goal for the ABOS Part I Examination is to be a fair, valid, standardized examination that allows Examinees to demonstrate their mastery of a large body of orthopaedic knowledge. While we are still evaluating the data in detail, the ABOS now believes that we will be able to arrive at valid results for all Examinees, whether they completed all or part of the Examination. Examinees who did not complete the full Examination, or were rushed, will not need to take any part of the Examination again this year.
The ABOS has decided that Examinees who do not meet the passing standard for the 2024 ABOS Part I Examination will not be assigned a failing result. That applies to any Examinee who is not successful, whether they completed the Examination or not. Their participation in 2024 will not be considered a failure of an ABOS Examination and will not be considered an attempt on an ABOS Examination. The ABOS will waive the next ABOS Part I Examination Fee for those Examinees who did not achieve the passing standard on the 2024 ABOS Part I Examination.
The ABOS is sincerely sorry for the stress that this situation has caused our Examinees. We are committed to making this right and will continue to communicate regularly to all Examinees.
David F. Martin, MD
Executive Director, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
ABOS KSB Continues to Rollout
About 75% of orthopaedic surgery residency programs now have access to the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Knowledge, Skills, and Behavior (ABOS KSB) Program. The remaining residency programs will receive access by January 2025.
You can learn more about the requirements here. While the participation requirement does not begin until July 1, 2025, the ABOS recommends that residents begin participating as soon as they have access to the program. In addition to seeing how the system functions, it is helpful to start requesting surgical skills and professional behavior assessments to understand how you are performing as a surgeon.
The ABOS sets standards for orthopaedic education, which is a role that the Board takes very seriously. With this new requirement, the ABOS provides validated assessment tools for orthopaedic knowledge, surgical skills, and professional behavior as competency-based assessments within the time-based residency model. It is important to understand that the ABOS has been intentional in creating the ABOS KSB Program as a resident-run, resident-centric program. The ABOS KSB Program puts education in the hands of the resident.
In addition, the ABOS is the first American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Member Board to offer a technology platform that integrates the entry of ABOS’s KSB requirements with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME’s) Case Log System requirements, allowing both ACGME Case Log Submission and ABOS KSB requirements to exist in one place through the ABOS KSB+ app and web portal.
Those who do not meet the ABOS KSB participation requirements in residency will not be able to sit for the ABOS Part I Examination and will need to complete the requirements either in fellowship or in their first year of practice prior to sitting for the Examination.
For more information about the ABOS KSB Program, go to https://www.abos.org/abosksb/abos-ksb-residents/.
2025 ABOS Part I Application Open
Applications for the 2025 American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) Part I Examination are now available on the ABOS Dashboards of PGY-5 orthopaedic surgery residents. The deadline to apply is October 1, 2024.
To take the 2025 ABOS Part I Examination, a Candidate must graduate from an ACGME-accredited orthopaedic surgery residency program prior to the July 14, 2025, examination. Each Candidate’s Program Director must attest that the Candidate is eligible to sit for the Examination. Participation in the ABOS Knowledge, Skills, and Behavior (ABOS KSB) Program is not required to sit for the 2025 Examination. However, the ABOS recommends participating in the program for all residents as soon as a residency program has access.
Current PGY-4 and lower residents must participate in the ABOS KSB Program starting July 1, 2025, in order to sit for the 2026 and later ABOS Part I Examinations.
ABOS Board Certification consists of three parts:
- Completing an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program
- Passing the ABOS Part I Examination (Written)
- Passing the ABOS Part II Examination (Oral)
After completing those requirements, an orthopaedic surgeon becomes an ABOS Diplomate for 10 years. More information about ABOS Board Certification can be found at https://www.abos.org/certification/.
Alternate Date for ABOS Examinations
In 2024, the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) provided an Alternate Date for the ABOS Part I Examination due to a life event including, but not limited to, death in the immediate family, serious injury or illness, military deployment, or recent or impending childbirth that would make it impossible to take the ABOS Part I Examination on July 11th. The ABOS also reserved a small number of seats at the Alternate Date for those who have extenuating life events that occur closer to the Examination date in July. The Alternate Date administration of the 2024 ABOS Part I Examination took place August 15th.
In addition, the ABOS provides an option for breastfeeding mothers to take the ABOS Part I Examination over a 2-day period with additional break time each day to allow for pumping. The ABOS also offers accommodation in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In 2023, the ABOS offered an Alternate Date for the Part II Oral Examinations and is continuing that in 2024. The ABOS continues to look for ways to make sure that the ABOS Board Certification process is less onerous for Candidates. For both Examinations, the ABOS provides clear communication to Candidates regarding the process for requesting an Alternate Date.
New Method to Earn ABOS Subspecialty Certification
The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) offers Subspecialty Certification in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine and Surgery of the Hand to those orthopaedic surgeons who are fellowship-trained and have a large volume and diversity of cases in those fields. The ABOS has launched a new initiative to allow surgeons to take the Subspecialty Certification Examinations earlier in their careers (immediately following fellowship education), making the process of obtaining Subspecialty Certification less burdensome.
Currently, surgeons must be ABOS Board Certified before they are eligible to apply for a Subspecialty Examination. With the change, Candidates are eligible to take their Subspecialty Examination after successfully completing an ACGME-accredited fellowship. This allows them to be assessed when their knowledge is at its peak and their practice demands may be less.
Passing the Examination is just one step in the process of obtaining Subspecialty Certification. Only the order of the requirements for earning Subspecialty Certification will change, not the requirements themselves. Candidates must achieve primary Board Certification by the ABOS before they can submit an Application, Case List, and Letters of Recommendation as part of the Certification process.
Current PGY-5 residents can take the ABOS Part I Examination in 2025. Assuming they enter fellowship in 2025, they can register in the fall of 2025 to take a 2026 Subspecialty Certification Examination (in either Orthopaedic Sports Medicine or Surgery of the Hand), which will occur just after they complete their fellowship. After passing the ABOS Part II Examination, they can submit an Application and Case List for ABOS Subspecialty Certification. Assuming that those documents are approved by the ABOS Credentials Committee, these residents will earn ABOS Subspecialty Certification.
Currently, there are about 2,700 ABOS Diplomates who hold Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Subspecialty Certification; 2,300 who hold Surgery of the Hand Subspecialty Certification; and 36 who hold both ABOS Subspecialty Certifications.
For more information, go to https://www.abos.org/subspecialties/.
New Members of the ABOS Resident Advisory Panel
The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) has selected four exceptional orthopaedic surgery residents to participate as the fourth cohort of the ABOS RAP. Many highly qualified orthopaedic residents from across the country applied for 2-year terms on the Panel, and the ABOS is pleased to have chosen an outstanding group to join the ABOS RAP.
The new members of the ABOS RAP are:
- Hannah Gibbs, MD, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
- Noah Harrison, MD, MS, Washington University in St. Louis
- Kelly McFarlane, MD, MBA, Stanford University
- Eric Taleghani, MD, University of Cincinnati
This cohort will join the third group of RAP members who were selected last year:
- Justice Achonu, MD, Stony Brook University Hospital
- Christopher Johnson, MD, PhD, University of Chicago
- Mary Kate Skalitzky, MD, University of Iowa
- Clay Townsend, MD, Temple University Hospital
The ABOS RAP assists the ABOS by providing information that is used to support orthopaedic residents across the country. They work with the ABOS Graduate Medical Education (GME) Committee and the ABOS Communications Committee. One of the main goals of the ABOS RAP is to identify and work on a project each year that will benefit orthopaedic residents across the country.
All applicants submitted an application, curriculum vitae (CV), personal statement, and a letter of recommendation from their residency program directors. These were reviewed by members of the ABOS Board of Directors who serve on the ABOS GME Committee. Applications for the next cohort will be available in early 2025.
