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The ABS customer support team will be unavailable by telephone from Monday, Sept. 23 through Thursday, Sept. 26, due to mandatory staff training. For questions and related support, please send a message via our Contact Us page.
For guidance on updating your ABS certification requirements, please see this document. To access the 2024 Continuous Certification Assessment reference materials, please see this page.
- At this time, email is the best way to reach us. Please visit our Contact Us page to submit a message to our team. For guidance on how to update any ongoing certification requirements, please see this document.
Ongoing Certification Requirements
Diplomates must be up to date on their ongoing certification requirements to maintain their certification.
Certification Requirements Overview
Diplomates must maintain their certification requirements
While the assessment is due every other year, most other program requirements should be updated no less than every five years.
For diplomates with multiple ABS certificates, the assessment is the only requirement that must be repeated for each certificate.
For clinically inactive surgeons or surgeons no longer operating, participation in the Continuous Certification Program is welcome. While some program requirements may vary slightly, clinically inactive diplomates are still required to maintain Continuous Certification requirements to remain certified.
Dive deeper into guidance on how to update any ongoing certification requirements.
Requirements for Assessment Registration
All ongoing requirements must be met in order to register for and complete a Continuous Certification Assessment
Diplomates must hold a valid, full, and unrestricted (U.S. or Canada) medical license, and must immediately inform the ABS of any conditions or restrictions in force on any active medical license they hold.
Hospital or surgical center privileges are required if the diplomate is clinically active. If a diplomate is clinically inactive or does not otherwise hold privileges, they will be asked to provide an explanation.
Ongoing participation in a local, regional, or national outcomes registry or quality assessment program, either individually or through the diplomate’s institution, is expected. Diplomates must describe how they are meeting this requirement — no patient data is collected. See Practice Improvement for more details and resources.
Diplomates must review the ABS Code of Ethics and Professionalism and complete the corresponding attestation when reporting on their ongoing certification requirements or when registering for a Continuous Certification Assessment.
As part of this attestation, submission of the names and contact information for two references is required. The individuals listed will not be contacted unless the diplomate is audited by the ABS, enrolls in the lapsed pathway to regain certification, or is found to be in violation of the Code.
Credits are counted on a five-year rolling basis and expire five years from the date of completion.
Requirements for Diplomates Enrolled in Continuous Certification
Diplomates enrolled in the Continuous Certification Program must meet the following requirements:
- Total Credits: 125 credits every five years
- Self-Assessment: Not required
Requirements for Time Limited Diplomates
Diplomates with time-limited certificates must meet the following requirements:
- Total Credits: 150 credits of Category 1 CME relevant to their practice (or if clinically inactive, to the broad discipline of surgery) every five years
- Self-Assessment (SA): At least 50 of those credits must include a self-assessment component (question-and-answer exercise)
Visit the CME page to learn more about requirements and discover what qualifies as CME.
How to Find and Report Credits
Use the ACCME’s CME Passport website to find qualifying activities accepted by the ABS. For self-assessment activities, look for the “SA” notation (e.g., ABS Credit Type(s): CME, SA)
Diplomates should check the CME repository in your ABS Portal to view information about the current five-year window.
NOTE: The CME Passport website is hosted and maintained by the ACCME, not by the ABS. For questions or concerns related to any activities listed in the CME Passport, please contact the ACCME or the CME provider directly.
Successful completion of a Continuous Certification Assessment prior to certificate expiration is required to maintain certification. To register for an assessment, diplomates must be up to date with all other program requirements and current with all program fees.
For diplomates who hold multiple ABS certificates, this is the only requirement that must be repeated for each certificate, aside from the annual fee.
The $285 annual fee covers one assessment every other year, free access to all assessment reference materials, and general Continuous Certification Program participation.
This exam is for surgeons who either: (1) did not successfully complete the lapsed pathway; or (2) are not eligible to enter the lapsed pathway.
How to Register
Follow these steps to complete assessment registration
Diplomates must be meeting all ongoing certification requirements in order to register for a Continuous Certification Assessment.
Annual Fee
Diplomates must be current with their annual fee payment to continue meeting ABS certification requirements
Once a diplomate enrolls into the Continuous Certification Program, an annual fee is required. Diplomates who maintain multiple ABS certifications are eligible to receive a multi-certificate discount.
- Current fee: $285
- What is covered by fee: All Continuous Certification Program participation fees, including one assessment every other year
- How to pay: Pay online via the surgeon portal
Diplomates who do not pay the annual fee will be unable to register for the next Continuous Certification Assessment until all outstanding fees are paid.
Delinquency in the year that a diplomate is due to complete an assessment will make the surgeon ineligible for a grace year for the following year, and certification will lapse Dec. 31 of the year that the assessment was due. Diplomate status will be listed as “Not Certified” until the outstanding balance has been paid. Following payment of an outstanding balance, the grace year will be reinstated along with a “Certified” certification status.
Audits
The ABS audits a percentage of diplomates each year
If audited, diplomates will be asked to furnish documentation of the information they have provided in their ABS portal, including CME activities. No patient data is collected. Diplomates who do not reply to an audit will not be eligible to take an assessment and must re-enter the Continuous Certification Program.
Certifications from Other Approved Boards
Reciprocity offered for certification requirements
Diplomates certified by other ABMS member boards must meet and report on all above-listed requirements; however, activities that meet ABS requirements completed for the continuing certification programs of other boards or the RCPSC may be used. If certification or recertification is achieved from another ABMS board, diplomates may be eligible to waive some CME with self-assessment toward ABS requirements – contact the ABS for more information.
Fellowship
CME is waived during fellowship training
Practice Improvement Waiver
The practice improvement requirement is waived for all diplomates for the duration of their fellowship training. If you are in fellowship, please indicate that in the portal using the free-text space under the practice improvement requirement section.
CME Credit Waiver
Diplomates may receive a CME waiver for the time spent completing an eligible fellowship (up to 24 months).
- Credit Value: Up to 2.5 CME credit waives per month of training
- Fellowship Duration: Eligible fellowships must be between 12 and 24 months in length
Accreditation Requirements
To qualify for these waivers, the fellowship must be accredited by the ACGME or surgical organization with a formal accreditation process, included by not limited to:
- Society of Surgical Oncology
- American Society of Transplant Surgeons
- American College of Surgeons
- The Fellowship Council
Details about the fellowship must be provided via the diplomate’s ABS portal.
Certification Status
Certification status is contingent on meeting all program requirements
Once participating in the Continuous Certification program, a diplomate’s certification status will be contingent on passing the assessment every other year, as well as meeting the other program requirements. This program is intended to accurately reflect the rapid changes in surgical knowledge and practice, and better promote high-quality patient care.
Failing an assessment in the year it is due will not immediately affect certification status. Diplomates in good standing will enter a grace year in which they will be able to retake the assessment the following year if necessary.
Contact
Our exam managers are here to help
Most questions can be answered with the information available on our website. For specific inquiries, please contact the Continuous Certification Program manager.