• 
• 
• 

Application Process

APPLICATION FOR EXAMINATIONS

All applications and documentation submitted by a candidate shall remain the property of the Board.

The candidate shall:

1. Make written application on a form provided by the Board.

2. Provide the following at the time the application is submitted (or when available).

Photostatic copies of:

1. Letter from the candidate’s residency Program Director verifying completion of all the prescribed years of an AOA-approved residency training program prior to the August 1st application deadline for the written qualifying examination
2. Diploma of graduation from AOA-approved College of Osteopathic Medicine
3. Diploma of Internship if traditional or AOA letter if OGME-1R
4. Diploma(s) of Residency (upon completion of residency training program)
5. Certificate of Unrestricted License or Military Jurisdiction
6. Verification of program complete status from Specialty College (when available from ACOS RESC)

3. Submit the required fee(s) with the application. No part of the application fee shall be returned nor applied to future examinations without candidate’s written request and Board approval. The Board may apply a cancellation fee if the candidate fails to notify the Board 30 days prior to a previously scheduled examination. An examination rate sheet shall be provided with the application for examination or upon request of the candidate.

4. The candidate shall demonstrate eligibility for the examination in any other manner required by the Board.

Eligibility for the Written Qualifying Examination
1. EFFECTIVE JULY 1ST, 2009, NEW APPLICANTS MUST HAVE COMPLETED ALL THE PRESCRIBED YEARS OF AN AOA-APPROVED RESIDENCY TRAINING PROGRAM IN THE SURGICAL SPECIALTIES UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE BOARD PRIOR TO REGISTERING FOR THE WRITTEN QUALIFYING EXAMINATION.

Candidates who entered the certification process prior to July 1, 2009 must have evidence of satisfactory completion of previous years of an AOA-approved residency training program in the surgical specialties under the jurisdiction of the Board.

2. Candidate must have all previous years of residency training reviewed and approved by the Specialty College and its Residency Evaluation and Standards Committee

 

Eligibility for the Oral Certifying Examination

1. The candidate for the oral certifying examination must have satisfactorily completed the written qualifying examination.
2. The candidate must submit a letter of intent to take the oral certifying examination (a sample letter of intent is available on the AOBS website at www.aobs.org). The examination fee must accompany the letter.
3. The candidate shall demonstrate eligibility for the examination in any other manner required by the Board.
4. Candidates entering the certification process for the first time after January 1, 2006 must have achieved program complete status from the Specialty College and all the documentation requested at the time of original application submission MUST be in the Candidate’s file PRIOR TO ENTERING THE FINAL PHASE OF CERTIFICATION.

Eligibility for the Clinical Examination

1. The candidate for the clinical examination must have satisfactorily completed the written and oral examinations. NOTE: For candidates entering the certification process for the first time after January 1, 2006, the clinical examination (Part III) has been eliminated.
2. The Board will provide the candidate with the clinical log submission information, which must be returned by the applicable due date, along with:
   1. The examination fee.
   2. The candidate’s log of segregated totals of all major operative cases from the start of practice to the submission date, OR candidates who have been in practice longer than a year should submit logs for the most recent 12-month period (January-December). The candidate shall submit this log in the manner prescribed by and in accordance with the instructions and format supplied by the Board. The submitted cases must have been performed consecutively. The candidate must be the surgeon of record on all cases submitted. The candidate must dictate all operative reports for cases submitted. The logs must demonstrate the candidate has had surgical experience of such variety and scope as to demonstrate that the candidate has managed and is capable of managing major complex, surgical problems. If the candidate demonstrates sufficient variety and scope, the candidate will be admitted into the clinical examination process.
   3. A list of all mortalities with a brief synopsis of each such case occurring during the same time period designated in “b” above.
3. The clinical examination for certification in General Surgery will be waived for those already certified by a three-part examination in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Urological Surgery, Neurological Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and General Vascular Surgery provided that:
   1. Documentation that verifies completion of training from the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons or the AOA of a General Surgery residency is on file with the AOBS.
   2. General Surgery written and oral examinations were successfully completed.