RAMS SPECIAL FEATURE
The New ABEM Certifying Process: What We Know So Far SAEM PULSE | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2024
By the SAEM RAMS Board
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The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) has announced a new Certifying Exam to replace the Oral Certification Exam (OCE). The RAMS Board met with ABEM and reviewed their published materials to provide emergency medicine (EM) residents with the most up-to-date information on the new exam.
What is the Certification Process?
ABEM certification involves three steps: 1. Apply for certification 2. Qualifying (written) Exam 3. Certifying Exam
The core of ABEM’s certification process is to independently verify that an emergency medicine (EM) physician can provide the highest quality patient care.1 While completing an ACGME-accredited residency program indicates that a resident has met target performance measures, the ABEM certification process ensures a national standard of competence. Approximately 98% of EM residents apply for ABEM certification.
Why Did ABEM Change the Certifying Exam?
According to ABEM, the new Certifying Exam aims to assess knowledge and skills essential to
the clinical practice of emergency medicine that the current exam cannot evaluate. The current OCE reliably assesses unique competencies not measured by the written Qualifying Exam. Poor performance on the OCE is associated with an increased risk of severe state medical board disciplinary actions. However, the OCE does not evaluate procedural techniques, ultrasound, prioritization, task switching, patient-centered communications, conflict management, team management, or troubleshooting. ABEM considers these critical performance metrics for emergency physicians which cannot be tested virtually.