The American Osteopathic Board of Surgery (AOBS) is an organization that provides

board certification Board certification is the process by which a physician or other professional demonstrates a mastery of advanced knowledge and skills through written, practical, or simulator-based testing. Certification bodies There are more than 25 boards that ...

to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) who specialize in the use of surgery to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of disease (

surgeons In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

). The board is one 18

medical specialty A medical specialty is a branch of medical practice that is focused on a defined group of patients, diseases, skills, or philosophy. Examples include those branches of medicine that deal exclusively with children (paediatrics), cancer (oncology), ...

certifying boards of the

American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists Established in 1939, the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (AOABOS) is a non-profit umbrella organization for 18 medical specialty boards in the United States. Along with the American Board of Medical Specialties (A ...

approved by the

American Osteopathic Association The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) is the representative member organization for the more than 176,000 osteopathic medical doctors (D.O.s) and osteopathic medical students in the United States. The AOA is headquartered in Chicago, Illinoi ...

(AOA). As of 2011, 1,279

osteopathic Osteopathy () is a type of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. Practitioners of osteopathy are referred to as osteopaths. Osteopathic manipulation is the core set of techniques in ...

physicians held active certification with the AOBS. The AOBS is one of two certifying boards for surgeons in the United States; the other certifying board is the

American Board of Surgery The American Board of Surgery (ABS) is an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge. Surgeons certi ...

of the

American Board of Medical Specialties Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is a non-profit organization which represent 24 broad areas of specialty medicine. ABMS is the largest physician-led specialty certification organization in the United States ...

. Fellows of the AOBS are eligible for full membership in major U.S. surgical societies such as the

American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913.American College of Surgeons Online "What is the American College of Surgeons?"/ref> See also *American College of Physicians The American College o ...

(ACS) and the

Society of Thoracic Surgeons The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a Chicago, Illinois (US)-based medical specialty professional society in the field of cardiothoracic surgery Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the ...

. Board certified surgeons of the AOBS are also eligible for membership in the

American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery The American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) is a non-profit medical organization dedicated to metabolic and bariatric surgery, and obesity-related diseases and conditions. It was established in 1983, and its stated vision is ...

Board certification

Initial certification is available to osteopathic physicians who have successfully completed an AOA-approved surgical

residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...

, and successfully completed the required written and oral exams. Recertification became mandatory in 1997. Before this time, the initial board certification was permanent and recertification was not required. Since 1997, diplomates the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery requires osteopathic surgeons to renew their certification every ten years to avoid expiration of their board certified status. Osteopathic surgeons may also receive primary board certification in the following areas: *

General Surgery General surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on alimentary canal and abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, appendix and bile ducts, and often the thyroid ...

Neurological Surgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...

Plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

Reconstructive Surgery Reconstructive surgery is surgery performed to restore normal appearance and function to body parts malformed by a disease or medical condition. Description Reconstructive surgery is a term with training, clinical, and reimbursement implica ...

* Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery *

Urological Surgery Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''-logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive organ ...

* General Vascular Surgery Osteopathic surgeons may also receive Certification of Added Qualifications in surgical critical care. The Certification of Added Qualifications must be maintained through the process of recertification every 10 years. In order for an osteopathic physician to be board-certified in any specialty, they must be AOA members, pay certification fees, and complete at least 120 hours of continuing medical education in a three-year period.

References

External links

AOBS homepage

American Osteopathic Association
{{American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists Osteopathic medical associations in the United States Organizations established in 1940 Surgical organizations based in the United States Medical and health organizations based in Ohio