A physician who has completed additional required training in a medical specialty, usually from 2 to 5 additional years in residency, but has not passed the certifying examinations: Board Certified.
Describes a physician or other health professional who is eligible for specialty board examination (including those who may have failed the examination if they remain eligible). Each of the specially boards has requirements which must be met before the examination for specialty board certification can be taken. These include graduation from an approved school, training experience of specified type and length and specified time in practice or on the job. The minimum time required after graduation from medical school to become board eligible is generally three to five years. Government and other types of health programs which define standards for specialists often accept board eligibility as equivalent to board certification, since the only difference is that the board certified professional has passed an examination.
The term applied to a physician (or other health professional) who has met or can meet the requirements of a specialty board (see board) for eligibility to take the examination required to become board certified.
In medicine, a designation that signifies that a physician has completed all the requirements for admission to the medical specialty board certification examination but has not yet taken and passed the examination.