The Genesis of Pain Medicine as a Subspecialty in Anesthesiology.

Certification in pain medicine as a subspecialty in Anesthesiology was conceived in 1989 and first discussed by the American Board of Anesthesiology in 1990. Shortly thereafter, the ABA submitted an application to the American Board of Medical Specialties for recognition to certify in pain management. That was approved in 1991. The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education approved an application from the Anesthesiology Residency Review Committee to accredit programs in pain management education and training in 1992. The first examination for Pain Management certification was given in 1993. The certificate was modified in 2002 to Pain Medicine rather than Pain Management. Five member boards of ABMS are now approved for certification in pain medicine and all use the ABA Pain Medicine examination.

What the HEC-C? An Analysis of the Healthcare Ethics Consultant-Certified Program: One Year in.

Efforts to professionalize the field of bioethics have led to the development of the Healthcare Ethics Consultant-Certified (HEC-C) Program intended to credential practicing healthcare ethics consultants (HCECs). Our team of professional ethicists participated in the inaugural process to support the professionalization efforts and inform our views on the value of this credential from the perspective of ethics consultants. In this paper, we explore the history that has led to this certification process, and evaluate the ability of the HEC-C Program to meet the goals it has set forth for HCECs. We describe the benefits and weaknesses of the program and offer constructive feedback on how the process might be strengthened, as well as share our team's experience in preparing for the exam.

A Historical Review of WHO Certification of Malaria Elimination.

A malaria-free world remains the vision of the global community. Malaria elimination within the territory of a country is a pathway to achieving the ultimate goal of eradication. Certification of malaria elimination in a country is the official recognition of this important achievement. The concepts of eradication and elimination, and criteria for certification of malaria elimination, have guided national programs in their efforts to achieve and maintain elimination. They have evolved from the experiences and setbacks of the global eradication program, and on the contemporaneous understanding of the concepts of achieving and maintaining elimination. WHO's certification has been successful, with the majority of certified countries remaining malaria free, but to operationalize the criterion for preventing re-establishment of transmission remains challenging.

[Unmasking impostors: Professional physicians and their struggle against fake doctors in Peru]. / Desenmascarando a los impostores: Los médicos profesionales y su lucha contra los falsos médicos en Perú.

The characterization of non-professional healers as "quacks" or "impostors" has influenced much of how such actors have been perceived by public opinion and in academic research. As a result of this, a divide has emerged between professional physicians, on the one hand, and those who acquired their knowledge in a traditional and non-academic way, on the other. This work questions the alleged divide between these two groups in the health field in order to offer a more complex and richer picture of local practices in Peru. Based mainly on correspondence from the Faculty of Medicine in Lima and newspaper ads, we reconstructed the attempts made by medical authorities to contain and exclude healers of Asian, European, or local backgrounds, many of which failed. For this reason, we studied two specific devices designed to legitimate and monitor physicians trained professionally: degrees or diplomas and lists of graduates, both of which are predecessors to our current identification cards and databases.

La caracterización de sanadores no-titulados como "charlatanes" o "impostores" ha influido notablemente en cómo han sido percibidos por la opinión pública y en las investigaciones académicas. Se creó, entonces, una división entre los médicos profesionales y aquellos que adquirieron su conocimiento de modo tradicional y no-académico. Este artículo cuestiona la supuesta división entre dichos especialistas en el campo de la salud para ofrecer un cuadro más complejo y rico de prácticas locales a partir del caso peruano. A partir, sobre todo, de correspondencia de la Facultad de Medicina de Lima y de avisos en periódicos, reconstruimos la dinámica de las autoridades médicas en sus intentos, muchas veces infructuosos, de contener y excluir a sanadores de origen asiático, europeo o local. Para ello, estudiamos dos artefactos diseñados para legitimar y monitorear a los médicos formados profesionalmente: los títulos o diplomas y las listas de graduados, predecesores de nuestros modernos documentos de identidad y bases de datos.

Desenmascarando a los impostores: Los médicos profesionales y su lucha contra los falsos médicos en Perú / Unmasking impostors: Professional physicians and their struggle against fake doctors in Peru

RESUMEN La caracterización de sanadores no-titulados como "charlatanes" o "impostores" ha influido notablemente en cómo han sido percibidos por la opinión pública y en las investigaciones académicas. Se creó, entonces, una división entre los médicos profesionales y aquellos que adquirieron su conocimiento de modo tradicional y no-académico. Este artículo cuestiona la supuesta división entre dichos especialistas en el campo de la salud para ofrecer un cuadro más complejo y rico de prácticas locales a partir del caso peruano. A partir, sobre todo, de correspondencia de la Facultad de Medicina de Lima y de avisos en periódicos, reconstruimos la dinámica de las autoridades médicas en sus intentos, muchas veces infructuosos, de contener y excluir a sanadores de origen asiático, europeo o local. Para ello, estudiamos dos artefactos diseñados para legitimar y monitorear a los médicos formados profesionalmente: los títulos o diplomas y las listas de graduados, predecesores de nuestros modernos documentos de identidad y bases de datos.

ABSTRACT The characterization of non-professional healers as "quacks" or "impostors" has influenced much of how such actors have been perceived by public opinion and in academic research. As a result of this, a divide has emerged between professional physicians, on the one hand, and those who acquired their knowledge in a traditional and non-academic way, on the other. This work questions the alleged divide between these two groups in the health field in order to offer a more complex and richer picture of local practices in Peru. Based mainly on correspondence from the Faculty of Medicine in Lima and newspaper ads, we reconstructed the attempts made by medical authorities to contain and exclude healers of Asian, European, or local backgrounds, many of which failed. For this reason, we studied two specific devices designed to legitimate and monitor physicians trained professionally: degrees or diplomas and lists of graduates, both of which are predecessors to our current identification cards and databases.

Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery-What Does Certification Mean?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There are advantages and disadvantages of subspecialty certification for physicians, trainees, patients, and society at large. As female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) became the second subspecialty of urology to offer subspecialty certification, understanding the effects of FPMRS subspecialty certification on the healthcare system is important. RECENT FINDINGS: While subspecialty certification may improve training, identify experts, and ultimately lead to improved patient outcomes, certification might also be unnecessary for some physicians, weaken residency training, and limit the number of physicians who are deemed qualified to offer certain treatments. As pelvic floor disorders can considerably affect quality of life, and their prevalence is expected to increase with the aging population, high-quality FPMRS care is needed. In this article, we describe the history of FPMRS subspecialty certification as well as its potential advantages and disadvantages as suggested by literature. There are advantages and disadvantages of FPMRS subspecialty certification. Further research is needed to assess the effect of FPMRS subspecialty certification on patient outcomes.

Nuclear Medicine Training: What Now?

Although the multidisciplinary nature of nuclear medicine (NM) and clinical molecular imaging is a key strength of the specialty, the breadth of disciplines involved in the practice of NM creates challenges for education and training. The evolution of NM science and technology-and the practice of clinical molecular imaging and theranostics-has created a need for changes in the approach to specialty training. The broader U.S. community of imaging physicians has been slow to accept this change, in good part due to historical divides between the NM and nuclear radiology (NR) communities. In this Journal of Nuclear Medicine Hot Topics discussion, we review the historical pathways to training; discuss the training needs for the modern practice of NM, clinical molecular imaging, and radionuclide therapy; and suggest a path forward for an approach to training that matches the needs of the evolving clinical specialty.

The Evolution of the American Board of Ophthalmology Written Qualifying Examination.

Since the inception of board certification in ophthalmology in 1916, a written assessment of candidates' knowledge base has been an integral part of the certification process. Although the committee structure and technique for writing examination questions has evolved over the past 100 years, the written qualifying examination remains an essential tool for assessing the competency of physicians entering the workforce. To develop a fair and valid examination, the American Board of Ophthalmology builds examination questions using evidence-based, peer-reviewed literature and adheres to accepted psychometric assessment standards.

History of the American Board of Ophthalmology Oral Examination.

The oral examination has been an integral part of certification by the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) since its founding in 1916. An overview is provided regarding the history, evolution, and application of new technology for the oral examination. This part of the certifying process allows the ABO to assess candidates for a variety of competencies, including communication skills and professionalism.

Excellence in Ophthalmology: Continuous Certification.

Over the course of a century, American medical specialty boards including the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) have developed significant expertise in assessing physician competence on completion of postgraduate training and, more recently, in defining appropriate criteria for continuous learning and quality improvement in practicing physicians. This article explores why maintaining career-long excellence is an evolving challenge, but one that is at the heart of the ABO's mission to protect the public by improving patient care.

The History, Role, and Value of Public Directors on Certifying Boards: The American Board of Ophthalmology Experience.

The mission of the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) is to serve the public by improving the quality of ophthalmic practice through a continuing certification process that fosters excellence and encourages continual learning. Since 2001, achieving this mission has been enhanced by including public directors in the ABO governance. We review the evolution of including nonprofessional members on the governing boards of professional regulatory and self-regulatory organizations generally, provide history about the incorporation of non-professional public directors into the governance structure of the American Board of Medical Specialties and the ABO, and offer insights about the perceived impact of public directors on the ABO.