The American Board of Phlebology
The American Board of Phlebology
In the last issue of VEIN, we announced “a historic milestone in phlebology: the creation of an independent specialty board” and stated that “this development will contribute significantly to the recognition and acceptance of phlebology. … It is an important affirmation for those who have chosen to contribute to and work in the field of venous disease.”
The mission of the American Board of Phlebology (ABPh), an independent nonprofit organization, is to improve the quality of medical practitioners and patient care related to venous disorders through rigorous testing, reliable certification and improved educational standards.
In accordance with this mandate, the ABPh certification examination was developed using the “Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing,” which establishes procedures for exam development to insure valid interpretation of score results. “Standards” is published and adopted by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education.
The certification exam is open to licensed physicians who meet rigorous prerequisite qualifications. The criteria can be viewed at www.americanboardofphlebology.org/ABPh_Criteria.pdf. The criteria establish four major pathways to qualification:
Fellowship Route,
Residency Route,
Experience Route and
Distinguished Scholar Route.
The ABPh board of directors agreed to waive the residency requirement temporarily, as defined in Section I (Item #8) of the certification exam’s prerequisites and policies, for 2008 and 2009 applicants.
On May 10 and May 12–17, the ABPh administered its first board certification exam in phlebology in the United States. The exam was delivered on the Pearson testing system accessible from more than 4,000 authorized test centers worldwide.
More than 275 physicians sat for the exam. Forty-nine percent of the applicants identified their specialty as phlebology, while 19 percent and 13 percent identified themselves as vascular and general surgeons, respectively. Figure 1 illustrates the percentage of applicants by specialty background.
The establishment of a board certification exam brings recognition to both the field of phlebology and those providers in the field who have taken the personal responsibility to certify their knowledge, skill and experience to help reinforce a higher standard of quality care for phlebology patients. The ABPh will maintain a registry of individuals who hold certificates issued by the board.
The exam score is determined by the items answered correctly. The exam is not graded on a curve, so passing the exam is not based on how well or poorly other candidates did on the exam. There will be an absolute passing point established against which all candidates’ results will be compared.
The ABPh is responsible for managing the distribution of official results to its candidates. After all the tests have been completed, the ABPh must review the results and determine if certain test questions need to be reevaluated. This process may take several weeks. Results will be made available to candidates during the first two weeks of July.
For physicians, pursuit of board certification in phlebology reflects their personal commitment to insuring publicly that they have completed the education, training and practice experience necessary to not only sit for the certification exam but also define a minimum threshold to elevate patient care. Upon successfully passing the exam, physicians will become diplomates of the ABPh, receive a certificate suitable for framing and have the option of being listed in the ABPh’s “Find a Board-Certified Phlebologist” database.
The dates for the 2009 exam and application process will be announced.
You can find the criteria, application and important dates related to the certification exam as well as policies and other information about the exam and the board at
www.americanboardofphlebology.org.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
The American Board of Phlebology
100 Webster St., Suite 101
Oakland, CA 94607-3724
Telephone: (510) 834-6500
Fax: (510) 832-7300
Web site: www.americanboardofphlebology.org
Steven E. Zimmer, M.D., RVT, FACPh