Board Certification

Board certification is the process by which a medical doctor demonstrates through either written, practical, and/or simulator based testing, a mastery of the basic knowledge and skills that define an area of medical specialization.

Medical specialty certification is a voluntary process. While medical licensure sets the minimum competency requirements to diagnose and treat patients, it is not specialty specific. Board certification demonstrates a doctor’s exceptional expertise in a particular specialty and/or subspecialty of medical practice.

The American Board of Medical Specialties and its member boards are the certifying agencies for doctors to be certified.

Member Boards
The following board organizations are members of the The American Board of Medical Specialties, the ruling non-profit organization of specialty-certification.

American Board of Neurological Surgery
The American Board of Neurological Surgery is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies surgeons practicing neurosurgery.

American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies surgeons practicing obstetrics and gynecology. It also certifies surgeons in OB/GYN sub-specialties:
 * Maternal-fetal medicine
 * Reproductive endocrinology and infertility.

American Board of Orthopedic Surgery
The American Board of Orthopedic Surgery is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies surgeons practicing orthopedic surgery.

American Board of Otolaryngology
The American Board of Otolaryngology is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies surgeons practicing otolaryngology.

American Board of Pediatrics
The American Board of Pediatrics is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies physicians practicing pediatrics.

American Board of Plastic Surgery
The American Board of Plastic Surgery is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies surgeons practicing plastic surgery.

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies physicians practicing psychiatry.

American Board of Surgery
The American Board of Surgery is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies surgeons practicing general surgery. Additionally, it certifies surgeons in the following specialties:
 * Pediatric surgery
 * Neonatal surgery*
 * Surgical critical care/trauma surgery
 * Surgical oncology

American Board of Thoracic Surgery
The American Board of Thoracic Surgery is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies surgeons practicing cardiothoracic surgery.

Notable Board Certified Doctors

 * Dr. Meredith Grey (Board certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery)
 * Dr. Cristina Yang (Board certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery)
 * Dr. Alex Karev (Board certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery)
 * Dr. Jackson Avery (Board certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery)
 * Dr. Miranda Bailey (Board certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery)
 * Dr. Callie Torres (Board certified in orthopedic surgery by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery)
 * Dr. Mark Sloan (double-board certified)
 * (Board certified in plastic surgery by the American Board of Surgery)
 * (Board certified in ENT by the American Board of Otolaryngology)
 * Dr. Richard Webber (Board certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery)
 * Dr. Preston Burke (Board certified in cardiothoracic surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery)
 * Dr. Derek Shepherd (Board certified in neurosurgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgery)
 * Dr. Arizona Robbins (Board certified in pediatric surgery by the American Board of Surgery)
 * Dr. Owen Hunt (Board certified in trauma surgery by the American Board of Surgery)
 * Dr. Addison Montgomery (double-board certified)
 * (Board certified in maternal-fetal medicine by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology)
 * (Board certified in neonatal surgery by the American Board of Surgery)

Notes and Trivia

 * Although neonatal surgery is not a specialty of practice that can be board certified in the real-world, Addison by reputation and by dialogue is a board certified neonatal surgeon.
 * Board certification seems to be superceded by the most recent board certification and member board, i.e.:
 * Addison is "double-board certified" despite needing board certifications in general surgery and pediatric surgery to be board certified in neonatal surgery, and board certifications in OB/GYN and presumably maternal-fetal medicine, totaling to 5 board certifications; however, 3 of those certifications are certified by the American Board of Surgery and the latter certifications are certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. So a reference to being "double-board" certified is likely to her most recent certification in neonatal surgery by one member board, and her most recent certification in either OB/GYN or maternal-fetal medicine by another member board.
 * Mark also refers to himself as "double-boarded" as he holds board certifications in two separate boards: the American Board of Otolaryngology for practicing ENT and the American Board of Plastic Surgery for practicing plastic surgery.
 * Those doctors not specifically mentioned in dialogue as being board certified are confirmed to be board certified by their designations of FACS, FACOG, FAAP, etc. (as membership requires board certification) or by promotional material produced by Grey's Anatomy and/or Private Practice.