For Residents

Read an open letter to Emergency Medicine residents RE: COVID, quarantine, and ABEM eligibility from ABEM President Jill M. Baren, M.D., M.S., M.B.A.

Emergency Medicine residents are the future of Emergency Medicine.

In-Training Examination

Most residents first interact with ABEM by taking the In-Training Examination (ITE). The ITE is designed to provide an individual resident with an estimate of the likelihood that she or he will pass the Qualifying Examination. The ITE is designed to test complex cognitive skills such as diagnostic processing as well as medical knowledge of the specialty. ABEM defers any recommendations for preparing for and taking the ITE to the program director and faculty at your residency. 

ABEM Certification

To meet ABEM credentialing requirements, physicians must successfully complete an Emergency Medicine residency training program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).

Physicians about to graduate or who are ABEM board eligible may apply for ABEM certification.  Residents are encouraged to apply for initial certification in their last year of EM residency so they will be eligible to register for the Qualifying Exam administered in the November after they graduate. There is a five-year limit for board eligibility between finishing residency and attaining board certification, which can be extended. A resident who passes the Qualifying Exam on the first attempt will be assigned to an Oral Certification Examination the following year. Physicians earn ABEM Diplomate status upon passing the Oral Exam. Following that pattern, EM graduates are able to achieve certification within 10-16 months of their residency graduation. 

Learn more about the process to become certified.  

ABEM also offers subspecialty certification. Learn about ABEM subspecialty certification opportunities.

Residency Visitation Program

ABEM directors visit about one third of all EM residency programs during each academic year to provide a presentation on ABEM certification and organizational updates. Each residency program is offered the presentation every three or four years. Directors are available to answer your important questions about certification, training, and other issues in medicine and EM. The presentation includes additional options to share topics of interest with EM residency programs, faculty, and attending physicians.

Feedback from the Presentations

Excellent speaker with vast knowledge and experience that we are grateful to have been shared with. Thank you!

Resident Feedback, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Beth Israel)

Overall, this was a great presentation, very easy to listen to and great information!

Resident Feedback, Inspira Medical Center Woodbury

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Near the end of your residency, when you will be applying for the certification examinations, it is important that we have the correct contact information for you.
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