Policies and Procedures for Certification - College of Medicine

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Errors and Disruptions in Examination AdministrationOccasionally problems occur in the creation, administration, andscoring of examinations. For example, power failures, hardwareand software problems, human errors, or weather problems mayinterfere with some part of the examination process. When suchproblems occur and ABIM determines that they have compromisedthe integrity of examination results, ABIM will provide affectedcandidates with an opportunity for re-examination.Re-examination shall be the candidate's sole remedy. ABIM shallnot be liable for inconvenience, expense, or other damage causedby any problems in the creation, administration, or scoring of anexamination, including the need for retesting or delays in scorereporting. In no circumstance will ABIM reduce its standards as ameans of correcting a problem in examination administration.Confidentiality PolicyABIM considers the certification or recertification status of itscandidates and diplomates to be public information.ABIM provides a diplomate’s certification status and personalidentifying information, including mailing address, e-mail addressand social security number, to the Federation of State MedicalBoards (FSMB) and the American Board of Medical Specialties(ABMS) which publishes The Official ABMS Directory of BoardCertified Medical Specialists. The FSMB and ABMS use personalidentifying information, including social security numbers, as aunique internal identifier and maintain the confidentiality of thisinformation. On request, ABIM provides a diplomate’s Certificationstatus and address to professional medical societies and otherorganizations that provide ABIM-sanctioned educational resourcesand products used for self-assessment of medical knowledge orpractice performance in the Maintenance of Certification program.ABIM provides residency and fellowship training directors withinformation about a trainee’s prior training and pass/fail status oncertifying examinations. If a trainee has given permission, ABIMwill provide the program director with the trainee’s score on his/herfirst attempt at the certification examination for that area oftraining. ABIM uses examination performance, training programevaluations, self-evaluations of knowledge and practice performance,and other information for research purposes, includingcollaboration with other research investigators and scientific publications.In such research, ABIM will not identify specificindividuals, hospitals, or practice associations. All practice performancedata is HIPAA compliant.ABIM reserves the right to disclose information it possesses aboutany individual whom it judges has violated ABIM rules, engaged inmisrepresentation or unprofessional behavior, or shows signs ofimpairment.LicensureCandidates for certification and Maintenance of Certification mustpossess a valid, unrestricted, and unchallenged medical license inthe United States, its territories or Canada. Candidates practicingexclusively abroad and who do not hold a U.S. or Canadian license,must hold a license where they practice and provide documentationfrom the relevant licensing authority that their license is in goodstanding and without conditions or restrictions. A candidate whoselicense has been restricted, suspended, revoked, or surrendered inany jurisdiction, cannot be certified, recertified or admitted to acertification examination. Restrictions include but are not limitedto conditions, contingencies, probation, and stipulated agreements.Disabled CandidatesABIM recognizes that some candidates have physical limitationsthat make it impossible for them to fulfill the requirement forproficiency in performing procedures. For such individuals, theprocedural skills requirement may be waived. Program directorsshould write to ABIM for an exception before the individual enterstraining or when the disability becomes established.ABIM is committed to offering suitable examination accommodationsfor all candidates, including individuals with disabilities.When necessary, alternative arrangements under conditionscomparable to those provided for other candidates are offered todisabled individuals. Candidates who need accommodation for adisability during an examination must provide a written request toABIM at the time of application for examination. ABIM will theninform the candidate of the documentation that must be receivedby ABIM no later than the examination registration deadline.Reapplication for special accommodation is not required foreach examination administration unless a new accommodationis requested. ABIM treats requests for accommodations asconfidential. For additional information about the process anddocumentation requirements, please contact ABIM at accommodations@abim.org,or refer to the ABIM website, www.abim.org.12
Substance AbuseIf a candidate or a diplomate has a history of substance abuse,documentation of at least one year of continuous sobriety from areliable monitoring source must be submitted to ABIM foradmission to an examination or to receive a certificate. ABIM treatssuch information as confidential.Suspension and Revocation of CertificationABIM may, at its discretion, revoke or rescind certification if thediplomate was not qualified to receive the certificate at the time itwas issued, even if the certificate was issued as a result of a mistakeon the part of ABIM. It may also revoke or suspend certification ifthe diplomate fails to maintain moral, ethical, or professionalbehavior satisfactory to ABIM, or engages in misconduct thatadversely affects professional competence or integrity. It may revokeor suspend the certificate if: (1) the diplomate made any materialmisstatement of fact or omission of fact to ABIM in connectionwith application or to any third party concerning the diplomate’scertification status; or (2) the diplomate's license to practicemedicine has been revoked, suspended, restricted, or surrendered inany jurisdiction. Restrictions include but are not limited toconditions, contingencies, probation, and stipulated agreements. Aphysician may petition ABIM for admission to the certificationprocess upon restoration of unrestricted licensure. If ABIM grantsthe petition, and upon such conditions as ABIM may require, thephysician must complete ABIM’s Maintenance of Certificationprogram. Upon successful completion of the Maintenance ofCertification program the physician will be granted a newtime-limited certificate consistent with the then current policiesof ABIM.data forensic techniques that use statistical analyses of test-responsedata to identify patterns of test fraud, including cheating and piracy.ABIM Sanctions for Irregular Examination Behavior,Violation of its Copyright, or Other Misuse ofits MaterialsIrregular or improper behavior in examinations that is observed,made apparent by data forensics, statistical analysis, or uncovered byother means will be considered a subversion of the certificationprocess and will constitute grounds for invalidation of a candidate'sexamination. In addition ABIM may at its discretion suspend orrevoke certification, exclude candidates from future examinations,and inform program director(s), licensing bodies, impaired physiciansadvocacy groups, or law enforcement agencies of ABIM’sactions. Those who take ABIM examinations have a continuingobligation to maintain examination confidentiality. Disclosure ofsecure examination content, inducement of others to disclose suchcontent, violation of ABIM’s copyrights or other misuse of ABIMmaterial that subverts its processes may constitute grounds for anyof the foregoing actions.Competency in TechnologyConsistent with the ABMS/ACGME General Competenciesin Systems-Based Practice, ABIM requires its candidates anddiplomates to possess sufficient competencies in informationtechnology, including the use of personal computers, the Internet,and e-mail, for correspondence and completion of examinationsand modules throughout their participation in ABIM Certificationand Maintenance of Certification programs.Irregular Behavior on ExaminationsAll ABIM examinations are administered in secure testing centersby test administrators who are responsible for maintaining theintegrity and security of the certification process. Test administratorsare required to report to ABIM any irregular or improperbehavior by a candidate, such as giving or obtaining information oraid, looking at the test material of others, removing examinationmaterials from the test center, taking notes, bringing unauthorizeditems, including electronic devices (e.g., beepers, pagers, cellphones, etc.), into the examination, failing to comply with timelimits or instructions, talking, or other disruptive behavior.Test administrators may intervene to stop any of the foregoing. Inaddition, as part of its effort to assure exam integrity, ABIM utilizesRe-examinationCandidates who are unsuccessful on an examination may applyfor re-examination. To be granted admission, candidates must meetall applicable licensure, professional standing and proceduralrequirements. As long as these requirements are met, there is norestriction on the number of opportunities for re-examination.Schedule of ExaminationsThe schedule of examination dates, examination fees andpolicies regarding late applications and refunds may be found onABIM’s website at www.abim.org. It is the sole responsibility of thecandidate to be aware of and comply with registration deadlines.To register for an examination, go to www.abim.org.13
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Policies and Procedures for Certification - College of Medicine

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