ABEM’s Rigorous Board Certification Process Maintains Standards

After graduating from John Hopkins School of Medicine in 2007, Dr. Kenneth “Ken” Mwatha attended John Hopkins Emergency Residency Program, which he completed in 2010. Since 2013, he has worked as an attending physician at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Ken Mwatha is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM).

The ABEM certifies emergency physicians upon their successful completion of a three-step process that includes the application procedure, a qualifying examination, and an oral certification examination. The application process assures that applicants are board eligible, in that they have graduated from an approved emergency medicine program and are medically licensed in accordance with ABEM’s policies. Board eligibility extends for a five-year period after the applicant’s completion of a residency program. 

Once approved, applicants may take the one-day qualifying exam offered one week each year at more than 200 testing centers. The oral examination follows for those who pass the qualifying exam. After passing both exams, the physician becomes a diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Thereafter, board certified physicians must maintain their certification through participation in the rigorous ABEM Maintenance of Certification program, which includes periodic tests and continuing education requirements. Initial board certification lasts ten years before requiring renewal.