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.

American Board of Emergency Medicine Elects President

 


A graduate of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Kenneth “Ken” Mwatha serves as an attending physician in Baltimore. To help remain compliant, Dr. Ken Mwatha maintains membership in and is board-certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM).

Incorporated in 1976, ABEM began in response to an increase in emergency medicine professionals and departments. Since it began, the organization has grown, and now offers graduate training programs and fellowships for its members. ABEM is one of the 24 medical specialty certifications offered by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Today the nonprofit ABEM boasts more than 32,000 members.

In August 2016, ABEM announced that it had chosen Dr. Terry Kowalenko as its president-elect. A member of the ABEM’s board of directors since July 2010, Dr. Kowalenko has served as examiner, chief examiner, and case reviewer for the organization. In his professional life, he serves as professor and chair of emergency medicine at the Beaumont Medical Group and senior vice president of Beaumont Health. Over the years, he has received accolades including a National Teaching Award from the American College of Emergency Physicians and Residency Director of the Year from the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association.