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Member Notice - Regarding the American Board of Geriatrics

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) would like to alert members to the activities of an organization calling itself "American Board of Geriatrics" (ABG) and a related organization called "The American College of Geriatrics." Certification from this Board is not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), or its approved member specialty boards, nor does the AGS recognize this as evidence of Board certification in geriatrics or in its consideration for advancement to a Fellow of the Society. The ABG claims to be a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity. The Internal Revenue Service has advised that the ABG does not have such tax-exempt status.

Board Certification in Geriatrics that is recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties
The American Board of Medical Specialties is an organization of 24 approved medical specialty boards . The ABMS serves to coordinate the activities of its Member Boards and to provide information to the public, the government, the profession and its Members concerning issues involving specialization and certification in medicine. The mission of the ABMS is to maintain and improve the quality of medical care in the United States by assisting the Member Boards in their efforts to develop and utilize professional and educational standards for the evaluation and certification of physician specialists.

The approved ABMS specialty boards that offer certification in geriatrics are Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Psychiatry & Neurology. The following are recognized by ABMS as certification that a clinician has completed the required training necessary to identify themselves as a board certified geriatrician or geriatric psychiatrist:

American Board of Family Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine
The ABFM and the ABIM have agreed to award certification in geriatric medicine on the basis of performance on a single jointly developed examination. The requirements are similar for diplomates of both Boards. The examination will be administered to candidates from both Boards at the same time in the same testing centers.