ABMGG Glossary of Terms

ABMS: The American Board of Medical Specialties is the preeminent medical organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. It assists its 24 Member Boards in their efforts to develop and implement educational and professional standards for the evaluation and certification physician specialists. ABMS Member Boards provide physician certification information to ABMS for its certification verification service programs and is recognized by the key healthcare credentialing accreditation entities as a primary equivalent source of board certification data for medical specialists. Visit www.abms.org.

The 24 ABMS Member Boards include:

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ACCME: The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education is the council that approves programs that offer continuing medical education credits. Their mission is the identification, development and promotion of standards for quality continuing medical education (CME) utilized by physicians in their maintenance of competence and incorporation of new knowledge to improve quality medical care for patients and their communities. www.accme.org 

Accreditation: A voluntary process of evaluation and review based on published standards and following a prescribed process, performed by a non-governmental agency of peers. Accreditation applies to training programs.

ACGME: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is a private, non-profit council that evaluates and accredits medical residency programs in the United States. They are the organization that approves and accredits Medical/Clinical Genetics residencies as well as Medical Biochemical Genetics and Molecular Genetic Pathology programs. www.acgme.org

ACMG: The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics provides education, resources and a voice for the genetics and profession. To make genetics services available to and improve the health of the public, the ACMG promotes the development and implementation of methods to diagnose, treat and prevent genetic diseases. www.acmg.net

Applicant: A person who has submitted an application to enter the certification process.

Active Candidate Status (ACS): ABMGG limits active candidate status to individuals who fulfill the criteria for certification. Those practitioners working in the field of medical genetics who do not meet the specified criteria, despite academic or clinical backgrounds are not eligible to sit for the ABMGG certification examination and are not considered Active Candidates. The status of Active Candidate is for a particular examination cycle and is granted after all requirements have been met. ACS is no longer valid after the results of the examination are released.

Certification: A process to provide assurance to the public that a certified medical specialist has successfully completed an approved educational program and an evaluation, including an examination process designed to assess the knowledge, experience and skills requisite to the provision of high-quality care in a particular specialty. Certification applies to individuals.

Combined Specialty Programs: Programs recognized by two or more separate specialty boards that provide graduate medical education in a particular combined specialty. ABMGG offers the following combined specialty programs:

• Internal Medicine/Medical Genetics and Genomics
• Pediatrics/Medical Genetics and Genomics
• Maternal Fetal Medicine/Medical Genetics and Genomics
• Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility/Medical Genetics and Genomics

Diplomate of the ABMGG: A person who has passed the certification examination and is certified by the ABMGG (in good standing).

ECFMG: The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, through its program of certification, assesses the readiness of international medical graduates to enter residency or fellowship programs in the United States that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). www.ecfmg.org

FACMG / Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics: Designation used by doctoral level members certified by the ABMGG who are members of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG).

Fellow: An ABMGG fellow could be a postdoctoral trainee in Clinical Biochemical Genetics, Laboratory Genetics and Genomics, Molecular Genetic Pathology or Medical Biochemical Genetics.

Program Director: The one physician or PhD designated with authority and accountability for the operation of the residency/fellowship training program.

Resident: A physician in an ACGME-accredited graduate medical education program in Medical/Clinical Genetics and Genomics.