Board Specialties & Certifications

Board certification is the process by which a physician proves that it has achieved expertise in a specialty area of medical practice.  Board certification is a specific type of professional certification and is a voluntary process.

 

There are currently only 2 board specialties and certifications within the naturopathic medical profession and they are offered in naturopathic oncology and homeopathy.  A board-certified naturopathic oncologist is known as a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (FABNO) and a board-certified naturopathic homeopath is known as a Diplomate of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians (DHANP).  At this time, no other specialty areas of naturopathic medicine (naturopathy) have board certifications.

 

Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (FABNO)

A naturopathic physician (naturopath) can become board-certified in naturopathic oncology by taking the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology Board of Medical Examiners (ABNOBOMEx) examination, passing it, and meeting all requirements for board certification in naturopathic oncology.  Once board certification is attained, a naturopathic physician (naturopath) earns the credential “Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology” (“FABNO”) and may call itself a “board-certified naturopathic oncologist”.

Diplomate of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians (DHANP)

A naturopathic physician can become certified in homeopathy by taking the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians (HANP) Homeopathic Board Certification Exam (HBCE), passing it, and meeting all requirements for board certification in homeopathy.  Once board certification is attained, a naturopathic physician earns the credential “Diplomate of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians” (“DHANP”) and may call itself a “board-certified naturopathic homeopath”.

 

Board certification is not required to practice naturopathic medicine (naturopathy), but may be required by individual employers.  There currently is no national board certification organization that oversees naturopathic medical board certifications in specialties and subspecialties.

 

Osteopathic physicians (osteopaths) have 29 primary specialty and 77 subspecialty board certifications that they can obtain from 18 different Specialty Certifying Boards that are overseen by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (BOS).  Board certification is not required to practice osteopathic medicine (osteopathy) in the USA, but may be required by individual employers.  The process of board certification for osteopathic physicians (osteopaths) is administered by the AOA’s Department of Certifying Board Services.

 

Allopathic physicians (allopaths) have many specialty and subspecialty board certifications they can obtain from 2 different national board certification organizations – the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS).  The ABMS was established in 1933, is not overseen by a medical association, has 24 medical specialty Member Boards, and is the largest national board certification organization, offering the most specialty and subspecialty board certifications.  The ABPS administers board certifications for the American Association of Physician Specialists, Inc. (AAPS), offering 18 specialty board certifications between 12 Member Boards.  Board certification is not required to practice allopathic medicine (allopathy) in the USA, but may be required by individual employers.  Osteopathic physicians (osteopaths) are able to obtain board certifications from the ABMS and the ABPS.

 

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