Definition of Board certified

Board certified: Board certified in medicine means a physician has taken and passed a medical specialty examination.

Board eligible, by contrast, means that a physician has completed the requirements for admission to a medical specialty board examination but has not taken and passed the examination.

For example, a physician must do 3 years of training in an approved pediatric residency to be board eligible and then successfully complete a comprehensive written examination to be certified by the American Board of Pediatrics.