Definition of Board eligible

Board eligible: Board eligible in medicine means that a physician has completed the requirements for admission to a medical specialty board examination but has not taken and passed that examination.

Board certified in medicine, by contrast, means a physician has taken and passed a medical specialty 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 .