ABMS Approves Pediatric Hospital Medicine Certification

Tuesday, November 08, 2016

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) officially recognized subspecialty certification for Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) at its October 2016 Board Meeting in Chicago, IL. The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), an ABMS Member Board, sponsored the subspecialty application and will establish training and assessment criteria, as well as award the certification.

“Many of the illnesses that previously required children to be hospitalized are now treated by their pediatrician in an out-patient setting. The children who are hospitalized today generally have more significant medical problems or are more seriously ill,” stated ABMS Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs, Mira B. Irons, MD. “By offering a certification in PHM, we continue to meet our mission, assuring parents, family members and the communities we serve that their physician meets the highest standards of practice and clinical knowledge, and has completed an approved educational program in this increasingly important medical field.”

The increased severity of the illnesses of the children they treat has also led to an increase in the demand for physicians with specialized training in PHM. Recognizing PHM as a subspecialty and offering certification in this discipline helps improve standardization of the curricula and consistency of hospitalist fellowship training, and will ultimately accelerate improvements and innovation in quality improvements in pediatric inpatient care. It will also help establish best practices and enhance the development of professional skill sets in addressing child health safety concerns.

“This subspecialty certification will recognize the training that goes into preparing to care for children hospitalized with more complex conditions,” said ABP Executive Vice President Gail McGuinness, MD. “In addition, it recognizes the role of the hospitalist in improving hospital systems, ensuring patient safety and striving for quality improvement.”

Eligibility requirements, including an initial pathway for PHM certification before Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation can be awarded to programs, are under review and will be announced soon.

Was this page helpful?
* Please do not use this space to ask questions that require a response. Instead, please use the CONTACT tab on the right.