10/16/2022
DR. RAJA GOLI’S OFFICIAL RECERTIFICATION
CERTIFICATE FROM THE AMERICAN BOARD
OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
The American Board of Medical Specialties
(ABMS) was created almost 100 years ago.
This organization is composed of many
member boards such as The American
Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) and the
American Board of Internal Medicine
(ABIM).
When a student graduates from an accredited
medical school, he or she can pursue additional
training known as residency training.
For example, after medical school at the University
of Louisville, I completed a 3-year residency in
Internal Medicine at the University of Southern
California at which point I could practice Internal
Medicine.
Although I did not absolutely have to, I took and
passed the tough American Board of Internal
Medicine written qualifying exam which allowed
me to say that I was “board certified in Internal
Medicine”. That was a 2 day, 6 hour per day
written exam at that time and I studied for
several months before I took that exam.
What that meant to a patient or a healthcare
facility is that not only did the University of Louisville
give me a degree stating that I had the knowledge
and skills to be a medical doctor, not only did
the University of Southern California give me a
certificate stating that I had the skills and knowledge
to practice the specialty of Internal Medicine, but
an independent panel of internationally renowned
experts in Internal Medicine created a test that I
passed. That let any patient or healthcare facility
know that I had demonstrated a very high level
of knowledge in the field of Internal Medicine.
There have been studies that have demonstrated
that those individuals who not only complete medical
school and residency training, but have passed
the exams from one of the ABMS member boards,
in general, have fewer malpractice suits and face
fewer disciplinary actions for lack of knowledge
and incompetence.
After practicing Internal Medicine for a few years,
I completed a second 3-year residency in
Ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati.
I took the tough American Board of Ophthalmology
written exam and once I passed that exam, I had to
go to San Francisco, California and get grilled for
3 hours by a panel of experts to pass an oral exam.
Once I passed the written and oral ABO exams, I
was “board certified by the American Board of
Ophthalmology” for 10 years.
Initially, doctors who passed their ABMS boards
were board certified for life. The ABMS recognized
that many doctors who were board certified for
life were not keeping up with the changing
knowledge in their field.
Starting in 1992, the ABMS ordered their member
boards to create a recertification program. Now,
any doctor who is board certified is only board
certified for 10 years and over those 10 years,
that doctor has to do various projects and pass
various tests to maintain certification.
I originally became board certified in Ophthalmology
in 2012.
Over the last 10 years, I had to complete several
projects and pass quizzes and tests to get recertified.
I am still trying to decide which was harder -
studying for the tough written and oral exam
to be originally certified in Ophthalmology or
all of the work that I have had to do over the
last 10 years to be recertified.
The picture is my new official recertification
document from the
American Board of Ophthalmology.
Raja S. Goli, M.D.
Certified Diplomate of the
American Board of Ophthalmology
