The initial examination for a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Surgery of the Hand.

A total of 510 candidates took the 1989 Examination for Added Qualifications in Surgery of the Hand, including 412 diplomates of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and ninety-eight diplomates of the American Board of Surgery. Most candidates reported that they had intensive practices in hand surgery and large annual case-loads, and most had taken a hand fellowship. However, there were significant differences between diplomates of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and diplomates of the American Board of Surgery regarding these variables.

Recertification in surgery, 1980.

The first recertification process of the American Board of Surgery was completed in 1980. The process consisted of a review of diplomates' credentials, peer review, a requirement for continuing education in surgery, submission of an operative experience list, and a multiple-choice examination. Of the 478 diplomates who completed the process, 471 were recertified.

The American Board of Surgery in-training examination.

Since 1975, the American Board of Surgery has annually offered a multiple-choice in-training examination to directors of accredited general surgery programs in the United States for administration to residents in their programs. Residents' scores for the total examination and the five body-system categories are provided to program directors, along with normative data for comparison of their residents' performance against that of all examinees. Each year, residents' scores have correlated well with their level of training.