Geriatricians

Certification or Licensing

A certificate of added qualifications in geriatric medicine or geriatric psychiatry is offered through the certifying boards in family practice, internal medicine, osteopathic medicine, and psychiatry for physicians who have completed a fellowship program in geriatrics. The American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Family Medicine are just two of many professional medical boards that provide certification to qualified geriatricians.

In addition, all physicians must be licensed to practice. After receiving their medical degree, new physicians are required to take a licensing examination conducted through the board of medical examiners in each state. Some states have reciprocity agreements with other states so that a physician licensed in one state may be automatically licensed in another without being required to pass another examination. Because this is not true throughout the United States, however, physicians should find out about licensing procedures before planning to move.