This is a reprint of an email I sent out in support of the ABORM. I am posting it here so that we can begin to show our support for the ABORM and the growth of the profession.
My practice specializes in women’s health, reproductive medicine and fertility. The majority of my patients do a lot of research regarding their condition and invariably they have asked me “what makes you a specialist in this area of medicine other than the fact that you say you are”; as good consumers should. I struggled to answer this question and always said the same three things: “I studied with several practitioners who also specialized in the field, the majority of my patients come to me for reproductive issues, and I fly around the country taking continuing education classes specific to this specialty.” It was a very long winded answer to justify my education and training, because up until this point in time there was no certification to justify my specialty. I have already registered for the Board Certification and am enthusiastically in support of this process. I feel that this only legitimizes my practice and my profession.
I would like to clarify that I am not involved with the ABORM but I have been involved with the politics of this profession since I entered it. Being involved with CSOMA for over four years allowed me to see that state and national organizations only have the professions best interests in mind when making decisions although it may not always appear this way from the outside. From what I understand of the ABORM this is no different. I can understand the concern over the cost of the exam, but have you asked the NCCAOM why their exam is also so expensive? Running an organization and an exam is expensive. When I was on the board of CSOMA we constantly received emails asking us why it was so expensive to be a member; fighting for the professions rights and for the evolution of this profession is not an inexpensive endeavor.
Lets look at the AMA. This is a national medical association just like the AAAOM is in our profession. Affiliated with this association are many specialty associations which legitimize, help promote, expand awareness, and increase research within that specialty. I see the ABORM in the same light. I would like to remind everyone that the ABORM is not the only, and certainly not the first, specialty board within our profession. There are specialty certifications for orthopedic acupuncture, sports medicine, and internal medicine - and not one of these has limited anyone's scope of practice, nor have they resulted in higher malpractice rates. I have never received an email from anyone about those boards and how they are ruining our profession. I would also like to say that if someone has an issue with any of the malpractice companies within our profession (which I agree needs some serious attention), that this would be best discussed in a separate email rather than assuming that one organization is dictating the business and pushing agendas for another.
I would like to remind everyone that at one point in time the NCCAOM board were "self-appointed", without oversight, but saw what they felt was a need and filled it. There was also a great amount of resistance at that time. The difference is that the NCCAOM eventually became the required entry-level exam, the ABORM Board Certification is purely voluntary, and the ABORM, as I understand it, has no intention of being anything else. Just like every state and national exam intends to certify practitioners for entry level into the profession, so does the ABORM intend to certify entry level understanding into the specialty of reproductive medicine. If you are happy being a general practitioner then there is nothing saying you cannot continue to do so. There are GP’s in every medical profession, and ours is no different.
In reading over the material on their website and in the literature I received from them after applying for the exam, I see the ABORM as a non-profit organization that was organized to establish some minimum standards of competency in the field of Oriental Reproductive Medicine. It seems to me from the reference list of sources to study for the exam that they are using a well round amount of material from both eastern and western sources. All the books that I refer to regularly are on the reading list. There is nothing in the ABORM's website materials, application and registration materials, mission statement that even hint that they are trying to set centralized treatment protocols. To the contrary, I see that they are using a very well rounded approach to the certification.
The statement that "This process not only discredits the legitimacy of the bodies that currently certify all practitioners" is a mystery. If that were the case, then any M.D. who opts to get FACOG certification as an RE would be discrediting the medical boards that gave them their M.D. Also, the notion that "the strength of our profession lies in it's training as generalists" flies in the face of the way the medicine is practiced in China. This is a uniquely American point of view that more accurately describes the relative newness of TCM as a license profession here in the US.
I have many new students and practitioners call me to ask questions regarding the profession and treatment of patients. I always appreciate the phone calls, but the learning curve for reproductive medicine is steep as it is in any specialty. There is a lot to know from both the eastern and western side and I appreciate the fact that now these individuals will be able to study and sit for an exam that will give them the knowledge they need.
I hope that this sheds a new perspective on this situation. I would encourage all of you who have questions regarding this, or any other specialty board, to contact the boards themselves and allow them a chance to show you that they are only looking out for the best interest of the profession.
All of my patients are very happy to hear that this board is being formed. Why? Because it is only in their best interest. My patients and the medical doctors I work with are all enthusiastic about the ABORM and the fact that I am going to be certified in the field of reproductive medicine. I am excited for the possibilities that this will bring to my practice and the profession as a whole.
Respectfully yours,
Marc Sklar
Marc Sklar, LAc, DA (RI), MSTOM
Clinical Director & Founder
Reproductive Wellness
www.reproductivewellness.com
877-843-7100 - 619-265-0291
ABORM
I want to voice my support for ABORM.
As an infertility patient I have enjoyed the many benefits of TCM. I was referred by my reproductive endocrinologist who had confidence that I was going to get specialized care by a practitioner who was very experienced in the treatment of infertility. I was very comforted by the fact that my MD recognized the expertise of an eastern medicine practitioner.
Certification for those practitioners who choose to make infertility the focus of their practice only makes sense to the lay person. I would not see a general practitioner for western infertility treatment, why would I see one for eastern treatment.
As a consumer, I want to know that I'm choosing the best I can get for all the time and money I am spending to accomplish my goal of having a family. Board certification will give consumers such as myself peace of mind that they are in the hands of a competent medical professional.
Lisaap23