In the U.S., you take an exam when you graduate med school and you become licensed. With that license, you can practice medicine, in any area. You are not required to do an internship or a residency, although almost everyone does because it is a prerequisite to get admitting privleges to a hospital or to take your boards. You are also not required to take boards, they are VOLUNTARY as the AMA website says (it's confusing but if you read the quote you posted carefully that is what it says). Board certification in a specialty is optional and many doctors, particularly in small towns, practice without being board certified.
On a side note, I once went to a doctor in a small town who wasn't board certified, because there isn't much competition there so people don't ask for it, and I can honestly say I got really good care. I'm not sure board certification matters that much if you just have a cold or something. However, I would not go to a surgeon without board certification.
Last edited by HelloKitty22; 03-08-2005 at 11:26 AM.
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