Doctor Not Board Certified - Is He More Likely to Commit Malpractice?

The answer is "No."

There are plenty of board 'eligible' doctors that are excellent at what they do.
There are plenty of board certified doctors that are excellent at what they do.

On the other hand, there are a handful of doctors who are board eligible and doctors who are board certified who may be 'educationally challenged'.

Just because a doctor is not board certified does not, by itself, mean that something was done wrong if you suffered harm by a doctor or hospital.

Board certification is the highest certification a doctor can achieve in their specialty. It means they have the basic foundation for their specialty and have obtained all the pre-requisites needed in order to sit for and take the national exam. In most specialty board exams, there is usually a written part and an oral component as well.

Many doctors who have finished their residency training are required to wait two years in order to accumulate enough experience in order to sit for their oral exams.

A doctor who has taken their board examination and fails, remains 'board eligible' and can retake the exams at a later date. When a doctor has taken the exam multiple times and has been unable to successfully pass the exam, that information may raise a red flag to an attorney who represents an injured victim while under this doctor's care.

To answer the question raised in the title:

The fact that a doctor is board eligible and is not board certified does not mean, in and of itself, that the doctor is deficient or departed from good medical care. A detailed review of the facts might confirm that the physician did not have the knowledge necessary to properly treat a particular patient. That is why each case is different and requires a full and thorough evaluation of the patient's records. In New York, we are also required to have a medical expert confirm that (1) there was wrongdoing; (2) that the wrongdoing caused injury; and (3) that the injury is significant and/or permanent.

Gerry Oginski is an experienced New York medical malpractice and personal injury trial attorney. His video blog can be found at http://nymedicalmalpracticevideoblog.com where he offers free educational video tips to explain how lawsuits work in New York. You are encouraged to explore Gerry's popular website, http://www.oginski-law.com. Read his free special reports & books on malpractice and accident law. We have over 250 FAQs to the most interesting legal questions. For more information, call him personally at 516-487-8207.