1960

★ The United States public began to demand improved quality in emergency departments. Thus, hospitals developed full-time emergency services, and a number of physicians began developing the training and practice of EM. New organizations were formed, such as ACEP and the University Association for Emergency Medical Services (UA/EMS), which is now the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM).

1973

★ The American Medical Association (AMA) sponsored a conference on physician education in emergency medical care.

1975

★ The AMA approved a formal section on EM.

1976

★ The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) was incorporated. During this same period, there was increased interest in providing EM graduate training programs. The UA/EMS and ACEP established the Liaison Residency Endorsement Committee for the endorsement of graduate training programs.

★ ABEM submitted an application to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) seeking primary board status. This application was referred to the Liaison Committee for Specialty Boards (LCSB), a committee comprised of AMA and ABMS representatives. The LCSB recommended primary board approval and sent the recommendation to its parent bodies. The AMA Council on Medical Education approved this recommendation, but the ABMS defeated it. At the suggestion of various ABMS members, representatives from other specialty boards held a lengthy series of discussions from which a recommendation emerged for a second application, this time seeking approval for a conjoint board (modified). The AMA Council on Medical Education and the ABMS approved this application (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. A Mailgram announcing the approval of the ABEM.
click to enlarge

1979

★ SEPTEMBER: EM became the 23rd recognized medical specialty (see Figure 2).

1980

★ ABEM offered the first EM certification examinations.

1987

★ MAY: ABEM submitted an application to ABMS for conversion to primary board status. The ABMS Assembly defeated this application.

1989

★ SEPTEMBER 21: The ABMS Assembly voted unanimously to approve the ABEM application (see Figure 3). Ten years after the 1979 original vote, ABEM took its place as an ABMS Member Board with full primary board status.

1990

★ Guidelines for five-year combined training programs were approved for emergency medicine/internal medicine (IM) and emergency medicine/pediatrics. Upon completion, physicians can access the certification examinations in EM and IM or EM and pediatrics.

1991

★ ABMS approved subspecialty certification in pediatric emergency medicine, with ABEM
and the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) as co-sponsors.

1992

★ ABMS approved sports medicine as a subspecialty, with by ABEM, the American Board of Family Practice, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), and ABP as co-sponsors.

1994

★ ABMS approved medical toxicology as a subspecialty, with ABEM, ABP, and the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) as co-sponsors.

1997

★ A task force was appointed to define the context and processes by which a new core content for emergency medicine could be created. The task force included ABEM, ACEP, SAEM, and the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors. Representatives of the Resident Review Committee for Emergency Medicine (RRC-EM) and the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA) were later included. ABEM was the administrative organization for the project.

1999

★ FEBRUARY: ABEM and the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) approved guidelines for a six-year combined training program for triple certification in EM, IM, and critical care medicine (CCM).