Volunteers

The commitment and dedication of more than 500 board-certified examiners and exam development volunteers makes it possible for the ABO to administer clinically relevant, peer-developed assessments and professional development activities that support our mission to serve the public. Volunteers are clinical subject matter experts who represent each ophthalmic subspecialty, are engaged in active practice, and participate in the Continuing Certification program.

• Apply Now to become an ABO volunteer.

• View current and previous volunteer committee rosters.
• Learn more about current volunteering opportunities.

Volunteer Program Overview

About the Program: The ABO relies on diplomate volunteers to support its mission of serving the public by certifying ophthalmologists through the verification of competencies. The ABO volunteer pool ideally reflects the diversity of the ophthalmic community as regards practice focus, gender, ethnicity, geography, and experience. Volunteers engage in a variety of roles, from supporting oral examination administration and the development of examination content, to helping the Board improve its programs and connect with the diplomate community, to stewarding the organization as a Board Director. The Volunteer Program offers a variety of roles and growth opportunities, organized into four levels and based on preferred time commitment, expertise, interests, and experience.

Volunteer Eligibility: ABO volunteers are clinically active and demonstrate their commitment to career-long learning by remaining current in the Continuing Certification process. The ABO favors an inclusive definition of “clinical activity,” recognizing that a diplomate’s professional responsibilities and focus may vary considerably during his/her career. For example, a diplomate may become involved with medical administration, research, or education. All ABO volunteers, however, should have either direct or indirect responsibility for patient care to ensure that they are current with contemporary standards for such care. Volunteers who are writing content for ABO assessments must be certified for at least two years. Oral examiners must be certified for at least three years.

Becoming an Examiner

Examiners for the American Board of Ophthalmology are diplomates selected for their embodiment of the Board's commitment to excellence and quality ophthalmic care. ABO Examiners lead the oral examination process, share their expertise as item writers for written and oral examinations, and serve as special committee members in the development of examination materials. The success of the Oral Examination as a fair and comprehensive assessment of each candidate for Board Certification is impossible without Examiners’ extraordinary level of knowledge, skill, character, and understanding.

Time Commitment: The Board conducts one oral examination each year. Examiners can choose to participate in person in Denver, CO, or virtually. The oral examination consists of four sessions held over two days, starting on Friday morning and continuing through Saturday afternoon. Each examination day includes two sessions: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Examiners are required to be available for the entire exam weekend. Training for examiners adheres to a curriculum of five 15-minute modules that can be completed online, on-demand and are tracked by the ABO via a Learning Management System (LMS). Live training begins on Thursday of the exam week—in person for those in Denver and via live-stream for those participating virtually. Training includes an orientation that provides an overview of the exam, updates on procedures, technical and skills training, and a review of the exam content. Participation in all training is mandatory as part of the Gold Standard Examiner Training Program, which enables the ABO to award 8.0 CME credits for each exam. Invitations to examine are generally distributed six months prior to the date of an examination. The Board asks that, to ensure that scheduling needs are met, responses are submitted as soon as possible.

The Role of the Oral Examiner: Oral Examinations are given in a panel format (see detailed description of the panel system below) where a candidate moves through a series of three 50-minute examination sessions. The panels consists of three pairs of Examiners, with each Examiner administering seven Patient Management Problems, (also referred to as PMPs, props or questions) from two pre-assigned topic areas. The PMPs evaluate a candidate's ability to manage patient scenarios. The Examiner's role is to focus on each individual PMP as a "pass" or "fail." The pass/fail decision for the candidate's entire examination is based on the aggregation of all PMP pass/fail ratings. Examiners are asked to examine in the same two subject areas for the entire exam to ensure a psychometrically valid examination. Detailed information for each PMP is provided to each Examiner, along with a complete description of the desired actions to be completed by the candidate, ensuring Examiners are thoroughly prepared even when examining in areas outside their practice focus. Additionally, a Mentor Examiner is assigned to all New Examiners to guide them through each step of their first Oral Examination.

Examination Format: To ensure a fair examination, the American Board of Ophthalmology has instituted a timed panel system of examination that evaluates a candidate's overall performance, rather than the pass/fail result of each individual subtest. This approach was developed according to psychometric principles which dictate the most valid, reproducible, and fair practices in examination structure and format. Each panel has:

• Up to 6 Examiners
• 1 Panel Leader (to oversee the process)
• 3 Separate Examination Rooms
• 2 Combined Subject Areas per Room (There are three total sets of combined subjects. Candidates are examined twice in each set of subjects by two different Examiners.)

Under the panel system, the pressure on the Examiner to pass or fail a candidate has been removed. Instead, the Examiner evaluates how a candidate manages each individual patient scenario. The results from each Examiner/Candidate encounter are aggregated to arrive at a final overall score. Therefore, no individual Examiner is responsible to pass or fail a candidate.

Upcoming Examinations:

• May 1-3, 2025, Denver, CO, Blended Oral Examination (BOE), option to participate in-person or virtually
• April 30 - May 2, 2026, Denver, CO, Blended Oral Examination (BOE), option to participate in-person virtually

Exam Development Service

As committee members, volunteers help the Board develop and refine content for written and oral examinations and the Quarterly Questions®. Volunteers are invited to participate in various feedback, engagement, and co-creation opportunities. They may be invited to serve as a Content Outline Reviewer and/or Standard Setting Panelist and may also be invited to participate in article-based exam development for Quarterly Questions®.

• Written Examination Development Committee Members write items (questions) for the Written Qualifying Examination (WQE), Quarterly Questions® Knowledge Based Questions (QQ KBQs), and the Ophthalmic Knowledge and Assessment Program (OKAP) examination.
• Article-Based Question Development Committee Members create questions for the learning component of Quarterly Questions®. The questions are based on journal articles from subspecialty areas, as well as other areas such as Quality Improvement, Healthcare Equity, Ethics, Ophthalmic Trauma, and Patient Safety. 
• Content Outline Review Committee Members confirm that the knowledge or skills that are required for certification-worthy performance are consistent with the purpose of ABO certification. This work emphasizes the concept of examination content validity and ensures that the knowledge being assessed is required for competent performance.
• Standard Setting Panelists are a diverse population of diplomates who help the Board set a meaningful passing standard for ABO examinations. Standard Setting Panels convene annually for Quarterly Questions® and once every three to five years for the WQE and Oral Examination.

Exam Development Committee Members who have served on a committee for five years may be invited to serve as an Exam Development Committee Chair based on performance, commitment, and interest. ABO exam development committee members are recognized on the ABO website, receive CME, and improvement credit for their participation.

Ready to take the next step?

The Board hopes the above information has been helpful in providing a general outline of the requirements for engaging in ABO service. For questions, or to learn how to move forward with your interest, please contact Sheila Hart, MBA, Volunteer Process Specialist and Christine Frieberg, Oral Exam Administration Manager. Self-nominations for volunteer service may also be submitted here.