Post job

Best staff physician certifications

Staff physician certifications allow job seekers to demonstrate their competency as an staff physician to employers. However, not all staff physician certifications provide the same value for job seekers.

The best certifications for a staff physician are Family Medicine, Certification in General Surgery, and Emergency Medicine.

Below is a list of the best staff physician certifications. Obtaining an staff physician certification will give you a leg up when you apply for jobs and increase your potential salary.

11 best staff physician certifications

1. Family Medicine

A Family Physician is concerned with the total healthcare of the individual and the family and is trained to diagnose and treat a wide variety of ailments in patients of all ages. The Family Physician receives a broad range of training that includes adult medicine and care of the aged, the care of children, women's health, maternity care, preventive medicine and behavioral science.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 7 year(s)
Certifying website
Family Medicine
Certifying organization
American Board of Medical...

2. Certification in General Surgery

The ABS considers certification in surgery to be based upon a process of education, evaluation and examination. The ABS holds undergraduate and graduate education to be of the utmost importance and requires the attestation of the residency program director that an applicant has completed an appropriate educational experience and attained a sufficiently high level of knowledge, clinical judgment and technical skills, as well as ethical standing, to be admitted to the certification process. Individuals who believe they meet the ABS' educational, professional and ethical requirements may begin the certification process by applying for admission to the Qualifying Examination (QE). The application is reviewed and, if approved, the applicant is granted admission to the examination. Upon successful completion of the QE, the applicant is considered a candidate for certification and granted the opportunity to take the Certifying Examination (CE). If the candidate is also successful at this examination, the candidate is deemed certified in surgery and becomes a diplomate of the ABS.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 10 year(s)

3. Emergency Medicine

The ABPS's emergency medicine board certification exams enable successful candidates to present themselves to the public as qualified medical specialists in emergency medicine. Completing the emergency medicine board certification exams indicates mastery of emergency medicine experience and knowledge, as well as a professional commitment to adhere to the ABPS Medical Code of Ethics.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 8 year(s)
Certifying website
Emergency Medicine
Certifying organization
American Board of Physician...

4. Surgery

The ABPS surgery board certification exams enable successful candidates to present themselves to the public as qualified medical specialists in surgery. Completing the surgery board certification exams indicates mastery of surgery experience and knowledge, as well as a professional commitment to adhere to the ABPS Medical Code of Ethics.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 8 year(s)
Certifying website
Surgery
Certifying organization
American Board of Physician...

5. Board of Certification in Family Medicine

The ABPS's family practice board certification exams enable successful candidates to present themselves to the public as qualified medical specialists in family practice. Completing the family practice board certification exams indicates mastery of family practice experience and knowledge, as well as a professional commitment to adhere to the ABPS Medical Code of Ethics.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 8 year(s)
Certifying organization
American Board of Physician...

6. Certification in Pediatrics

There are eighteen approved specialty boards of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). While they set the standards and do the testing, the American Osteopathic Association through its certifying body, the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists, issues the certifications for all osteopathic physicians.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
Certifying website
Certification in Pediatrics
Certifying organization
American Osteopathy Board of...

7. Certification in Occupational Medicine

Occupational medicine focuses on the health of workers, including the ability to perform work; the physical, chemical, biological, and social environments of the workplace; and the health outcomes of environmental exposures. Practitioners in this field address the promotion of health in the work place, and the prevention and management of occupational and environmental injury, illness, and disability.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 10 year(s)
Certifying organization
American Board of Preventive...

8. Internal Medicine / Pediatrics

The American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics offer dual certification in internal medicine and pediatrics. Effective July 1, 2007, candidates for dual certification must receive training in ACGME-accredited combined internal medicine/pediatrics programs. Training initiated in a program approved by ABIM and ABP prior to July 1, 2007, will be accepted for certification by ABIM. Residents beginning training after July 1, 2007, must receive training in an ACGME-accredited program. A list of accredited combined internal medicine/pediatrics programs can be found on the ACGME website. To meet eligibility requirements for dual certification, the resident must satisfactorily complete 48 months of combined education, and clinical competence in both specialties must be verified by the directors of both programs. The certifying examination cannot be taken until all required years in both specialties are satisfactorily completed.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 10 year(s)
Certifying organization
American Board of Internal...

9. Certification in Aerospace Medicine

Aerospace medicine focuses on the clinical care, research, and operational support of the health, safety, and performance of crewmembers and passengers of air and space vehicles, together with the support personnel who assist operation of such vehicles. This population often works and lives in remote, isolated, extreme, or enclosed environments under conditions of physical and psychological stress. Practitioners strive for an optimal human-machine match in occupational settings rich with environmental hazards and engineering countermeasures.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 10 year(s)
Certifying organization
American Board of Preventive...

10. Sleep Medicine

A candidate for sleep medicine certification must have achieved initial certification in general pediatrics or in a subspecialty of pediatrics and continue to maintain certification in order to take a sleep medicine examination. No exceptions to this policy will be granted. The requirements for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) can be found on the ABP website. All candidates are urged to ensure that the requirements for MOC will be met in sufficient time to allow acceptance to the subspecialty certifying examination. Under certain circumstances, individuals registered for the general pediatrics certifying examination may apply for a pediatric subspecialty examination pending notification of the general pediatrics examination results. Before making application, contact the ABP for information. Physicians who enter training in sleep medicine on or after July 1, 2009, are required to complete 1 year of training in a program accredited for training in sleep medicine by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in the United States or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 10 year(s)
Certifying website
Sleep Medicine
Certifying organization
American Board of Pediatrics

11. Medical Assistant

The medical assistant job description varies depending on the employer's needs. A medical assistant is a multi-skilled professional and an asset to a physician.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 1 year(s)
Certifying organization
American Society of Phlebotomy...

What is the best certification for a staff physician?

The best staff physician certification is Family Medicine. The Family Medicine is awarded by the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Here's a bit more background on how to obtain this staff physician certification:

  • To become a certified Family Medicine, you need to pass the exam.
  • This certificate requires more than two years of work experience.
  • Renew certification every 7 year.

What are some of the most in-demand certifications for staff physicians?

The most in-demand staff physician certification is Family Medicine based on all active job postings. Having this staff physician certification will give you access to more staff physician jobs with higher salaries.

What certifications can impact a staff physician career and salary?

The Surgery certification will help you to secure a medical director position, which will increase your pay and career trajectory. A medical director's average salary is $222,463 whereas staff physicians make an average salary of $216,755.

Best certifications

The most common combination of staff physician certifications include: Family Medicine, Certification in General Surgery, and Emergency Medicine.

Online courses for staff physicians to earn certifications

Advertising disclosure

1. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

coursera

This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...

2. Trauma Emergencies and Care

coursera

Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...

3. Providing Trauma-Informed Care

udemy
4.7
(1,276)

Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...

4. The Critical Role of IT Support Staff in Healthcare

coursera

This is a very exciting time to be exploring a career in Health IT Support! In this introductory course, you’ll learn about various roles in IT support that are common in healthcare. IT support staff play critical roles in many different healthcare venues. In addition to helping clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms, you may end up providing support in a skilled nursing facility, ambulatory surgical center, virtual care setting, or even a patient’s home! On any given day, you may interact...

5. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

coursera

This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...

6. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

coursera

Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...

7. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

coursera

Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...

8. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

coursera

Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

9. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

coursera

The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...

10. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

coursera

Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...

11. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers

coursera

COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the globe and all providers must be prepared to recognize, stabilize and treat patients with novel coronavirus infection. Following completion of this short course physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will have a unified, evidenced-based approach to saving the lives of patients with COVID-19, including those who are critically ill. Learning modules are broken into short videos presented in a richly illustrated and compelling manner. The...

12. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

coursera

COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...

13. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

coursera

In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...

14. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care

coursera

In this course, you will be able to develop a systems view for assessing and managing pain in the palliative care setting. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Describe the pain problem in the palliative care setting; 2) Assess a person’s pain, 3) Explain the benefits of integrative therapies and pharmacologic strategies to manage pain...

15. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation

coursera

Kidney transplantation is a major advance of modern medicine which provides high-quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. What used to be an experimental, risky, and very limited treatment option more than 50 years ago is now routinely performed in many countries worldwide. The number of renal transplants is expected to rise sharply in the next decade since the proportion of patients with end stage renal disease is increasing. Are you interested in clinical kidney, pancreas...

16. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

coursera

Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...

17. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

coursera

This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...

18. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness

coursera

In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...

19. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities

coursera

A strong argument can be made that the health care field is one of the most information-intensive sectors in the U.S. economy and avoidance of the rapid advances in information technology is no longer an option. Consequently, the study of health care information technology and systems has become central to health care delivery effectiveness. This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting the vision and operational knowledge of the health care...

20. Thinking About Care

coursera

Although all humans require care to develop and thrive, it is rarely the focus of academic studies. This course enriches learner’s understanding of this critical yet underappreciated facet of their lives by addressing such questions as: What is care? Who has traditionally provided it? How valued is care work? Does money take the care out of care work? In addition to advancing learner’s knowledge of the place of care in modern society and controversies surrounding it, Thinking About Care will...

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs