Create flexible board certification requirements to accommodate special circumstances

Back in what some physicians may consider the "good old days," board certification wasn't that big of a deal. It was a great accomplishment-if your specialty had a board to speak of-but it wasn't necessary to have a successful practice. Today, however, nearly every specialty has an associated board, and most medical staffs require members to be board certified or eligible to sit for their board examinations. Older physicians who are not board certified may be grandfathered in under their hospital's policies, but physicians who are applying for medical staff membership for the first time may find it exceedingly difficult to maintain membership without certification.

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