Leadership with the American Board of Radiology has decided to cancel upcoming physician testing amid growing concerns about the coronavirus.
In particular, the doc-certification nonprofit said it’s canning both the diagnostic radiology and radioisotope safety exams scheduled for April 6 in Tucson, Arizona. Those slated for testing that Monday will, instead, be moved to the fall round of exams at no penalty, ABR said in a Thursday announcement.
“These actions are coming after careful consideration of options and are being taken in the best interests of our candidates, examiners, staff and the public,” the board said on its webpage. “We are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience and costs that may be incurred by these changes.”
Meanwhile, testing officials also plan to postpone the medical physics oral examinations planned for April 26-29, also in Tucson, with notices forthcoming on when they’ll be rescheduled. The same goes for the radiation oncology oral tests set to be administered May 3-5.
The ABR added that the diagnostic radiology core exams planned for May 28-29 and June 1-2 are still on, as originally scheduled, with registration approaching soon. Those with questions can contact the board at information@theabr.org or 520-790-2900.
“We are developing plans in case there is a disruption to the upcoming core exam,” ABR added. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation and post regular updates at theabr.org.”
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.