The American Academy of Insurance Medicine

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The Oral Examination in Insurance Medicine is the final step toward achieving Board Certification in Insurance Medicine. Prior to sitting for the Oral Examination, a candidate must fulfill other requirements as described in the Requirements for Certification in Insurance Medicine. Passing the Written Examination is a prerequisite for sitting for the Oral Examination.

A candidate who has completed all prerequisites and wishes to sit for the Oral Examination should contact the Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Insurance Medicine to determine whether there are any incomplete or undocumented requirements. After the documentation of all requirements is complete, the candidate should inform the Secretary-Treasurer of their request to sit for the examination. The candidate will then be contacted by the Vice Chair of the Board of Insurance Medicine to arrange the location, date and time of their examination.

The Oral Examination is generally administered in the fall, in conjunction with the AAIM annual meeting, and, if feasible, at the CLIMOA and ACLI Medical Section annual meetings. The Oral Examination is conducted by two examiners from the Board of Insurance Medicine and consists of a series of oral questions. The examination is approximately two hours in duration.

The Oral Examination emphasizes knowledge important for the Medical Director of a U.S. or Canadian life insurer, with additional emphasis on disability income and long term care. Some questions take a case presentation format while others ask for specific facts. Questions are drawn from a wide variety of sources and cover the topics contained in AAIM's Core Body of Knowledge for Medical Directors. Some major areas of emphasis for the Oral Examination include the general features, epidemiology, diagnostic criteria, laboratory findings, complications, prognostic indicators, mortality and morbidity of:

- Cardiovascular Diseases

- Oncology

- Diabetes

- Respiratory Diseases

- Gastroenterology

- Genitourinary Diseases

- Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Additional examination questions draw from knowledge needed by a Medical Director regarding:

Medical Information Bureau (no questions require a recall of any specific MIB codes)

Insurance Claims

The examinee will be notified of the result of their Oral Examination within two weeks of the examination date. Examinees who wish to have the CEO or other officer of their company notified upon their achievement of Board Certification in Insurance Medicine should inform the Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Insurance Medicine and provide the name and business address of the individual to receive the notification.

The Oral and Written Examinations required for certification in Insurance Medicine are given in the English language. These examinations are not offered in other languages. Proficiency in understanding written and spoken English is very important as it enables the examinee to capture the meaning and intent of examination questions and/or provide answers. Individuals whose primary language is not English should consider this in their preparations for testing. Administration of these examinations to candidates who are not proficient in English or who otherwise require special assistance will be considered by the Board of Insurance Medicine on an individual basis.

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