Can a physician practice a specialty in which s/he isn't board certified?

Yes. In Oregon, a physician may practice any specialty without being certified by any specialty board. However, Oregon law does require that the physician meet the "standard of care" in any field he or she chooses to practice. This means that the care rendered must be that which is reasonably expected of an appropriately trained physician in the setting involved. Board certification neither guarantees that that standard is met, nor does lack of board certification mean that the standard would not be met. It merely indicates that at one point in time, a physician undertook and successfully completed a formal course of training (the residency" described above) and passed an examination administered by the board of that specialty. Most specialty boards now require some sort of recertification examination of their certificate holders, but this is at the discretion of that particular board. Is a board certified physician better than a physician who isn't board certified? Not necessarily. ...  more

Yes. In Oregon, a physician may practice any specialty without being certified by any specialty board. However, Oregon law does require that the physician meet the "standard of care" in any field he or she chooses to practice. This means that the care rendered must be that which is reasonably expected of an appropriately trained physician in the setting involved. Board certification neither guarantees that that standard is met, nor does lack of board certification mean that the standard would not be met. It merely indicates that at one point in time, a physician undertook and successfully completed a formal course of training (the residency" described above) and passed an examination administered by the board of that specialty. Most specialty boards now require some sort of recertification examination of their certificate holders, but this is at the discretion of that particular board.  more