The major organizations in Emergency Medicine can be categorized as either Colleges or Boards.

Colleges are voluntary organizations which serve the needs of their members. These needs can be quite varied, but generally revolve around the educational, professional, and political objectives of member emergency physicians, including student and resident members. Colleges are served by a Board of Directors, elected by the membership. The largest such organizations in Emergency Medicine are:

American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians (ACOEP)	American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

Boards consist of appointed members whose duty is to serve the public in issues concerning emergency medicine, especially regarding the certification process of emergency physicians. The certifying process is a rigorous one, which helps to insure that emergency physicians of the highest quality are treating the public.

The major Certifying Boards in emergency medicine include:

American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine	American Board of Emergency Medicine

We will discuss the certification process later in the tour.