Abstract

The specialist certification process recognizes that a medical professional possesses a high standard of professional competence in a specific area of medicine. In Chile, CONACEM (Corporación Nacional Autónoma de Certificación de Especialidades Médicas) was founded in 1984 and aims to certify and recertify medical specialists, as well as recognize new medical specialties that warrant certification in accordance with medical advancements. It is composed of representatives from the Chilean Academy of Medicine, ASOFAMECH (Asociación de Facultades de Medicina de Chile), the Chilean Medical Association, scientific societies of specialties, and the Ministry of Health. Currently, CONACEM certifies 68 medical specialties (31 primary specialties and 37 derived specialties or subspecialties). Specialist certification can be obtained through three pathways: university programs, practical training, and training abroad. For the latter two pathways, candidates must undergo a theoretical and practical evaluation to obtain certification. Additionally, CONACEM designed a recertification process for specialists, based on the accumulation of credits through various activities, with continuing medical education being a prominent component. © 2025 Sociedad Chilena de Radiología. Published by Permanyer. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/