Founded in 1934 as a private, voluntary, nonprofit, autonomous organization, the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery exists to serve the best interest of the public and the medical profession by establishing educational standards for orthopaedic residents and by evaluating the initial and continuing qualifications and competence of orthopaedic surgeons. For this purpose, the Board reviews the credentials and practices of voluntary candidates and issues certificates as appropriate. It defines minimum educational requirements for the specialty, it stimulates graduate medical education and continuing medical education, and aids in the evaluation of educational facilities and programs by its work in conjunction with the Review Committee (RC) of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).