What Is the AOBEM CORE Pathway and What Is on the 2026 CORE Article List?

Updated

The AOBEM CORE pathway is a board-preparation route for emergency physicians, and its 2026 CORE article list has been released. According to ACOEP, physicians participating in the pathway can review the current article list, program requirements, and additional details on the AOBEM Emergency Medicine CORE webpage. The list is a reading guide for CORE preparation, not a standalone certification.

What the CORE pathway is

CORE is an AOBEM pathway that emergency physicians can participate in. ACOEP's announcement frames it around two things: a defined set of articles and a set of program requirements. That means the pathway is structured — you read from a designated list and you meet stated requirements, rather than choosing your own reading at random.

The 2026 list is the current edition. If you are preparing for CORE, the list you should be working from is the 2026 one, not a prior year's.

What is on the 2026 CORE article list

ACOEP does not publish the article titles in its announcement. What it confirms is:

  • The 2026 CORE articles have officially been released.
  • The list is available on the AOBEM Emergency Medicine CORE webpage.
  • That same page carries program requirements and additional details.

So the article list and the requirements live together. Read them as one package — the requirements tell you what the pathway expects of you, and the list tells you what to read.

How to use the list for preparation

  1. Go to the AOBEM Emergency Medicine CORE webpage and open the 2026 CORE article list.
  2. Read the program requirements on the same page before you start reading articles, so you know what the pathway expects.
  3. Work through the articles as your CORE reading set.
  4. If you want structured review on top of the reading, ACOEP offers a COLA and CORE Review Course during its 2026 Spring Seminar — an in-person review of key content tied to board preparation.

The review course is optional and separate from the article list. The list is the reading; the course is a focused in-person review.

Common sticking points

  • Using an older list. The 2026 list is the released one. Confirm you are on the current edition before building a study plan around it.
  • Skipping the requirements. The article list and program requirements sit on the same page. Reading the articles without checking the requirements leaves out half of what the pathway asks.
  • Assuming the announcement contains the articles. It does not — it points you to the AOBEM page. Go there for the actual titles.

Where to start

Open the AOBEM Emergency Medicine CORE webpage, read the program requirements, then pull the 2026 CORE article list and begin. If you want in-person review alongside the reading, check the CORE/COLA Review Course details for the 2026 Spring Seminar.