One hundred fifteen physicians participating in advanced trauma life support (ATLS) training courses had entry (pre-test) and exit (post-test) level knowledge compared. There was significant improvement for the overall group mean score from the pre-test to post-test (p = 0.0001). Comparisons revealed significant differences for pre-test and post-test scores by practice specialty and level of training. Residents in training had significantly higher scores for both pre-test (p = 0.0177) and post-test (p = 0.0024) than did the practicing physician group. No significant differences were detected in the cognitive achievement between the residents according to practice specialty.