Not that it matters in this particular case since the op has made her choice and is happy with it; but for people reading this thread here is a web site of interest regarding specialty vets and board certification:
AVMA Guidelines on the Identification of Board Certified Veterinarians
A quote from the site:
In the opinion of the AVMA and the ABVS the terms "board eligible" or "board qualified" are misleading and should not be used by any veterinarian. One is either board certified, having met all of the criteria of the specialty college or board, or one has no board credentials.