Application Process

Procedure for Application

Each application for initial Certification in a Specialty or Subspecialty shall (1) be complete and filed in such form as prescribed or approved from time to time by the Board; and (2) specify the Specialty or Subspecialty in which the Applicant wishes to become Certified. The completed application shall be accompanied by payment of such fees as shall be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

Temporary Licensure

A Candidate for initial Certification in a Specialty whose medical license has not been awarded at the time of the initial Certification examination but whose application for such medical license has been completed may, upon the review and approval by the Chair of the Examination Committee, Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, of the circumstances of each case, be allowed to sit for the initial Certification examination in the Specialty for which Certification is being sought. However, the results of such Candidate’s initial Certification examination will not be released to the Candidate until the Board receives documentation of the award of a full and unrestricted medical license to the Candidate. In the event the Candidate has not been awarded the required medical license, the Board, at its next meeting, and in its sole and absolute discretion may discard the results of the Candidate’s initial Certification examination and require that the Candidate retake the initial Certification examination in the Specialty for which Certification is being sought by the Candidate. A determination pursuant to this subsection 2.6.2 is final and binding on the Candidate and the Board and is not subject to appeal.

Period of Admissibility

Approval for admission to sit for an initial Certification examination upon satisfactory credential review is time-limited, for a period not to exceed three (3) years from the date of approval of the application (the “Period of Admissibility”).

Candidates not passing the initial Certification examination and who continue to meet all eligibility requirements for initial Certification may, upon timely application and payment of appropriate fees, be admitted to reexamination for initial Certification within the Period of Admissibility.

Candidates not passing the initial Certification examination within the Period of Admissibility must submit a new application and fee in order to reestablish their admissibility to take the initial Certification examination. Review by the Board of any application submitted pursuant to this provision shall be de novo and subject to all of the then-current eligibility requirements.

Examination Fees

A listing of fees for the initial Certification examination shall be made available to Applicants and Candidates in a manner as may be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

Letters of Reference

If an Applicant is applying through the Complementary Pathway, Special Pathway, or the Residency Pathway (and has completed the residency more than twenty-four (24) months prior to submission of the application), the application for Certification in a Specialty shall include three (3) letters of reference from physicians.

For applicants applying through the Complementary Pathway or Residency Pathway (and who have completed the residency more than twenty-four (24) months prior to submission of the application), at least one (1) of the three (3) required letters of reference must be from a Diplomate in the Specialty for which the Applicant is applying for Certification. For applicants applying through the Special Pathway, at least two (2) of the three (3) required letters of reference must be from Diplomates Certified in the Specialty in which Certification is sought.

One letter of reference, which may or may not be the same as the letter of reference from an ABPM Diplomate, must be from a physician who is familiar with the Applicant’s professional work activities within the three (3) years immediately preceding the date of the Applicant’s application for initial Certification.

Applicants applying through the Residency Pathway and who have successfully completed a residency in the Specialty for which Certification is being sought not more than twenty-four (24) months prior to submission of the application, shall not be required to submit any letters of reference in support of the application.

Applicants who are applying for Certification in Addiction Medicine and who have successfully completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship in Addiction Medicine not more than twenty-four (24) months prior to submission of the application, shall not be required to submit any letters of reference in support of the application. Thereafter, such Applicants shall include one (1) letter of reference from a physician who is, at a minimum, certified by at least one (1) ABMS member board, or by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).

Applicants applying for Certification in Addiction Medicine and who have successfully completed a twelve (12)-month fellowship accredited by ACAAM (formerly TAMF) or who are applying through the Practice Pathway, shall include one (1) letter of reference from a physician who is, at a minimum, certified by at least one (1) ABMS member board, or by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).

Applicants applying for Certification in Clinical Informatics and who have successfully completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship in Clinical Informatics not more than twenty-four (24) months prior to submission of the application, shall not be required to submit any letters of reference in support of the application. Thereafter, such Applicants shall include one (1) letter of reference from a physician who is, at a minimum, certified by at least one (1) ABMS member board, or by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).

Applicants applying for Certification in Clinical Informatics through the Practice Pathway shall include one (1) letter of reference from a physician who is, at a minimum, certified by at least one (1) ABMS member board, or by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).

Applicants who are applying for Certification in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine and who have successfully completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine not more than twenty-four (24) months prior to submission of the application, shall not be required to submit any letters of reference in support of the application. Thereafter, such Applicants shall include one (1) letter of reference from a physician who is, at a minimum, certified by at least one (1) ABMS member board, or by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).

The required format of the reference letters must, at a minimum, include the following specific information:

a. Nature of relationship of the physician to the Applicant, including dates of contact;
b. Comments attesting to the Applicant’s meeting of all requirements for residency/fellowship training.

A letter of reference that contradicts an Applicant’s claims within the application may be grounds for the Board to withhold or deny approval of the application.

Verification of Residency

Applicants applying for Certification in a Specialty through either the Residency or Complementary Pathways must submit verification of the Applicant’s successful completion of a residency in the Specialty for which Certification is being sought.

Verification of Fellowship

Applicants applying for Certification in a Subspecialty through the Fellowship Pathway must submit verification of the Applicant’s successful completion of a fellowship in the Subspecialty for which Certification is being sought.

Verification of Practice

Applicants applying for Certification in a Subspecialty through the Practice Pathway must submit verification of the Applicant’s medical practice in the Subspecialty for which Certification is being sought.

Miscellaneous Verifications

The Board, in its sole and absolute discretion, may require an Applicant to submit, along with the application, miscellaneous verifications not otherwise provided for herein and which may include, but not be limited to, academic transcripts, letters of completion, and curriculum descriptions.

Requests for Prior Assurances

Prospective Applicants occasionally request by telephone or in writing, prior assurance from the Board that the individual planned course of academic training, practicum or practice preparation, will qualify the Applicant for admission to take the initial Certification examination. Such plans by prospective Applicants are often inaccurately or incompletely described, or programs change, and therefore, all such requests from prospective Applicants for prior assurances will be respectfully declined, and the prospective Applicant referred to the official admission requirements of the Board. Replies by the Chief Executive Officer may reference the ultimate authority of the Board to render final decisions and may suggest, based on available information, a likely course of action for the prospective Applicant.

Discrepant Credentials 

The Applicant is required by signature to attest to the completeness and accuracy of the Applicant’s credentials. Any evidence of discrepancy from the application statements may be grounds to nullify the approval of the Board or may be grounds to revoke the Certificate if awarded. The Applicant or, after approval of the application, the Candidate is required to notify the Board within ten (10) days of the Applicant/Candidate becoming aware of any change in the Applicant/Candidate’s status or information included on or in support of the application that may impact the application, the Board’s approval of the application or the Applicant/Candidate’s qualifications or eligibility for, or admissibility to, the initial Certification examination.

Waiver of Criteria

An Applicant’s qualifications and eligibility to sit for the initial Certification examination are assessed on an individual basis. Specific criteria for admission (e.g., the clinical content of the year of clinical training, specific course content) may be subject to waiver under unusual or extenuating circumstances such as subsequent demonstration of competency. Waiver requests should be presented in writing by the appropriate Vice Chair or Sub-Board Chair during the Certification Committee report at a meeting of the Board. In reviewing waiver requests for those physicians who were admitted to ACGME-accredited residency or fellowship programs according to the ACGME’s program requirements for “Exceptionally Qualified International Medical Graduates,” the Board shall apply the ABPM’s “Guidelines for Exceptionally Qualified International Medical Graduates” which guidelines are attached hereto as Appendix R. Any such waiver requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board present and voting. A decision by the Board pursuant to this subsection 2.6.9 shall be binding upon the Board and the Applicant and shall not be subject to appeal or further consideration.

Notification

ABPM staff will notify Applicants within thirty (30) days of the Board’s decision of whether the Applicant is eligible to sit for the initial Certification examination. In the event of a determination that the Applicant does not meet stated requirements for admission to the initial Certification examination, Applicants will be advised in writing (which may include, but not be limited to correspondence, email or the ABPM website) of the criteria and specific deficiencies of the application as determined by the Board. An Applicant may appeal such decision by the Board pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.6.11 below of this Policies and Procedures Manual.

Appeal

An Applicant shall have thirty (30) days to appeal after the earliest date the Board communicates its decision to the Applicant pursuant to subsection 2.6.10, above. The appeal should be accompanied by detailed information addressing all cited deficiencies in the application. Additionally, the appeal must be in writing, addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Board at its office in Chicago, Illinois and must be sent by Certified Mail, Overnight Mail or by email (with a delivery receipt). Materials will be assembled with the Applicant’s application file and reviewed by the ABPM staff and responsible Vice Chair or Sub-Board Chair for the Specialty or Subspecialty for which the Applicant has applied for Certification. The Applicant will be notified of the results of the appeal in writing as soon as practicable after a decision has been made by the Vice Chair or Sub-Board Chair for the Specialty or Subspecialty for which the Applicant has applied for Certification. The decision on appeal will be final and binding on the Candidate and the Board and not subject to further review.