Board Eligibility Period

The Board Eligibility Period is the first seven (7) years after the completion of: (i) an ACGME-accredited residency or fellowship in a Specialty or Subspecialty, (ii) a RCPSC-accredited residency program, or (iii) a CFPC-accredited residency program as allowed pursuant to this Policies and Procedures Manual. After the Board Eligibility Period, residency- or fellowship-trained physicians will lose the ability to refer to themselves as Board Eligible and will need to fulfill additional requirements before they will be allowed to sit for the initial Certification examination.

Re-Entry Criteria for Board Eligibility

Applicants who are beyond their Board Eligibility Period must fulfill the following requirements before the Applicant may submit an application or become a Candidate admitted by the Board to sit for an initial Certification examination:

1. All medical licenses the Applicant holds in the United States, US territories, or Canada must be active, valid and unrestricted. Seventy-five (75) hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ in the Specialty/Subspecialty must be completed by the Applicant in the three (3) years immediately preceding submission of the application.
2. Within a three (3)-year period immediately preceding submission of the application, the Applicant must complete a quality improvement project through one of the Specialty or Subspecialty societies recognized by the ABPM for such purpose. The quality improvement activity must be in the Specialty or Subspecialty area in which Certification is being sought.
3. The Applicant must have been engaged in essentially Full-Time Practice in, or training for, the Specialty or Subspecialty area in which Certification is being sought and such engagement must be within at least twenty-four (24) of the sixty (60) months immediately preceding submission of the application.

Multiple Examination Attempts

A Candidate who has failed an initial Certification examination in a Specialty or Subspecialty on three or more consecutive occasions may be required by the Board to have additional training and/or seek other appropriate support as may be determined by the Board in its sole and absolute discretion, before the Candidate will be eligible to be admitted to any further initial Certification examination.

Reverification of Exam Candidates

Licensure must be reverified by the Board for all initial Certification examination Candidates prior to the Candidate being issued a Certificate and becoming a Diplomate. Licensure issues discovered during this reverification process may result in a Candidate being denied Certification and/or Diplomate status pursuant to the processes as set out in this Policies and Procedures Manual.