The eight-year eligibility window specified in 19.1.1 allows a reasonable period following the completion of 3-year CPME approved podiatric medicine and surgery residency. The eight-year window exceeds that provided generally by our allopathic and osteopathic colleagues.
Additionally, ABPM’s policy allows those who have yet to obtain specialty certification from the other CPME-recognized certifying board an additional year to consider certification with ABPM and ensure their professional and economic viability. Both eligibility periods are comparable to those offered by our allopathic MD/DO colleagues, including the 24 distinct specialty certifying boards under the American Board of Medical Specialties umbrella.
More recently, ABPM’s Board of Directors has approved an additional 2-3 years due to the training and education impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, provided the candidate reaches out to ABPM to request extra time. Extra time is not approved simply by asking the question, but is only available on a case-by-case basis, only to those whose eligibility may have expired between 2020-2022.
Finally, the ABPM Board of Directors has determined that it cannot now elect to certify some practitioners who are presently outside of the eligibility window while others have been timed out of the process and were denied the opportunity to sit.
From ABMS Standards for Certification of Allopathic and Osteopathic Medicine
GS-3. Each ABMS Member Board will determine criteria for eligibility, including the expiration date for the Board Eligible period. The expiration date must be no fewer than three and no more than seven years following the successful completion of accredited training, and in accordance with the corresponding Member Board requirements, plus time (if any) in practice required by the Member Board for admission to the certifying examination.
Unfortunately, most of the podiatrists who fall into this category are no longer eligible to obtain Board Certification from ABPM. This is due to the confluence of several factors and determinations made both by the ABPM Board of Directors and the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) who recognizes and empowers certifying boards to conduct Board Certification.
CPME 220 regulates how recognized specialty certifying boards may conduct their certification procedures in section 5, stating:
5.2 The specialty board shall require candidates for certification to have successfully completed a minimum of three years of CPME-approved residency training.
This generally means that, presently, the Board can only certify only those podiatric physicians who have completed a 36-month CPME-approved Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency (PMSR). This regulation was adopted and standardized in 2011 and both recognized certifying boards are required to comply.
The Board of Directors of ABPM has also adopted the following policy regarding Board Eligibility:
19.1 Board Eligibility – Candidates completing a CPME-approved residency program are considered Board Eligible at the conclusion of their final residency year.
19.1.1 Board Eligibility status is granted for a period up to eight (8) years, after which a candidate will no longer be permitted to sit for the examination process. If a candidate attempts certification within the eight (8) year period but does not achieve certification they will be granted an additional five (5) years of eligible status.
Applicants are encouraged to contact Board Headquarters at (315) 498-1588 or admin@podiatryboard.org for official verification of their eligibility status.
No, Lifetime Diplomates are NOT required to enroll in the Continuing Certification (CC) program BUT:
For more information, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Name changes in the system must be made by headquarters staff. Please notify ABPM Headquarters in writing (admin@ABPMed.org) for a name change. ABPM uses your full official name in its records. ABPM requires a copy of the legal document indicating the change (e.g. marriage certificate, naturalization papers, court order of name change, etc.) to be provided before any changes are made.
ABPM requires your current contact information, including your mailing address, e-mail address and telephone number. Please contact ABPM as soon as possible if any of your addresses change (mailing, email, etc.) as this is our primary means of communicating important information to you. You may update your address, phone number and e-mail online. Log into the ABPM Member Profile section and select “View or Update Member Profile.”
No, Diplomates in alternative practice circumstances (e.g. medical administrator, research based, teaching capacities) with little or no patient care activity are still able to meet the requirements of Continuing Certification.
For more information, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Diplomates are exempt if they hold retired, inactive, or disabled status.
If you are in the Continuing Certification (CC) process and fail to maintain the requirements, your Diplomate status may be suspended or revoked.
If you are an Emeritus Diplomate prior to 2007, you must take the self-assessment exam by the end of your 10 year-end date. A new certificate will not be generated with a new end date unless the exam is completed.
For more information, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
Yes, the Board of Directors shall have the authority to revoke a member for the following reasons:
For more information, please refer to our dedicated Continuing Certification FAQ page.
You may use your CME “wallet” for safekeeping.
You are no longer obligated to report CME activities to ABPM.