What is meant by "direct patient care"?
Direct patient care involves ambulatory and inpatient practice experience with hands-on patient care including diagnostic workup and treatment of individual patients.
Will completion of a Canadian or osteopathic clinical training meet eligibility requirements?
Yes, completion of clinical training programs accredited by the American Osteopathic Association, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, or the College of Family Physicians of Canada will meet the clinical training eligibility requirements.
I'm applying through the complementary pathway. Do I need to complete an MPH or equivalent degree program?
Yes, completion of an MPH or equivalent degree program is required to be eligible for an ABPM specialty certification exam through the Complementary Pathway.
Can ABPM review my transcript and let me know if my coursework meets eligibility requirements before I submit my application?
Unfortunately, the ABPM is unable to review transcripts or applications before submission.
All applications and accompanying documentation are reviewed by physicians certified by ABPM in the relevant specialty.
I have not yet graduated from my Masters in Public Health degree program. However, I have completed all the coursework and I am scheduled to graduate. Can I apply now?
Yes. Applicants may apply for eligibility to take the ABPM's initial certification exam before they graduate. Learn more about requesting approval to take the exam pending graduation at https://www.theabpm.org/become-certified/pending-approval-status/.
What information about my Preventive Medicine specialty practice do I need to include in my application?
Physicians who are applying through the Complementary or Special Pathways, and those who are applying through the Residency Pathway more than 24 months after completing their residency, must provide a detailed description of their practice activity.
In addition, they must provide three letters of reference from physicians who can attest to their experience in the relevant Preventive Medicine specialty. Physicians applying through the Complementary Pathway and the Residency Pathway (if applicable) must include at least one reference letter written by an ABPM diplomate certified in the relevant Preventive Medicine specialty; physicians applying through the Special Pathway must include at least two reference letters written by ABPM diplomates certified in the relevant Preventive Medicine specialty.
What constitutes a year of full-time practice experience?
Full-time Preventive Medicine practice must be at least 50% of a 40-hour week (i.e., 20 hours per week) over a period of two years, or at least 80% of a 40-hour week (i.e., 32 hours per week) over a period of one year.
Further prorating of time is not appropriate, and no credit will be given for less than 20 hours per week of Preventive Medicine practice.
No more than full-time credit will be granted for any period of practice regardless of the number of hours accumulated during that period and no more than one year of credit will be granted for practice time in a given 12-month period.
If practice time is required to be eligible through your chosen pathway, you must include explicit documentation of your Preventive Medicine practice time in your application.
I trained for 12 months in a Preventive Medicine residency. Does ABPM consider this the same as completing the residency?
No, ABPM does not consider 12 months of training in a Preventive Medicine residency to be equivalent to completing the residency. However, physicians who complete 12 months of Preventive Medicine residency training my be eligible for a Preventive Medicine specialty certification exam through the Complementary Pathway.
To be eligible through the Complementary Pathway, your Program Director will need to verify that you satisfactorily completed 12 months of Preventive Medicine residency training. The year of residency training must be ACGME-accredited and must provide supervised experience in the practice of a Preventive Medicine specialty (i.e., Aerospace Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, or Public Health and General Preventive Medicine).
Additionally, the Preventive Medicine residency training must include a direct patient care component, the minimum length of this component varies by specialty as follows:
- Aerospace Medicine: at least eight months of direct patient care;
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine: at least eight months of direct patient care;
- Public Health and General Preventive Medicine: at least four months of direct patient care.