5-Year Cycle Residency Program FAQs ABFM recently announced Certification 2025, the new Continuous Certification 5-Year Cycle (5-Year Cycle) to align with the new standards of the American Board of Medical Specialties. To help explain this transition to residents, we have provided several FAQs below. Expand All Collapse All A resident passed the one-day exam, obtained a full medical license, and will complete training on June 30, 2024. Will the 5-Year Cycle impact them? No, the 5-Year Cycle will not impact a physician who gains initial certification before December 31, 2024. All physicians who complete training on June 30, 2024, and immediately gain initial certification will participate in the current certification process. They will not be required to transition to the 5-Year Cycle until 2034. More information about the current certification process can be found here. A resident completed training in 2024 but did not pass the exam until 2025, will the 5-Year Cycle impact them? Yes, participation in the 5-Year Cycle is based on when a physician gained initial certification, not when they passed the one-day exam or completed training. If a physician meets all requirements and gains initial certification on or after January 1, 2025, they will begin the 5-Year Cycle in 2026. A resident passed the exam in 2024 but did not obtain a full medical license until 2025. Will the 5-Year Cycle impact them? No, any resident that passed the exam in 2024 will participate in the current certification process and will not be required to transition to the 5-Year Cycle until 2034. What are the requirements of the 5-Year Cycle? Every five years, Diplomates will: Certification Exam: Answer 25 quarterly exam questions (longitudinal assessment) OR opt to take the one-day exam in year four. Certification Activities: Earn 60 certification points through Self-Assessment and Performance Improvement activities. Continuing Medical Education: Earn 200 CME credits Professionalism and Licensure: Continuously hold medical license(s) that meet ABFM Guidelines for Professionalism, Licensure, and Personal Conduct. Annual Fee: Submit annual certification fee. What prompted this change? ABFM is transitioning to the 5-Year Cycle to meet the American Board of Medical Specialties’ (ABMS) Standards for Continuing Certification which took effect on January 1, 2024. This change will help ABFM Diplomates maintain awareness of increasingly rapid medical advances and changes in practice guidelines. What are the benefits of the new 5-Year Cycle? The 5-Year Cycle provides the choice for physicians to customize how they meet certification requirements! Benefits of the new certification process include: Never have to take the one-day exam again to maintain certification, unless they want to. Continuous learning by answering 25 quarterly exam questions and receiving immediate feedback. More time and flexibility to complete certification activities. A fifth year off if all requirements are completed in four years. Built-in time to complete remaining requirements, if needed. Will the requirements to obtain initial certification change? No, the requirements to gain initial certification will not change. Will current PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents participate in the 5-Year Cycle upon gaining initial certification? Yes, any resident that gains initial certification on January 1, 2025, or beyond will begin participating in the 5-Year Cycle at the beginning of the following year. How does this change affect the implementation of the Competency Attestation for ABFM Board Eligibility? There will be no change to the implementation of the Competency Attestation for ABFM Board Eligibility. Will a physician be required to take the exam again after gaining initial certification and beginning the 5-Year Cycle? The 5-Year Cycle consists of answering 25 quarterly exam questions (longitudinal assessment) for three to four years, until a total of 300 questions are answered. If a physician would like to take the one-day exam, they can opt out of the longitudinal assessment and take the one-day exam in year four of their 5-Year Cycle.
Expand All Collapse All A resident passed the one-day exam, obtained a full medical license, and will complete training on June 30, 2024. Will the 5-Year Cycle impact them? No, the 5-Year Cycle will not impact a physician who gains initial certification before December 31, 2024. All physicians who complete training on June 30, 2024, and immediately gain initial certification will participate in the current certification process. They will not be required to transition to the 5-Year Cycle until 2034. More information about the current certification process can be found here. A resident completed training in 2024 but did not pass the exam until 2025, will the 5-Year Cycle impact them? Yes, participation in the 5-Year Cycle is based on when a physician gained initial certification, not when they passed the one-day exam or completed training. If a physician meets all requirements and gains initial certification on or after January 1, 2025, they will begin the 5-Year Cycle in 2026. A resident passed the exam in 2024 but did not obtain a full medical license until 2025. Will the 5-Year Cycle impact them? No, any resident that passed the exam in 2024 will participate in the current certification process and will not be required to transition to the 5-Year Cycle until 2034. What are the requirements of the 5-Year Cycle? Every five years, Diplomates will: Certification Exam: Answer 25 quarterly exam questions (longitudinal assessment) OR opt to take the one-day exam in year four. Certification Activities: Earn 60 certification points through Self-Assessment and Performance Improvement activities. Continuing Medical Education: Earn 200 CME credits Professionalism and Licensure: Continuously hold medical license(s) that meet ABFM Guidelines for Professionalism, Licensure, and Personal Conduct. Annual Fee: Submit annual certification fee. What prompted this change? ABFM is transitioning to the 5-Year Cycle to meet the American Board of Medical Specialties’ (ABMS) Standards for Continuing Certification which took effect on January 1, 2024. This change will help ABFM Diplomates maintain awareness of increasingly rapid medical advances and changes in practice guidelines. What are the benefits of the new 5-Year Cycle? The 5-Year Cycle provides the choice for physicians to customize how they meet certification requirements! Benefits of the new certification process include: Never have to take the one-day exam again to maintain certification, unless they want to. Continuous learning by answering 25 quarterly exam questions and receiving immediate feedback. More time and flexibility to complete certification activities. A fifth year off if all requirements are completed in four years. Built-in time to complete remaining requirements, if needed. Will the requirements to obtain initial certification change? No, the requirements to gain initial certification will not change. Will current PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents participate in the 5-Year Cycle upon gaining initial certification? Yes, any resident that gains initial certification on January 1, 2025, or beyond will begin participating in the 5-Year Cycle at the beginning of the following year. How does this change affect the implementation of the Competency Attestation for ABFM Board Eligibility? There will be no change to the implementation of the Competency Attestation for ABFM Board Eligibility. Will a physician be required to take the exam again after gaining initial certification and beginning the 5-Year Cycle? The 5-Year Cycle consists of answering 25 quarterly exam questions (longitudinal assessment) for three to four years, until a total of 300 questions are answered. If a physician would like to take the one-day exam, they can opt out of the longitudinal assessment and take the one-day exam in year four of their 5-Year Cycle.
A resident passed the one-day exam, obtained a full medical license, and will complete training on June 30, 2024. Will the 5-Year Cycle impact them? No, the 5-Year Cycle will not impact a physician who gains initial certification before December 31, 2024. All physicians who complete training on June 30, 2024, and immediately gain initial certification will participate in the current certification process. They will not be required to transition to the 5-Year Cycle until 2034. More information about the current certification process can be found here.
A resident completed training in 2024 but did not pass the exam until 2025, will the 5-Year Cycle impact them? Yes, participation in the 5-Year Cycle is based on when a physician gained initial certification, not when they passed the one-day exam or completed training. If a physician meets all requirements and gains initial certification on or after January 1, 2025, they will begin the 5-Year Cycle in 2026.
A resident passed the exam in 2024 but did not obtain a full medical license until 2025. Will the 5-Year Cycle impact them? No, any resident that passed the exam in 2024 will participate in the current certification process and will not be required to transition to the 5-Year Cycle until 2034.
What are the requirements of the 5-Year Cycle? Every five years, Diplomates will: Certification Exam: Answer 25 quarterly exam questions (longitudinal assessment) OR opt to take the one-day exam in year four. Certification Activities: Earn 60 certification points through Self-Assessment and Performance Improvement activities. Continuing Medical Education: Earn 200 CME credits Professionalism and Licensure: Continuously hold medical license(s) that meet ABFM Guidelines for Professionalism, Licensure, and Personal Conduct. Annual Fee: Submit annual certification fee.
What prompted this change? ABFM is transitioning to the 5-Year Cycle to meet the American Board of Medical Specialties’ (ABMS) Standards for Continuing Certification which took effect on January 1, 2024. This change will help ABFM Diplomates maintain awareness of increasingly rapid medical advances and changes in practice guidelines.
What are the benefits of the new 5-Year Cycle? The 5-Year Cycle provides the choice for physicians to customize how they meet certification requirements! Benefits of the new certification process include: Never have to take the one-day exam again to maintain certification, unless they want to. Continuous learning by answering 25 quarterly exam questions and receiving immediate feedback. More time and flexibility to complete certification activities. A fifth year off if all requirements are completed in four years. Built-in time to complete remaining requirements, if needed.
Will the requirements to obtain initial certification change? No, the requirements to gain initial certification will not change.
Will current PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents participate in the 5-Year Cycle upon gaining initial certification? Yes, any resident that gains initial certification on January 1, 2025, or beyond will begin participating in the 5-Year Cycle at the beginning of the following year.
How does this change affect the implementation of the Competency Attestation for ABFM Board Eligibility? There will be no change to the implementation of the Competency Attestation for ABFM Board Eligibility.
Will a physician be required to take the exam again after gaining initial certification and beginning the 5-Year Cycle? The 5-Year Cycle consists of answering 25 quarterly exam questions (longitudinal assessment) for three to four years, until a total of 300 questions are answered. If a physician would like to take the one-day exam, they can opt out of the longitudinal assessment and take the one-day exam in year four of their 5-Year Cycle.
