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Certificates of Added Qualification

A Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) provides additional certification for physicians who have completed a relevant subspecialty fellowship.

Certificates of Added Qualification

ABFM currently offers a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in each of the following subspecialties: Adolescent Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Pain Medicine, Sleep Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Health Care Administration, Leadership, and Management. A CAQ provides additional certification for physicians who have completed a relevant subspecialty fellowship.

Learn More Below

Am I Eligible?

ABFM’s Board Eligibility Policy for Certificates of Added Qualification defines “board eligible” as having completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited fellowship training program but not yet attained initial CAQ certification.

  • Your CAQ board eligibility period begins the day after successful completion of ACGME-accredited fellowship training, and it expires on December 31 of the seventh calendar year after the training completion date.
  • In order to maintain a CAQ board eligible status during the seven-year window, you must maintain ABFM certification and continuously adhere to the ABFM Guidelines for Professionalism, Licensure, and Personal Conduct.
  • There are no extensions of the seven-year CAQ board eligibility period.  If your seven-year period of CAQ board eligibility has expired, there is one pathway to regain an additional seven-year board eligibility period and to qualify for a CAQ Exam. This requires you to complete one year of additional training in an ACGME-accredited fellowship program, or an ABFM-approved alternative fellowship training program.
  • Outside of this seven-year window, it is not permissible for you to refer to yourself as CAQ board eligible.

For more information, please review the CAQ Board Eligibility Policy.

Being board certified enhances your ability to overcome challenges in employment, updates in medical education, and it makes you more attractive for leadership roles and committees.
Khalid Ghazy, MD Board Certified since 2015