Certificate of Added Qualification

Pain Medicine

The CAQ in Pain Medicine is offered in conjunction with the American Boards of Anesthesiology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry and Neurology to recognize your training and knowledge in the treatment of acute or chronic pain.

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Pain Medicine Important Dates Pain Medicine Longitudinal Assessment Pain Medicine One-Day Exam

At-A-Glance

The Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Pain Medicine recognizes your fellowship training and knowledge of treating patients experiencing problems with acute or chronic pain, or pain related to cancer, in both hospital and outpatient settings.

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Initial Certification Requirements for Pain Medicine

If you are interested in seeking a CAQ in Pain Medicine, you are required to:

Continuously maintain your family medicine certification.
Complete a minimum of 12 months of full-time training in an ACGME-accredited Pain Medicine fellowship program and submit verification of completion documentation.
Submit an online application with associated fees.
Achieve a passing score on the Pain Medicine one-day exam.

Your first cycle of the Longitudinal Assessment – Pain Medicine (LA-PM) will begin the year after you gain initial certification. Going forward, you can expect to begin a new cycle of LA-PM every five years to maintain your Pain Medicine certification.

For information regarding CAQ board eligibility, visit the CAQ Board Eligibility page.

Maintaining Certification in Pain Medicine

To maintain your CAQ in Pain Medicine, you are required to:

Continuously maintain your family medicine certification.
Submit annual CAQ certification fees.
Submit an online application with associated fees.
Achieve a passing score on the LA-PM.

Going forward, you can expect to begin a new cycle of LA-PM every five years to maintain your Pain Medicine CAQ. To learn more about the LA-PM, visit the Pain Medicine Longitudinal Assessment page.

Regaining Certification in Pain Medicine

If you previously held a CAQ in Pain Medicine, you can regain certification by:

Continuously maintaining your family medicine certification.
Submitting an online application with associated fees.
Achieving a passing score on the Pain Medicine one-day exam.

Your first cycle of the LA-PM will begin the year after you regain initial certification. Going forward, you can expect to begin a new cycle of LA-PM every five years to maintain your Pain Medicine certification.

How Do I Get Started?

If you are interested in obtaining, maintaining, or regaining a CAQ in Pain Medicine, you may access the online exam application under “Added Qualifications” in your MyABFM Portfolio.

For additional information, please contact us at [email protected].

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Important Dates

View important dates and upcoming deadlines for the one-day exam and longitudinal assessment.

Longitudinal Assessment

Learn more about the longitudinal assessment for Pain Medicine.