CAQ Board Eligibility Policy

Effective July 1, 2017

The American Board of Family Medicine defines the 7-year period of board eligibility as (1) the period that begins July 1, 2017, for any physician eligible to apply for ABFM subspecialty certification prior to that date, or (2) the period that begins upon the date of successful completion of an ACGME-accredited subspecialty fellowship training program for which the ABFM provides subspecialty certification, on or after July 1, 2017.

A physician who wishes to be designated as board eligible for subspecialty certification must continuously comply with the Guidelines for Professionalism, Licensure and Personal Conduct; must hold a valid certificate in Family Medicine issued by the ABFM; and must have successfully completed subspecialty training as attested to by the subspecialty fellowship program director.

After expiration of the 7-year period of board eligibility, a family physician can no longer use the designation “board eligible” without meeting additional requirements. In order to keep or regain the “board-eligible” designation for an additional 7-year period, the physician must successfully complete at least 1 year of additional training in an ACGME-accredited subspecialty fellowship training program (or an ABFM-approved alternative). During this 7-year period, the previous requirements remain in place with regard to continuous compliance with the Guidelines for Professionalism, Licensure and Personal Conduct, and the physician must continue to hold a valid certificate in Family Medicine issued by the ABFM.

As of July 1, 2017, the above Board Eligibility policy for subspecialty certification, approved by the ABFM Board of Directors in accordance with the ABMS Board Eligibility policy, will only apply to physicians attempting to certify for the first time. It does not apply to physicians who have previously been certified in a subspecialty by the ABFM. For physicians whose certification expired prior to July 1, 2017, the ABFM will provide verification of physicians who are able to sit for the next examination.

Download the CAQ Board Eligibility Policy