Residency Accreditation Toolkit: The American Board of Family Medicine
The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) specific requirements for individual resident’s training to be eligible for board certification
Although the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) does not accredit family medicine residency programs, it does have specific requirements for individual resident’s training to be eligible for board certification. The ABFM specifies the required length of residency training, the amount of time away allowed, the minimum amount of resident continuity clinic per year, the allowable interruptions in continuity clinic, and also approves all resident transfers and advanced credit (see Highlights table).In addition to residency, to become board certified residents must:
- Meet the Professionalism standards of the Board, including state licensure
- Complete ABFM activities totaling 50 points, including at least one KSA (Knowledge Self-Assessment) and one PI (Performance Improvement) activity
- Pass the Board exam, which can be taken in the spring of PGY3
- Demonstrate competence in the Core Outcomes of Family Medicine Education
Residency Training Management System (RTMS)
The ABFM maintains the online Residency Training Management System (RTMS) which tracks all individual family medicine residents’ progress and eligibility for board certification including their annual promotion to the next level of training, their medical school and licensure information, and their required Board activities. New residents are entered into the system by their program and tracked throughout residency similarly to how board-certified physicians track their maintenance of certification.
In-Training Exam (ITE)
The ABFM also provides the annual In-Training Exam (ITE) for programs to assess their residents’ progress.
ABFM Residency Training Requirements Highlights
Time Away From the Program
- Continuity of Care: Must have at least 40 weeks in continuity clinic each year
- Time Off (vacation, sick, other):
- Maximum 12 weeks in a year, including up to 8 weeks total attributable to Family Leave, with any remaining time up to 4 weeks for Other Leave as allowed by the program
- Maximum 20 weeks leave over three years of residency without extension
- Time missed for educational conferences does not count toward the time away from training under the Family Leave time allowed in this policy
- Hardship waivers may be granted in extreme circumstances after appeal to the Board.
- Resident Transfers (Advanced Placement Credit):
- 12 months maximum credit
- Limited months of credit allowed per rotation (e.g. General Surgery 1 month maximum allowed credit)
- Board must be notified in advance; additional credit cannot be given after the resident enters the program
- International credit must be pre-approved
- Hardship exceptions may be granted (e.g. for residency program closure)
