ANESTHESIOLOGY CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE (ACCM) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR ABEM DIPLOMATES
Certification in the subspecialty of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) is available to American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) diplomates who fulfill the eligibility criteria and pass the ACCM subspecialty examination. ABEM co-sponsors this subspecialty with the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA).
The ABA is the administrative board for the ACCM subspecialty. The ABA develops and oversees the administration of the subspecialty examination. ABEM diplomates submit applications for certification in ACCM to ABEM. ABEM reviews the applicant’s credentials to determine eligibility, reports the results of the examination, and issues certificates to its candidates. All applicants are encouraged to review the FAQs for more details about the application process and eligibility criteria.
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The general criteria for emergency physicians seeking certification in ACCM are as follows:
- The physician must have successfully completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)–accredited EM residency program (36 or 48 months in length).
- The physician must be an ABEM diplomate.
- The physician must be meeting the requirements of the ABEM MOC program at the time of application and throughout the certification process.
Additionally, the physician must fulfill the eligibility criteria of the Fellowship Training Pathway.
FELLOWSHIP TRAINING PATHWAY
These criteria pertain to ABEM diplomates who enter ACGME-accredited, ABA-approved, ACCM fellowship programs on or after July 1, 2014.
ABEM diplomates must meet all of the following requirements:
- Prior to entering an ACCM fellowship program, and during the ACGME-accredited EM residency, emergency physicians must have completed four months (or 16 weeks) of critical care training.
- Emergency physicians must successfully complete an ACGME-accredited ACCM fellowship program; and ANESTHESIOLOGY CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE (ACCM)
- Complete an additional 12 months of ACCM training that have been prospectively approved by the ABA. This additional 12 months of training must occur at the same site as the ACCM fellowship program.
Physicians Starting ACCM Fellowship Training on or after July 1, 2014
ABEM diplomates starting ACCM fellowship training on or after July 1, 2014, for the purpose of seeking subspecialty certification in ACCM, must enter an ACCM fellowship program that includes the ACGME-accredited ACCM fellowship program and an additional 12 months of ACCM training. The program and its training design must have the prospective approval of the ABA prior to the entry of the emergency physician into that program. The program director must seek this approval from the ABA. Training completed in any program that does not have the prior approval of the ABA will not fulfill the training requirement.
VERIFICATION OF ACCM TRAINING, CCM PRACTICES, AND CLINICAL COMPETENCE
ABEM will seek independent verification of the physician’s successful completion of the ACCM fellowship program from the ACCM fellowship program director.
ABEM will also seek independent verification of the ACCM practice a physician submits to fulfill the CCM practice requirement and the physician’s clinical competence in CCM. ABEM will accept this verification from the program director of the ACGME-accredited CCM fellowship program affiliated with the hospital where the physician spends the majority of CCM clinical time. If an ACGME-accredited CCM fellowship is not present at this hospital, ABEM will seek verification by the Chief of Critical Care Medicine in the hospital where the physician spends the majority of CCM clinical time. Should the physician who is applying be the Chief of Care, verification will be accepted from the Chief of Staff, ViceCritical President of Medical Affairs, or someone in a similar position.
CERTIFICATION
ABEM diplomates who have met the ACCM eligibility criteria and who pass the ACCM subspecialty examination are recognized as being certified in the subspecialty of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine. Certification is for a period of ten years.
Certificates are dated from the date of the examination results letter and expire December 31, ten years thereafter. The diplomate’s emergency medicine certification must be valid in order for the subspecialty certification to remain valid.
On June 26, 2013, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) approved the co-sponsorship by the ABA and ABEM for certification in ACCM. Under this arrangement, there is an opportunity for emergency medicine residency graduates to pursue fellowship training in ACCM and for ABEM- certified physicians (diplomates) to be eligible to take the ACCM certification exam.
ABEM diplomates who have previously completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship program might be eligible for certification under a select set of circumstances. See the ACCM eligibility criteria for ABEM diplomates and the FAQs below.
The ABA develops and oversees the administration of the ACCM subspecialty exam; however, ABEM will report the exam results to its candidates. ABEM diplomates will apply to ABEM to establish their eligibility for certification. Interested individuals are encouraged to review the eligibility criteria and FAQs below for more.
FAQs
1. What are the eligibility criteria that ABEM diplomates must meet to apply for ACCM subspecialty certification?
The general criteria for emergency physicians seeking certification in ACCM are as follows:
- The physician must have successfully completed an ACGME-accredited EM residency program (36 or 48 months in length).
- The physician must be an ABEM diplomate.
- The physician must be meeting the requirements of the ABEM MOC program at the time of application and throughout the certification process.
Additionally, the physician must fulfill the eligibility criteria of the Fellowship Training Pathway.
2. Is there a “grandfathering” pathway for ABEM-certified physicians and what are the eligibility criteria for that pathway
There was a pathway for ABEM-certified physicians who previously completed an ACGME-accredited ACCM fellowship program. It expired Dec. 31, 2018. This pathway was the Fellowship Training-Plus Practice Pathway.
3. Will ABEM verify the information I provide on my application for ACCM certification?
Yes, ABEM will seek independent verification of ACCM training, CCM practices, and clinical competence. ABEM will obtain verification of ACCM training from the ACCM fellowship program director.
4. Will ACCM Fellowship Program Requirements allow EM residency graduates to enter ACGME- accredited ACCM fellowship training programs?
Yes. However, the entry of emergency physicians into an ACGME-accredited ACCM fellowship program is ultimately the decision of the fellowship program director. The Residency Review Committee for Anesthesiology has proposed changes to the ACCM Program Requirements to allow ACGME-accredited ACCM programs to accept EM residency graduates.
5. I completed fellowship training in another CCM subspecialty program (Internal Medicine or Surgery). Am I able to submit this training to fulfill the training requirement of the ACCM eligibility criteria and then take the ACCM certification exam to achieve ACCM subspecialty certification?
No. Only emergency physicians who are graduates of ACGME-accredited ACCM fellowship programs may apply for certification in ACCM through this ABEM co-sponsorship arrangement.
6. I completed an ACCM fellowship program that became ACGME-accredited after I completed the program. Does this training meet the eligibility criteria?
No. The ACCM fellowship must have been ACGME-accredited at the time you completed the program.
7. If I am an ABEM-certified physician, how will I apply for ACCM certification?
ABEM diplomates will submit applications to ABEM during the annual application period. ABEM will determine if an ABEM applicant fulfills the eligibility criteria.
8. When will the next ACCM subspecialty certification exam be available to ABEM diplomates?
The ABA administers the ACCM subspecialty certification exam on an annual basis.
9. What is the format and content of the exam?
The ACCM certification exam is a one-day exam consisting of approximately 200 multiple choice questions. It is administered using a secure, computerized exam platform. The ABA administers this exam in Pearson VUE testing centers. An exam content outline is available at https://www.theaba.org.
10. Who will issue the certificate to ABEM diplomates who pass the ACCM subspecialty certification exam?
ABEM will issue ACCM certificates to its diplomates.
11. What are the requirements to maintain certification in ACCM?
Physicians certified in ACCM must meet the requirements of the ABEM MOC program or the ABA MOCA program.
12. What is the process for obtaining ABA approval for the 24 months of ACCM fellowship training that an emergency physician must complete to fulfill the eligibility criteria?
It is the ACCM fellowship program director’s responsibility to submit the program curriculum to the ABA for review and approval. Training completed in any program that does not have the prior approval of the ABA will not fulfill the training requirement.
13. When an ABEM diplomate has fulfilled the ACCM eligibility criteria and has taken and passed the ACCM certification exam, how is that accomplishment recognized?
The ABEM diplomate who has met the ACCM eligibility criteria and who passes the ACCM subspecialty exam is recognized as being certified in the subspecialty of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine. Certification is for a period of ten years.
ABEM issues the certificates to its diplomates. The certificates are dated from the date of the exam re sults letter and expire December 31 ten years thereafter. The diplomate’s emergency medicine certification must be valid in order for the subspecialty certification to remain valid.