Forum Members ABFAS/ABPM

[newpodgrad]

Hey guys

While looking for jobs , I inquired with a few local hospitals about how to go about getting privileges.

Several of them sent me info and I wanted to highlight a board concern.

Not sure how to really take it, but here’s a excerpt from one of the docs re: board status.

“Board Certification Requirement means certification from one of the following boards: the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery, or those Boards which may be approved by the Executive Committee to satisfy this Requirement”

As a disclaimer, I’m not a HUGE surgery pod. I enjoyed it , and did it in residency because, well, that’s what we had to do. And I’m fine with my forefoot procedures. I believe I’ve done well with them at my current level. I don’t care to do TARS, scopes mid foot fusions etc. I have no problem referring them out. I took the ABFAS qualifying tests etc, because again, it’s encouraged in residency and passed them.

Looking at this doc, it almost seems like this board required if you wanted to be on staff. The little statement at the end regarding “or those boards” seems like it might open the door for ABPM with some petitioning or something.

What do you guys make of this? I have heard from others that ABPM will get involved with issues regarding privileges etc. Is there more to this picture than meets the eye?

Thanks in advance for everyone’s take

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[JewOnThis]

I saw this and was confused. Should ABFAS cert pods sign up for the CAQ? Let me know what you are doing. I don’t want to waste money if I dont have to.

 

[CutsWithFury]

I saw this and was confused. Should ABFAS cert pods sign up for the CAQ? Let me know what you are doing. I don’t want to waste money if I dont have to.

What? Nobody is signing up for this crap except ABPM certified podiatrists who can't pass ABFAS and want to get some kind of surgical credential so they can unbundle their procedures to rob mankind once again.

 

[air bud]

I saw this and was confused. Should ABFAS cert pods sign up for the CAQ? Let me know what you are doing. I don’t want to waste money if I dont have to.

Excellent sir

 

[Shiyuan]

Intrigued to see how this turns out for ABPM / ABFAS...

 

[air bud]

Intrigued to see how this turns out for ABPM / ABFAS...

Winner - ABFAS
Not the Winner - ABPM
Loser - Podiatry

 

[deleted1138023]

oh no ABFAS is scared that their monopoly might end. won't we think of the poor ABFAS.

 

[Feeter]

ABFAS should include in their statement orthopedic foot and ankle surgeons also should get ABFAS cert as ABFAS is the only certifying board for foot and ankle surgery in United States. What a joke. Be more inclusive and this wouldn't have happened. ABFAS cert pass rate is abysmally low for it to be the only cert pods can apply for given such variability in what every podiatrist practices. Nightmare for young podiatrist though. I am a fan of this move by ABPM.

 

[deleted1138023]

ABFAS should include in their statement orthopedic foot and ankle surgeons also should get ABFAS cert as ABFAS is the only certifying board for foot and ankle surgery in United States. What a joke. Be more inclusive and this wouldn't have happened. ABFAS cert pass rate is abysmally low for it to be the only cert pods can apply for given such variability in what every podiatrist practices. Nightmare for young podiatrist though. I am a fan of this move by ABPM.

Agree. ABFAS was a nightmare to go through. it's intended just for them to make as much $ as possible and gatekeep as much as possible.

 

[deleted1138023]

We should have one board, with low dues and a very high pass rate. Boards are a scam disguised as some sort of valid patient safety tool. ABFAS did this to themselves.

nailed it.

 

[Pronation]

As a total toenail replacement surgeon, which highly advanced surgery board certification is best for me?

 

[deleted1138023]

As a total toenail replacement surgeon, which highly advanced surgery board certification is best for me?

The TFCFASABMPFAS

 

[JewOnThis]

As a total toenail replacement surgeon, which highly advanced surgery board certification is best for me?

APMA

 

[Utvolsdpm]

nailed it.

Oh now we are doing puns??

 

[GreenHousePub]

Should ABFAS cert pods sign up for the CAQ?

Do you like paying more dues per year for nothing in return?

 

[air bud]

As a total toenail replacement surgeon, which highly advanced surgery board certification is best for me?

Just wait for the CAQ for that sub specialty

 

[Shiyuan]

ABMSP be like...

 

[wakaflocka88]

Cmon dudes. Let’s cut the ABPM some slack. After all their main office is a tiny beach house in Huntington Beach. Respect that

 

[air bud]

Cmon dudes. Let’s cut the ABPM some slack. After all their main office is a tiny beach house in Huntington Beach. Respect that

Weak sauce. Not like the ABFAS headquarters in San Francisco. My favorite was a few years ago when they had an annual meeting in Panama city. My residency director was a past president of ABFAS and those were some interesting stories....


Edit - panama city Panama, not Florida.

 

[Weirdy]

As a total toenail replacement surgeon, which highly advanced surgery board certification is best for me?

I am an uncertified Total Toenail Replacement resident and will undercut above poster's fees by 50%.

Every applicant must sign a risk waiver.

 

[HaimFeldman]

 

[HardRoadPaved]

To the Profession,


We appreciate all the interest in ABPM’s Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) program and we thought this would be a good time to emphasize what we stand for.

We Celebrate the Diversity of Practice

The practice of podiatric medicine is innately diverse. Similar to the specialties of ophthalmology and ENT, podiatry is a regional specialty and not a systems-oriented specialty. Thus, ABPM created the CAQ program to assist board certified podiatrists in communicating their specific expertise and interest in a subspecialty with the public and hospitals. Podiatrists may focus their practice in primary care, pediatrics, wound care, or sports medicine. Other podiatrists serve a critical need in medicine, providing generalized services and preventative care. Gerontology-focused podiatrists are some of the unsung heroes of our profession and a rapidly growing need in medicine. Many of these services are provided in the hospital setting. Of course, surgical intervention may be a part of the treatment in any of these areas.

We Issue CAQs Under Our Authority

The ABPM seeks CPME recognition for its Board Certification and has always remained in compliance with CPME standards. The ABPM does not seek recognition for CAQs and does not require any other entity to provide approval.



In correspondence with ABPM, the CPME acknowledged it does not have jurisdiction over CAQs. However, CPME and the ABPM agreed upon the following language in order to promote that clarity:

“The Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) is a special distinction created and issued solely by the ABPM to recognize a podiatric physician who has established additional competency beyond board certification.”

The ABPM has over 5 years of precedent offering CAQs beginning in 2017 with the CAQ in Amputation Prevention and Wound Care. In 2022 we issued CAQs in Podiatric Sports Medicine. And we just announced the CAQ in Podiatric Surgery chaired by Dr. Tim Ford. The CAQ committees utilize exam development processes that are as rigorous, psychometrically-valid, and independently-verified as all other well-established ABPM examinations.

A CAQ is not a back door route to board certification because it is a Certificate of Added Qualification. A candidate must first be board certified in order to be eligible to sit for a CAQ. Thus, CAQs are not a substitute for board certification, they are simply an acknowledgement that the holder has qualified for a distinction in addition to, and distinct from, board certification.


In 2019, the CPME/JCRSB convened an ad hoc committee to discuss CAQs with representatives from CPME and the two certifying boards. At the last meeting of that committee, they did not reach a consensus on CAQs and have taken no action since.

We Strive to Reduce Confusion through Comparable Standards

The ABPM has adopted terminology similar to our physician colleague boards to reduce confusion in the public, between physicians, and at medical staff offices. For example, “Board Eligible” is the term the MD/DO uses when residents finish an approved training program. Podiatric boards have used the term Board Qualified. A candidate has to take an exam (qualification) in order to take another exam (certification). This is confusing and suggests that a certifying board does not trust the standardized residency training program. The ABPM trusts the CPME-standardized residency model and has combined the qualification and certification exams into one. Thus, we eliminated the status of Board Qualified. Now, residents who complete a CPME-approved Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency (PMSR) are ABPM Board Eligible the day they graduate for a period of 8 years or until they pass the certification exam. This is terminology hospitals understand.

CAQs are common designations in allopathic and osteopathic medicine and clarify a physician’s expertise to the public, peers, and hospitals.

We Believe in Unifying the Profession

The ABPM believes that the profession would be best served by a single, valid certifying board. Almost 50 years of history has led us to this point with two recognized boards. The ABPM has been a willing partner of the APMA for nearly a decade in exploring their vision of a single certifying board. This vision was not supported by all organizations and no further meetings have been scheduled.

The ABPM proposed that both CPME-recognized boards collaborate on a single in-training exam, since there is a standardized residency training model. We believe this would greatly benefit the residents and positively influence the training programs. This proposal has the support of APMA and the Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH) but, unfortunately, it has been rejected numerous times by a lone stakeholder organization.

We Oppose Discrimination Against Podiatrists

The ABPM opposes and actively pursues remediation in cases where podiatrists are discriminated against based on their degree or board certification for state scope of practice, hospital or surgical privileges.
We believe hospitals should follow the many laws, standards, and precedents, whereby surgeons are privileged based on their education, training, and experience. While it is clearly a violation for board certification to be the sole criterion in privileging decisions, if certification is an element of privileging, it must be certification in one’s primary specialty. Since there is a single, standardized podiatry residency that culminates in the eligibility to be certified by either of the CPME-recognized boards, either are considered certification in the primary specialty of podiatry.



We Are Certifying Today’s Podiatrist

The ABPM’s primary goal is, was, and continues to be protecting the public by providing a fair, balanced, psychometrically valid process of examination for podiatrists. The ABPM Board of Directors stands for these principles and remains committed to making the profession a better place for all of us and our patients.​

Thank you for your support.

Lee C. Rogers, DPM, President

Melissa Lockwood, DPM, Vice President

Nicole Delauro, DPM, Treasurer

Bryan Roth, DPM, Secretary

William Chagares, DPM, Past President

Gina Painter, DPM, Acting Executive Director

Coleen Napolitano, DPM, Director

Priya Parthasarathy, DPM, Director

Brian Lepow, DPM, Director

Karen Shum, DPM, Director

Adam Johnson, DPM, Director




----------------------
The most round about way to say we are not on par with ABFAS but we would love to get more members that cant get in their club... but call this "discrimination" in our profession

 

[wakaflocka88]

To the Profession,


We appreciate all the interest in ABPM’s Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) program and we thought this would be a good time to emphasize what we stand for.

We Celebrate the Diversity of Practice

The practice of podiatric medicine is innately diverse. Similar to the specialties of ophthalmology and ENT, podiatry is a regional specialty and not a systems-oriented specialty. Thus, ABPM created the CAQ program to assist board certified podiatrists in communicating their specific expertise and interest in a subspecialty with the public and hospitals. Podiatrists may focus their practice in primary care, pediatrics, wound care, or sports medicine. Other podiatrists serve a critical need in medicine, providing generalized services and preventative care. Gerontology-focused podiatrists are some of the unsung heroes of our profession and a rapidly growing need in medicine. Many of these services are provided in the hospital setting. Of course, surgical intervention may be a part of the treatment in any of these areas.

We Issue CAQs Under Our Authority

The ABPM seeks CPME recognition for its Board Certification and has always remained in compliance with CPME standards. The ABPM does not seek recognition for CAQs and does not require any other entity to provide approval.



In correspondence with ABPM, the CPME acknowledged it does not have jurisdiction over CAQs. However, CPME and the ABPM agreed upon the following language in order to promote that clarity:

“The Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) is a special distinction created and issued solely by the ABPM to recognize a podiatric physician who has established additional competency beyond board certification.”

The ABPM has over 5 years of precedent offering CAQs beginning in 2017 with the CAQ in Amputation Prevention and Wound Care. In 2022 we issued CAQs in Podiatric Sports Medicine. And we just announced the CAQ in Podiatric Surgery chaired by Dr. Tim Ford. The CAQ committees utilize exam development processes that are as rigorous, psychometrically-valid, and independently-verified as all other well-established ABPM examinations.

A CAQ is not a back door route to board certification because it is a Certificate of Added Qualification. A candidate must first be board certified in order to be eligible to sit for a CAQ. Thus, CAQs are not a substitute for board certification, they are simply an acknowledgement that the holder has qualified for a distinction in addition to, and distinct from, board certification.


In 2019, the CPME/JCRSB convened an ad hoc committee to discuss CAQs with representatives from CPME and the two certifying boards. At the last meeting of that committee, they did not reach a consensus on CAQs and have taken no action since.

We Strive to Reduce Confusion through Comparable Standards

The ABPM has adopted terminology similar to our physician colleague boards to reduce confusion in the public, between physicians, and at medical staff offices. For example, “Board Eligible” is the term the MD/DO uses when residents finish an approved training program. Podiatric boards have used the term Board Qualified. A candidate has to take an exam (qualification) in order to take another exam (certification). This is confusing and suggests that a certifying board does not trust the standardized residency training program. The ABPM trusts the CPME-standardized residency model and has combined the qualification and certification exams into one. Thus, we eliminated the status of Board Qualified. Now, residents who complete a CPME-approved Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency (PMSR) are ABPM Board Eligible the day they graduate for a period of 8 years or until they pass the certification exam. This is terminology hospitals understand.

CAQs are common designations in allopathic and osteopathic medicine and clarify a physician’s expertise to the public, peers, and hospitals.

We Believe in Unifying the Profession

The ABPM believes that the profession would be best served by a single, valid certifying board. Almost 50 years of history has led us to this point with two recognized boards. The ABPM has been a willing partner of the APMA for nearly a decade in exploring their vision of a single certifying board. This vision was not supported by all organizations and no further meetings have been scheduled.

The ABPM proposed that both CPME-recognized boards collaborate on a single in-training exam, since there is a standardized residency training model. We believe this would greatly benefit the residents and positively influence the training programs. This proposal has the support of APMA and the Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH) but, unfortunately, it has been rejected numerous times by a lone stakeholder organization.

We Oppose Discrimination Against Podiatrists

The ABPM opposes and actively pursues remediation in cases where podiatrists are discriminated against based on their degree or board certification for state scope of practice, hospital or surgical privileges.
We believe hospitals should follow the many laws, standards, and precedents, whereby surgeons are privileged based on their education, training, and experience. While it is clearly a violation for board certification to be the sole criterion in privileging decisions, if certification is an element of privileging, it must be certification in one’s primary specialty. Since there is a single, standardized podiatry residency that culminates in the eligibility to be certified by either of the CPME-recognized boards, either are considered certification in the primary specialty of podiatry.



We Are Certifying Today’s Podiatrist

The ABPM’s primary goal is, was, and continues to be protecting the public by providing a fair, balanced, psychometrically valid process of examination for podiatrists. The ABPM Board of Directors stands for these principles and remains committed to making the profession a better place for all of us and our patients.​

Thank you for your support.

Lee C. Rogers, DPM, President

Melissa Lockwood, DPM, Vice President

Nicole Delauro, DPM, Treasurer

Bryan Roth, DPM, Secretary

William Chagares, DPM, Past President

Gina Painter, DPM, Acting Executive Director

Coleen Napolitano, DPM, Director

Priya Parthasarathy, DPM, Director

Brian Lepow, DPM, Director

Karen Shum, DPM, Director

Adam Johnson, DPM, Director




----------------------
The most round about way to say we are not on par with ABFAS but we would love to get more members that cant get in their club... but call this "discrimination" in our profession

Here’s my gripe: do these ABPM leaders
Ask themselves: what progression have we made for the profession as whole and not random case by cases for random podiatrists in the country? If this was true they would be emailing us concrete info on large scale accomplishments they’ve done (unifying the profession and the public) but instead we get these generic emails. Same with ABFAS. it’s constant subtle bickering and trying to out do the other all while trying to convince us we need these boards as our leaders. Don’t tell us about these small feats of small meager scholarships you provided, or the once a year lobbying efforts, or asking for constant donations or how you won a single hospital case for a podiatrist seeking privileges. This is not how it should be working - it should be leading a relentless charge in educating the public and healthcare system. But no - they’re content with their Huntington Beach office, raking in member dues with minimal production or large scale accomplishments. I welcome Lee Rogers and ABPM to prove me wrong with a real email of how you helped your thousands of members on a larger scale. And no, providing them with free PM news or free PP resources does not count.

 

[Feli]

"To the Profession,
....A CAQ is not a back door route to board certification because it is a Certificate of Added Qualification...."​

Exactly: the CAQ is not the back door route.
ABPM cert as a whole is the back door route to allow those who can't or didn't pass ABFAS to tell hospitals that one is board certified in podiatry... and often, it's also used to say they should be given surgical privileges. The CAQ is just an additional way to make the ruse seem even more official.

We should have one board, with low dues and a very high pass rate. Boards are a scam disguised as some sort of valid patient safety tool. ABFAS did this to themselves.

This would be ideal. The DPM training is too variant. The matriculants to the schools are too diverse. It was HUGELY variant for good/bad/no residency before we were in school... but it's still highly variant. There is just no MD/DO specialty where there are docs of anywhere from 0-5yrs of residency, trying to get privileges with multiple cert boards - real and fake, etc. Plastic surgery would be the closest comparison, but 98% of hospitals still know there is clearly only one legit board and one well-standardized residency type there.

Concur completely ABFAS did this with low pass rates (and now tons of those ppl trying to backdoor a way into hospital surgery privileges), but I would say CMPE or CASPR or whatever APMA branch did the worst of it with the "everyone is 3yr surgically trained" when there was not anywhere near the infrastructure to support anywhere near that. The VAs were able to bail out that mess (somewhat) by allowing quick creation of quite a few PM&S "surgical" residencies. The additional pod school/seats since then are piling onto the issue also. We will have much wider diversity than any MD/DO programs for many years to come, and these weird issues will continue. Even the best MD ortho residency vs the lowest volume DO ortho program have nowhere near the competency/skill/volume gap that DPM residencies can have.

I know I'm in the minority, but I still think DPMs would be best off to go the way of dentists: most do a 2yr residency to lead to a primary podiatry cert, some do 4yr surgical residency to lead to that cert. Everyone doesn't need to be a surgeon, not everyone even wants to, and the public would be best served if not every DPM did surgery (and then some do high volumes... like avg DDS vs oral surgeons). Look at the ABPM board of directors... how many of them (dozen?) would you even want to do a cheilectomy or a TMA on you or a family member? One or two? And this is a board that now is clearly trying to suggest they should gatekeep who is doing surgery among podiatrists. We shall see.

 

[newfeet]

To the Profession,


We appreciate all the interest in ABPM’s Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) program and we thought this would be a good time to emphasize what we stand for.

We Celebrate the Diversity of Practice

The practice of podiatric medicine is innately diverse. Similar to the specialties of ophthalmology and ENT, podiatry is a regional specialty and not a systems-oriented specialty. Thus, ABPM created the CAQ program to assist board certified podiatrists in communicating their specific expertise and interest in a subspecialty with the public and hospitals. Podiatrists may focus their practice in primary care, pediatrics, wound care, or sports medicine. Other podiatrists serve a critical need in medicine, providing generalized services and preventative care. Gerontology-focused podiatrists are some of the unsung heroes of our profession and a rapidly growing need in medicine. Many of these services are provided in the hospital setting. Of course, surgical intervention may be a part of the treatment in any of these areas.

We Issue CAQs Under Our Authority

The ABPM seeks CPME recognition for its Board Certification and has always remained in compliance with CPME standards. The ABPM does not seek recognition for CAQs and does not require any other entity to provide approval.



In correspondence with ABPM, the CPME acknowledged it does not have jurisdiction over CAQs. However, CPME and the ABPM agreed upon the following language in order to promote that clarity:

“The Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) is a special distinction created and issued solely by the ABPM to recognize a podiatric physician who has established additional competency beyond board certification.”

The ABPM has over 5 years of precedent offering CAQs beginning in 2017 with the CAQ in Amputation Prevention and Wound Care. In 2022 we issued CAQs in Podiatric Sports Medicine. And we just announced the CAQ in Podiatric Surgery chaired by Dr. Tim Ford. The CAQ committees utilize exam development processes that are as rigorous, psychometrically-valid, and independently-verified as all other well-established ABPM examinations.

A CAQ is not a back door route to board certification because it is a Certificate of Added Qualification. A candidate must first be board certified in order to be eligible to sit for a CAQ. Thus, CAQs are not a substitute for board certification, they are simply an acknowledgement that the holder has qualified for a distinction in addition to, and distinct from, board certification.


In 2019, the CPME/JCRSB convened an ad hoc committee to discuss CAQs with representatives from CPME and the two certifying boards. At the last meeting of that committee, they did not reach a consensus on CAQs and have taken no action since.

We Strive to Reduce Confusion through Comparable Standards

The ABPM has adopted terminology similar to our physician colleague boards to reduce confusion in the public, between physicians, and at medical staff offices. For example, “Board Eligible” is the term the MD/DO uses when residents finish an approved training program. Podiatric boards have used the term Board Qualified. A candidate has to take an exam (qualification) in order to take another exam (certification). This is confusing and suggests that a certifying board does not trust the standardized residency training program. The ABPM trusts the CPME-standardized residency model and has combined the qualification and certification exams into one. Thus, we eliminated the status of Board Qualified. Now, residents who complete a CPME-approved Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency (PMSR) are ABPM Board Eligible the day they graduate for a period of 8 years or until they pass the certification exam. This is terminology hospitals understand.

CAQs are common designations in allopathic and osteopathic medicine and clarify a physician’s expertise to the public, peers, and hospitals.

We Believe in Unifying the Profession

The ABPM believes that the profession would be best served by a single, valid certifying board. Almost 50 years of history has led us to this point with two recognized boards. The ABPM has been a willing partner of the APMA for nearly a decade in exploring their vision of a single certifying board. This vision was not supported by all organizations and no further meetings have been scheduled.

The ABPM proposed that both CPME-recognized boards collaborate on a single in-training exam, since there is a standardized residency training model. We believe this would greatly benefit the residents and positively influence the training programs. This proposal has the support of APMA and the Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH) but, unfortunately, it has been rejected numerous times by a lone stakeholder organization.

We Oppose Discrimination Against Podiatrists

The ABPM opposes and actively pursues remediation in cases where podiatrists are discriminated against based on their degree or board certification for state scope of practice, hospital or surgical privileges.
We believe hospitals should follow the many laws, standards, and precedents, whereby surgeons are privileged based on their education, training, and experience. While it is clearly a violation for board certification to be the sole criterion in privileging decisions, if certification is an element of privileging, it must be certification in one’s primary specialty. Since there is a single, standardized podiatry residency that culminates in the eligibility to be certified by either of the CPME-recognized boards, either are considered certification in the primary specialty of podiatry.



We Are Certifying Today’s Podiatrist

The ABPM’s primary goal is, was, and continues to be protecting the public by providing a fair, balanced, psychometrically valid process of examination for podiatrists. The ABPM Board of Directors stands for these principles and remains committed to making the profession a better place for all of us and our patients.​

Thank you for your support.

Lee C. Rogers, DPM, President

Melissa Lockwood, DPM, Vice President

Nicole Delauro, DPM, Treasurer

Bryan Roth, DPM, Secretary

William Chagares, DPM, Past President

Gina Painter, DPM, Acting Executive Director

Coleen Napolitano, DPM, Director

Priya Parthasarathy, DPM, Director

Brian Lepow, DPM, Director

Karen Shum, DPM, Director

Adam Johnson, DPM, Director




----------------------
The most round about way to say we are not on par with ABFAS but we would love to get more members that cant get in their club... but call this "discrimination" in our profession

I have ABPM only and I probably will never get ABFAS. I’ve yet to be discriminated against because of my board. I would like to hear about some discrimination experiences.

 

[Creflo]

Agree with Feli, we need to follow dentistry. Most should do a short residency and then for more advanced surgical do a long residency. If we don't do this, or if reimbursements don't increase, the future is in jeopardy for the profession.

 

[CutsWithFury]

I have ABPM only and I probably will never get ABFAS. I’ve yet to be discriminated against because of my board. I would like to hear about some discrimination experiences.

Yeah but what cases are you doing in practice? Not trying to be a jerk here. But if you are only willing to do toes, infections, amps nobody is standing in your way.

 

[ExperiencedDPM]

My question is why Dr. Rogers hasn’t taken and passed the ABFAS exam. Does he have an issue with the board? Does he have a problem with the exam? Why exactly wouldn’t he simply be certified by the ABPM and ABFAS?

I’m sure there is no self serving gratification to try to stick it to the ABFAS.

Yes Dr. Rogers. We need amother college even with dwindling numbers. We need more confusion among the boards and the impact this will have on those who don’t “understand״ our profession or boards.

I guess you’re not a believer in “if you can’t beat them, join them”. Instead you’ve splintered the ABPM with a CAQ for everything under the sun.

Yep, now those who CAN’T pass the ABFAS exam will be welcome with open arms to take the ABPM exam ($$$) and then get a CAQ in “surgery” ($$$).

They (he) has created a new product that simply doesn’t need to exist.

At the root is vengeance and money. He and his cronies don’t give a crap about what’s best for the profession.

Self serving leaders WILL destroy this profession under the guise of being saviors.

 

[icebreaker32]

To the Profession,


We appreciate all the interest in ABPM’s Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) program and we thought this would be a good time to emphasize what we stand for.

We Celebrate the Diversity of Practice

The practice of podiatric medicine is innately diverse. Similar to the specialties of ophthalmology and ENT, podiatry is a regional specialty and not a systems-oriented specialty. Thus, ABPM created the CAQ program to assist board certified podiatrists in communicating their specific expertise and interest in a subspecialty with the public and hospitals. Podiatrists may focus their practice in primary care, pediatrics, wound care, or sports medicine. Other podiatrists serve a critical need in medicine, providing generalized services and preventative care. Gerontology-focused podiatrists are some of the unsung heroes of our profession and a rapidly growing need in medicine. Many of these services are provided in the hospital setting. Of course, surgical intervention may be a part of the treatment in any of these areas.

We Issue CAQs Under Our Authority

The ABPM seeks CPME recognition for its Board Certification and has always remained in compliance with CPME standards. The ABPM does not seek recognition for CAQs and does not require any other entity to provide approval.



In correspondence with ABPM, the CPME acknowledged it does not have jurisdiction over CAQs. However, CPME and the ABPM agreed upon the following language in order to promote that clarity:

“The Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) is a special distinction created and issued solely by the ABPM to recognize a podiatric physician who has established additional competency beyond board certification.”

The ABPM has over 5 years of precedent offering CAQs beginning in 2017 with the CAQ in Amputation Prevention and Wound Care. In 2022 we issued CAQs in Podiatric Sports Medicine. And we just announced the CAQ in Podiatric Surgery chaired by Dr. Tim Ford. The CAQ committees utilize exam development processes that are as rigorous, psychometrically-valid, and independently-verified as all other well-established ABPM examinations.

A CAQ is not a back door route to board certification because it is a Certificate of Added Qualification. A candidate must first be board certified in order to be eligible to sit for a CAQ. Thus, CAQs are not a substitute for board certification, they are simply an acknowledgement that the holder has qualified for a distinction in addition to, and distinct from, board certification.


In 2019, the CPME/JCRSB convened an ad hoc committee to discuss CAQs with representatives from CPME and the two certifying boards. At the last meeting of that committee, they did not reach a consensus on CAQs and have taken no action since.

We Strive to Reduce Confusion through Comparable Standards

The ABPM has adopted terminology similar to our physician colleague boards to reduce confusion in the public, between physicians, and at medical staff offices. For example, “Board Eligible” is the term the MD/DO uses when residents finish an approved training program. Podiatric boards have used the term Board Qualified. A candidate has to take an exam (qualification) in order to take another exam (certification). This is confusing and suggests that a certifying board does not trust the standardized residency training program. The ABPM trusts the CPME-standardized residency model and has combined the qualification and certification exams into one. Thus, we eliminated the status of Board Qualified. Now, residents who complete a CPME-approved Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency (PMSR) are ABPM Board Eligible the day they graduate for a period of 8 years or until they pass the certification exam. This is terminology hospitals understand.

CAQs are common designations in allopathic and osteopathic medicine and clarify a physician’s expertise to the public, peers, and hospitals.

We Believe in Unifying the Profession

The ABPM believes that the profession would be best served by a single, valid certifying board. Almost 50 years of history has led us to this point with two recognized boards. The ABPM has been a willing partner of the APMA for nearly a decade in exploring their vision of a single certifying board. This vision was not supported by all organizations and no further meetings have been scheduled.

The ABPM proposed that both CPME-recognized boards collaborate on a single in-training exam, since there is a standardized residency training model. We believe this would greatly benefit the residents and positively influence the training programs. This proposal has the support of APMA and the Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH) but, unfortunately, it has been rejected numerous times by a lone stakeholder organization.

We Oppose Discrimination Against Podiatrists

The ABPM opposes and actively pursues remediation in cases where podiatrists are discriminated against based on their degree or board certification for state scope of practice, hospital or surgical privileges.
We believe hospitals should follow the many laws, standards, and precedents, whereby surgeons are privileged based on their education, training, and experience. While it is clearly a violation for board certification to be the sole criterion in privileging decisions, if certification is an element of privileging, it must be certification in one’s primary specialty. Since there is a single, standardized podiatry residency that culminates in the eligibility to be certified by either of the CPME-recognized boards, either are considered certification in the primary specialty of podiatry.



We Are Certifying Today’s Podiatrist

The ABPM’s primary goal is, was, and continues to be protecting the public by providing a fair, balanced, psychometrically valid process of examination for podiatrists. The ABPM Board of Directors stands for these principles and remains committed to making the profession a better place for all of us and our patients.​

Thank you for your support.

Lee C. Rogers, DPM, President

Melissa Lockwood, DPM, Vice President

Nicole Delauro, DPM, Treasurer

Bryan Roth, DPM, Secretary

William Chagares, DPM, Past President

Gina Painter, DPM, Acting Executive Director

Coleen Napolitano, DPM, Director

Priya Parthasarathy, DPM, Director

Brian Lepow, DPM, Director

Karen Shum, DPM, Director

Adam Johnson, DPM, Director




----------------------
The most round about way to say we are not on par with ABFAS but we would love to get more members that cant get in their club... but call this "discrimination" in our profession

I know of at least one person on that list (not board certified by ABFAS obviously) whose father was a former ABFAS president.

I can not blame the limb salvage community for doing something like this and ABFAS has excluded many with their low pass rates……. but come on man podiatry so much constant drama for a small profession.

 

[Feli]

Yeah but what cases are you doing in practice? Not trying to be a jerk here. But if you are only willing to do toes, infections, amps nobody is standing in your way.

Nobody is standing in your way to what? APMA prez? Chief of Podiatry Dept at Columbia Univ Med Cntr? Editor of PMNews?

 

[newfeet]

Yeah but what cases are you doing in practice? Not trying to be a jerk here. But if you are only willing to do toes, infections, amps nobody is standing in your way.

Probably it. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m less and less willing to any surgery of any kind. I was doing bunion, met fractures and amps at my other jobs. I was never trying to flex my surgical muscles. Surgery was never a selling point for me.

It seems like a needless fight. If you are doing the high end surgery ABFAS makes sense to pass. If you are like me in the minority who doesn’t care much about surgery ABPM gets me what I need. I do see the potential problem of people who failed and wanting a surgical certification/board using this as proof. But who can stop them from doing this.

 

[newfeet]

Nobody is standing in your way to what? APMA prez? Chief of Podiatry Dept at Columbia Univ Med Cntr? Editor of PMNews?

You found out my goals…. How?

 

[Feli]

My question is why Dr. Rogers hasn’t taken and passed the ABFAS exam. Does he have an issue with the board? Does he have a problem with the exam? Why exactly wouldn’t he simply be certified by the ABPM and ABFAS?

I’m sure there is no self serving gratification to try to stick it to the ABFAS...

Narrative: too busy doing bigtime Charcot, wound flaps, publishing, etc... didn't get enough bunions for diversity (due to bigtime recons), ran out of years to pass it.

Real story: probably failed the written.

...it's a moot point, though. ABPM will have its place.

I feel pretty sorry for people having surgery from non qual/cert DPMs, but I'm getting good at revisions, lol.
Last week, I was sending one guy with a bit of pain after Brostrom back to his orig surgeon (good published and ABFAS cert DPM near me in a competing group). I usually give them the FootHealthFacts or ABFAS find-a-doc search link printout, and he asked me, "what do you mean when you say 'he's board certified'? You say that like it's a good thing, but isn't that like a minimal requirement for any doctor?"

Me: "Well, uh, if it were up to me, it would be."

 

[ExperiencedDPM]

This is a serious question and not sarcastic. Does our esteemed colleague who is well know at the Keck School of Medicine,etc., actually perform surgery? We all know about his lectures and research and publications. But is he actively involved with hands on surgical cases?

Despite all the people I know, I honestly know nothing about him personally or his clinical activity.

 

[icebreaker32]

We all know what is going on here. Yes there is added legitimacy because ABPM is CPME approved board and the people pushing for this are mainly in academic institutions and have done fellowships and published. I suppose it does not help either that ABFAS is not an ABMS specialty. The reality is 99 percent of people that can become board certified by ABFAS do. Yes this is way better than ABLES, ABMSP etc in my opinion.

There is nothing wrong with an the academic wound care track.

What always happens is we find another way to create the have and have nots.

There is just not enough quality jobs for all.

I see it now 2 paths to get quality jobs. ABFAS with board certification (preferably rearfoot) or qualified with a fellowship and ABPM with a fellowship, and multiple CAQs. They are trying control the academic and institutional limb salvage market. We all know there are not that many good jobs available. Good luck trying to do this type of work in private practice.

There will be two tracks for corporate $ also. One for hardware and one for wound care.

 

[diabeticfootdr]

I really don’t understand the personal attacks on this forum. They probably violate the SDN TOS. They are opinion, but not facts. But that’s the internet.

Cicero said, “Those with the weakest positions always shout the loudest.”

I realize that posting under my own name opens me up to anonymous bomb-throwers who would never say the same things to my face.

If you’d like to know about me personally or my practice, you can ask. I’m completely open to sharing and I think this is a great profession with many opportunities.

I’m the busiest surgeon at University Hospital. I’m on track to do 1000-1200 surgeries this year. Podiatry is an admitting service and we have an average census of 20-25. I do all kinds of limb salvage surgeries. Charcot recons, flaps, amputations, STSGs, tendon balancing and transfers, ankle arthrodesis, etc.

But doing "big surgeries" is not the measuring stick I use to determine my success. I’m successful if I can make a meaningful difference in preventing amputations and teach others. We have a great training program with 9 residents, 2 fellows, and numerous students. It is my goal to train the future leaders of our profession.

Yes, I passed the ABPS (ABFAS) qualification exam in 2006. In roughly 2008, I realized I’d never get the case diversity required by ABPS by specializing in limb salvage. I wrote them a letter and resigned and received a refund.

But this is not about me. This is about what kind of profession we want to create for future podiatrists. As President of ABPM, I’m working to create a profession where most podiatrists can be certified in doing what they’re trained to do.

I welcome constructive comments and questions.

 

[Feli]

We all know what is going on here. Yes there is added legitimacy because ABPM is CPME approved board and the people pushing for this are mainly in academic institutions and have done fellowships and published. I suppose it does not help either that ABFAS is not an ABMS specialty. The reality is 99 percent of people that can become board certified by ABFAS do. Yes this is way better than ABLES, ABMSP etc in my opinion.

There is nothing wrong an the academic wound care track.

What always happens is we find another way to create the have and have nots.

There is just not enough quality jobs for all.

I see it now 2 paths to get quality jobs. ABFAS with board certification (preferably rear foot) or qualified with fellowships and ABPM with fellowships multiple CAQs. They are trying control the academic and institutional limb salvage market. We all know there are not that many good jobs available. Good luck trying to do this type of work in private practice.

Present day, yes. Long term, it is bigger than that, though... they are trying to expose a weakness in ABFAS (fewer members and a sizable number of DPMs frustrated with the tough cert process). ABPM is trying to become the only DPM board instead of just the backup cert board. APMA tried this before with asking PI to create the crap that eventually became ASPS after ACFAS made APMA a non-req.

The lynch pin will probably be whether ACFAS, the pretty clear DPM education/journal leader, will accept ABPM CAQ. That will only happen if ABPM CAQ is adopted widely by DPMs and ABFAS is really reeling for members/apps. ACFAS would have to make a move to survive and have more DPMs eligible for membership. I think none of that will come to bear, but time will tell.

As mentioned by @ExperiencedDPM, there is no coincidence between this happening now and someone who did not pass ABFAS (which was then ABPS) and is a longstanding critic of that board's standards now being high up with ABPM (formerly ABPOPPM).

I think the infighting is lame. It drags us all down from doing productive stuff. Maybe that's easy for me to say... I'm not going for any power since I don't have any power. Those in power always want more. C'est la vie.

I saw a movie The Social Network once where Justin Timberlake started Napster to show up a girl who hadn't wanted to date him.
I think Darth Vader changed sides once too... but I was more of a Baywatch guy than Star Wars or Star Trek while growing up. Dunno.
Sometimes, events or rejections can really change ppl... and they can really hold grudges that lay dormant awhile. That is neat energy that manifests in interesting ways.

If you want to see a funny post, look at this below (and yeah, I screen-shotted it in case it now gets deleted... $10 says it will, so enjoy it while it lasts).

 

[newfeet]

Present day, yes. Long term, it is bigger than that, though... they are trying to expose a weakness in ABFAS (fewer members and a sizable number of DPMs frustrated with the tough cert process). ABPM is trying to become the only DPM board instead of just the backup cert board. APMA tried this before with asking PI to create the crap that eventually became ASPS after ACFAS made APMA a non-req.

The lynch pin will probably be whether ACFAS, the pretty clear DPM education/journal leader, will accept ABPM CAQ. That will only happen if ABPM CAQ is adopted widely by DPMs and ABFAS is really reeling for members/apps. ACFAS would have to make a move to survive and have more DPMs eligible for membership. I think none of that will come to bear, but time will tell.

As mentioned by PADPM, there is no coincidence between this happening now and someone who did not pass ABFAS (which was then ABPS) and is a longstanding critic of that board's standards now being high up with ABPM (formerly ABPOPPM).

I saw a movie The Social Network once where Justin Timberlake started Napster to show up a girl who hadn't wanted to date him.
I think Darth Vader changed sides once too... but I was more of a Baywatch guy than Star Wars or Star Trek while growing up. Dunno.
Sometimes, events or rejections can really change ppl... and they can really hold grudges that lay dormant awhile. That is neat energy that manifests in interesting ways.

If you want to see a funny post, look at this below (and yeah, I screen-shotted it in case it now gets deleted... $10 says it will, so enjoy it while it lasts).

View attachment 358178

ASPS now accepts ABPM board certified podiatrist with surgical privileges at a hospital or surgical center. I think that’s still the plan.

 

[Feli]

He doesn’t do Charcot or flaps. No way he does real surgery.

Narrative = story

I know stories. Never claim to know the real truth, whole truth, nothing but the truth.

 

[diabeticfootdr]

He has fellows who do his surgeries for him

Maybe one of the problems with this forum and our profession, is that posters aren't very professional.

Present day, yes. Long term, it is bigger than that, though... they are trying to expose a weakness in ABFAS (fewer members and a sizable number of DPMs frustrated with the tough cert process). ABPM is trying to become the only DPM board instead of just the backup cert board. APMA tried this before with asking PI to create the crap that eventually became ASPS after ACFAS made APMA a non-req.

The lynch pin will probably be whether ACFAS, the pretty clear DPM education/journal leader, will accept ABPM CAQ. That will only happen if ABPM CAQ is adopted widely by DPMs and ABFAS is really reeling for members/apps. ACFAS would have to make a move to survive and have more DPMs eligible for membership. I think none of that will come to bear, but time will tell.

As mentioned by PADPM, there is no coincidence between this happening now and someone who did not pass ABFAS (which was then ABPS) and is a longstanding critic of that board's standards now being high up with ABPM (formerly ABPOPPM).

I think the infighting is lame. It drags us all down from doing productive stuff. Maybe that's easy for me to say... I'm not going for any power since I don't have any power. Those in power always want more. C'est la vie.

I saw a movie The Social Network once where Justin Timberlake started Napster to show up a girl who hadn't wanted to date him.
I think Darth Vader changed sides once too... but I was more of a Baywatch guy than Star Wars or Star Trek while growing up. Dunno.
Sometimes, events or rejections can really change ppl... and they can really hold grudges that lay dormant awhile. That is neat energy that manifests in interesting ways.

If you want to see a funny post, look at this below (and yeah, I screen-shotted it in case it now gets deleted... $10 says it will, so enjoy it while it lasts).

View attachment 358178

I'm happy I've matured. I've been a member of this forum for almost 20 years. I probably have lots of posts from then when I wasn't as mature. ... at that time I was a 1st year resident and fell for the same marketing that others did. Both boards have changed in 20 years. ABFAS is no longer ABPS and ABPM is no longer ABPOPPM. It's progress.

 

[wakaflocka88]

I really don’t understand the personal attacks on this forum. They probably violate the SDN TOS. They are opinion, but not facts. But that’s the internet.

Cicero said, “Those with the weakest positions always shout the loudest.”

I realize that posting under my own name opens me up to anonymous bomb-throwers who would never say the same things to my face.

If you’d like to know about me personally or my practice, you can ask. I’m completely open to sharing and I think this is a great profession with many opportunities.

I’m the busiest surgeon at University Hospital. I’m on track to do 1000-1200 surgeries this year. Podiatry is an admitting service and we have an average census of 20-25. I do all kinds of limb salvage surgeries. Charcot recons, flaps, amputations, STSGs, tendon balancing and transfers, ankle arthrodesis, etc.

But doing "big surgeries" is not the measuring stick I use to determine my success. I’m successful if I can make a meaningful difference in preventing amputations and teach others. We have a great training program with 9 residents, 2 fellows, and numerous students. It is my goal to train the future leaders of our profession.

Yes, I passed the ABPS (ABFAS) qualification exam in 2006. In roughly 2008, I realized I’d never get the case diversity required by ABPS by specializing in limb salvage. I wrote them a letter and resigned and received a refund.

But this is not about me. This is about what kind of profession we want to create for future podiatrists. As President of ABPM, I’m working to create a profession where most podiatrists can be certified in doing what they’re trained to do.

I welcome constructive comments and questions.

Dr. Rogers, you can refer to my above post on my thoughts. And for reference,
Feli posted your thoughts in a succinct screenshot above.

You told us what you’re doing in your program to train the next generation. I humbly agree with that and I’m glad you have the volume to show your residents and students which is awesome. My problem is this - that’s you individually. That’s not ABPM doing it to show the rest of the medical field. I want ABPM to lead, show, demonstrate and challenge the obstacles collectively with quarterly emails demonstrating this

 

[Feli]

ASPS now accepts ABPM board certified podiatrist with surgical privileges at a hospital or surgical center. I think that’s still the plan.

Yeah, of course.

Since ACFAS left APMA membership as a non-req (at request of its membership vote), the APMA whipped up ASPS to have a "surgical affiliate" (PI rebuffed APMA on making one, so APMA had some relative no-namers do it). If ASPS has a journal, I shudder to read it.

Ergo, people who can pass ABFAS will generally do ACFAS stuff. People Who can't pass ABFAS will mostly pass ABPM (maybe surg CAQ), do APMA/ASPS stuff.

In addition to a divide among training, the good will get better with better CME, and the lesser will get worse with subpar CME. Pretty sweet structure. Egos are awesome. Everyone knows this DPM professional surgery / CME / political divide... with the minor exception of the public, MDs, DOs, hospitals, etc. But "everyone" being 95% of DPMs

 

[Feli]

Maybe one of the problems with this forum and our profession, is that posters aren't very professional.

I'm happy I've matured. I've been a member of this forum for almost 20 years. I probably have lots of posts from then when I wasn't as mature. ... at that time I was a 1st year resident and fell for the same marketing that others did. Both boards have changed in 20 years. ABFAS is no longer ABPS and ABPM is no longer ABPOPPM. It's progress.

Yep. But, you have to admit, you thought you'd pass ABFAS (ABPS) at the time of that post... and recognized ABPS as having real standards and ABPOPPM being a joke for those who couldn't do ABPS.
That thought / result changed. The boards have changed also. Nobody really knows but you how or why that opinion changed.
Either way, your one podiatry cert board logic remains then and now... just different board based on result of the past dozen or so years.

It's no big deal man, you and I (and NatCH, etc) are some of the only ppl who post SDN regularly and mostly/totally non-anon, for various reasonings. I have some old posts that probably look tacky or just wrong now too if I searched. I am not ABFAS cert yet (qual in both Foot + RRA but did fail cases for cert once, I'm allowed a few more attempts, it's not easy), and I do have ABPM cert + Wound. I still think the standards and CME are landslide to ABFAS/ACFAS. ABPM has improved. APMA/JAMA has some good stuff but can't hold a candle to ACFAS/JFAS (or FAI, JBJS, etc), at least for my type of practice and that of many DPMs. That JMO, nobody else's... could change over time I suppose, likely would based on my continued BC exp... and I completely get it that that's the angle ABPM CAQ is targeting.

I think everyone can fully understand why DPMs, pre-pod, students, etc are understandably confused as heck. A ton of egos and infights.
The end goal would be best and most standardized training, best CME surg and non, fair boards... name of board could matter less.

 

[diabeticfootdr]

Yep. But, you have to admit, you thought you'd pass ABFAS (ABPS) at the time... and recognized ABPS as having real standards and ABPOPPM being a joke for those who couldn't do ABPS.
That thought / result changed. The boards have changed also. Nobody really knows but you how or why that opinion changed.
Either way, your one podiatry cert board logic remains than and now... just different board based on result of the past dozen or so years.

It's no big deal man, you and I are some of the only ppl who post SDN regularly and non-anon, for various reasonings. I am not ABFAS cert yet (qual in both Foot + RRA but did fail cases once, I'm allowed a few more attempts, it's not easy).

I think everyone can fully understand why DPMs, pre-pod, students, etc are understandably confused as heck.
The end goal would be best and most standardized training, best CME, fair boards... name of board could matter less.

The year I sat for ABPOPPM there were 24 people being certified. Now with ABPM, there are 500+ per year. Times change my friend. Good luck on the cases.

 

[Shiyuan]

The year I sat for ABPOPPM there were 24 people being certified. Now with ABPM, there are 500+ per year. Times change my friend. Good luck on the cases.

Great numbers!

 

[icebreaker32]

Present day, yes. Long term, it is bigger than that, though... they are trying to expose a weakness in ABFAS (fewer members and a sizable number of DPMs frustrated with the tough cert process). ABPM is trying to become the only DPM board instead of just the backup cert board. APMA tried this before with asking PI to create the crap that eventually became ASPS after ACFAS made APMA a non-req.

The lynch pin will probably be whether ACFAS, the pretty clear DPM education/journal leader, will accept ABPM CAQ. That will only happen if ABPM CAQ is adopted widely by DPMs and ABFAS is really reeling for members/apps. ACFAS would have to make a move to survive and have more DPMs eligible for membership. I think none of that will come to bear, but time will tell.

As mentioned by PADPM, there is no coincidence between this happening now and someone who did not pass ABFAS (which was then ABPS) and is a longstanding critic of that board's standards now being high up with ABPM (formerly ABPOPPM).

I think the infighting is lame. It drags us all down from doing productive stuff. Maybe that's easy for me to say... I'm not going for any power since I don't have any power. Those in power always want more. C'est la vie.

I saw a movie The Social Network once where Justin Timberlake started Napster to show up a girl who hadn't wanted to date him.
I think Darth Vader changed sides once too... but I was more of a Baywatch guy than Star Wars or Star Trek while growing up. Dunno.
Sometimes, events or rejections can really change ppl... and they can really hold grudges that lay dormant awhile. That is neat energy that manifests in interesting ways.

If you want to see a funny post, look at this below (and yeah, I screen-shotted it in case it now gets deleted... $10 says it will, so enjoy it while it lasts).

View attachment 358178

Excellent post.

I have no power to benefit from any of this, no matter which way it goes. I am actually rooting for all podiatrists.

It is great goal to be board certified by ABFAS. Yes there are problems with their pass rates and they never felt the need to really address wound care much.

It is OK to have another good path also.

We should not need two paths, but we do…….oh well.

My largest complaint has nothing to do with any of this. My problem with all this is are we really helping the average podiatrist if the job market sucks. Yes we are providing more podiatrists a path to board certification by having two boards which is good.

Until we seriously cut enrollment, which the schools will not voluntarily do we are producing way too many podiatrists to only have jobs as true foot and ankle surgeons or limb salvage leaders with excellent job opportunities. Way too many still primarily performing “routine care” and treating “foot pain”.

You do fine finishing last in your class as an MD. If we are only as strong as our weakest link, what about the typical podiatrist that finishes 4 years of podiatry school and 3 years of residency.….the opportunities for most of them are not what our training deserves.

 

[heybrother]

-ABPM made a very tactile move by reducing the process down to 1 testing day. That was a selling point to me.
-I also have to give them credit for reducing their name. Their old name was terrible.
-And ABFAS obviously sucks for removing podiatry from their name.
-I sat for ABPM because I receive fairly generous privs at my main surgery site with their certification. I also wondered how long Covid was going to go on for and when my surgical volume would reappear. It seemed a wise decision to lock that down.
-That said - the ABPM exam was just painful in a "I hate our profession" sort of way. Felt like I was back in podiatry school or taking those horrible residency exams. I did really well on those residency exams but I hated them. By comparison, I actually found ABFAS qual foot and rearfoot very reasonable and passed both the first time. I did think ABFAS rearfoot qual was challenging but not because it was stupid. It seemed to focus on things that I wouldn't have focused on. For all the historic boards suck talk, 3 years ago ABFAS didn't measure up to the hate for me.
-I'm not surprised what ABPM is doing based on what Dr. Rodgers has posted about previously concerning surgical credentialing being based on experience/training etc.
-I identify with a portion of Dr. Rodgers story concerning recognizing that he wouldn't meet the case diversity. If you can do Charcot revisions or fuse an ankle - you should be able to get board certified in surgery. The whole process now is too "checkboxy". The impression I'm under is back in the day you had to do even more "everything". I never would have certified back in the day because I'd kill myself before I'd do an opening/closing base wedge on someone.
-All of the old pods in my town are foot certified. Half are terrible. The process doesn't work. I suspect you can basically get most of the way to foot certification without performing a fusion. That drives me crazy.
-I think we need a much better hands on process of keeping people up to speed. I'd personally change the case review to be a simple submission of your best 5 forefoot fusions and then 10 best rearfoot osseous procedures. Course maybe dtrack is right and the whole thing is bs.
-There's way too much old history between these boards. I haven't heard of a lot of what's been said in this thread before but I'm probably not any better for knowing it.

20 more notes to write.

 

[diabeticfootdr]

-That said - the ABPM exam was just painful in a "I hate our profession" sort of way. Felt like I was back in podiatry school or taking those horrible residency exams. I did really well on those residency exams but I hated them. By comparison, I actually found ABFAS qual foot and rearfoot very reasonable and passed both the first time. I did think ABFAS rearfoot qual was challenging but not because it was stupid. It seemed to focus on things that I wouldn't have focused on. For all the historic boards suck talk, 3 years ago ABFAS didn't measure up to the hate for me.

We’re not strangers.

Message me. Email me. Call me.

We’re always looking for good volunteers to be on exam committees.

The exams are only as good as the content writers.

If you’re already certified and think you can add something, we’d welcome you on the exam committee or as an item reviewer.

 

[Feeter]

I think concerns are understandable as this further confuses the non podiatry world. If I am doing ankle charcot, ex fix, flap cases and not able to get ABFAS cert that is very unfair if that leads to lack of privileges at hospital I work at. This APBM with CAQ might be the way forward for podiatrist who do just that for a living. But both boards need to work together to help podiatrist get privileges based on their training and experience. Both boards at this stage have left the individual podiatrist to fight their own fights at hospitals. I had to politic and navigate it myself and when I reached out to ABFAS for help I didn't get a reply. It has been the most stressful part of my job.

People on this forum need to show some decorum. Everyone in surgery decides to create a practice that they want. Not all general surgeons are doing Whipples. And personally attacking someone because of type of pathology they decide to treat is lame.

 

[CutsWithFury]

I’m the busiest surgeon at University Hospital. I’m on track to do 1000-1200 surgeries this year. Podiatry is an admitting service and we have an average census of 20-25. I do all kinds of limb salvage surgeries. Charcot recons, flaps, amputations, STSGs, tendon balancing and transfers, ankle arthrodesis, etc.

I do a ton of surgery and was doing 800-1000 RVUs a month at my last hospital job and I did 900 surgical cases (not procedures) in 4.5 years at my first hospital job at small independent community center.

I don't agree with ABPM agenda currently. It is a backdoor way to get certified to get surgical privileges. That is the appeal and that is its only value. It is why its being tolerated by some of the posters on this forum. This CAQ is now further blurring the lines and people are getting behind it which is understandable if you are not certified in foot and rearfoot/ankle with ABFAS. Nobody certified with ABFAS is sitting for ABPM and going after this CAQ credential. Nobody.

If you can't pass ABFAS then I don't know what to tell you. Not everyone needs to do reconstructive surgery. If you can't get the case volume or diversity to sit for ABFAS certifying exams then you probably shouldn't be offering surgical services because your residency training was not good enough (a lot of residency programs are terrible) and you are not doing it enough (as an attending) to get reproducible results. These are facts that are driven by demand. In saturated areas is there enough demand for everyone to do surgery? No. Are all these podiatrists certified in foot and rearfoot/ankle with the ABFAS? No. Yet you will see a lot of them get certified with ABPM because that is their last resort and they can still do surgery with it. Does that sound right? No.

ABPM is only accepted because a lot of hospitals, surgery centers don't really know any better. Just like ABFAS has been written into the bylaws in some states ABPM can get written into the bylaws by podiatrists at other hospitals and surgery centers. Does it make it legitimate? In my opinion no because ultimately it was always a board podiatrists got if they were not going to be surgeons but needed to be "certified" just to practice in their clinics. But now we are pushing the threshold again with these board exams wasting a lot of energy when APMA/ACFAS/ASPS/CPME should be focusing on bigger issues like:

- promoting the profession (legitimate marketing)
- Increasing the scope of practice of podiatry in all states. Creating a unified scope of practice in ALL states
- Create legitimate resources for young podiatrists when they are discriminated against by orthopedics/AOFAS
- Re-evaluating the residency review process. Eliminating weak programs
- Re-evaluating the podiatry education system. All the schools do different things. There is no unified curriculum in all the schools which is really really really dumb

I could list so many more important things as well.

 

[Shiyuan]

“Increasing the scope of practice of podiatry in all states. Creating a unified scope of practice in ALL states”

Agreed 100%. This needs to happen ASAP... just like how we weren’t considered “physicians” with the VA until 4 years ago (Took long enough for that to pass...).