Acquiring ABFM = CCFP + 1 year working or fellowship in the US?

[iyin0991]

Hey,

So I know if you do 3 years of FM in the states (ABFM) you can easily get the Canadian FM (CCFP) equivalency, at least if you're a Canadian citizen.

Now the other way around, the US won't accept the CCFP and make it equivalent to the ABFM (possibly due to the fact CCFP takes 2 years and ABFM takes 3 years)

I am working with a doctor who stated that he trained in Canada for 2 years (got his CCFP) and then worked 1 year in the US and was then able to challenge the ABFM exam and passed. This btw was prob back in the 70's or 80's. My questions for all you brainiacs is this:

1) Was that possible in the past?

2) Can I later practice with a CCFP in certain regions in the US and then gain the extra year in order to challenge the ABFM licensure exam? (same goes for an extra year doing a fellowship to equate 3 yrs)

Thanks! 

[icewine]

https://www.theabfm.org/become-certified/i-am-certified-country-outside-united-states#

Quote

If you are a Canadian trained physician seeking ABFM certification, there are two reciprocity agreement options available to you. 

ADDITIONAL YEAR OF TRAINING PATHWAY

If you have satisfactorily completed two years of training in a family medicine residency program accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, you may apply to take the ABFM Family Medicine Certification Examination, if you meet the following requirements:     

• You have successfully completed a third year of training in an ACGME-accredited Family Medicine program, or you have completed a third year of training in a Canadian program that meets the following criteria:
  • Your third year of training was approved by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
  • You obtained prior approval of the American Board of Family Medicine for your training. 
  • Your request for approval included documentation of satisfactory performance of your first two years of training and included a description of your curriculum and was signed by your program director. 
• Your total residency experience was in compliance with the ACGME "Program Requirements for Residency Education in Family Medicine" 

If you have questions or would like to begin the application process, please contact Kathy Botner at Kbotner@theabfm.org or 859-429-7360.

---

COLLEGE OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS OF CANADA CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION PATHWAY 

If you have successfully achieved a passing score on the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) Certification Examination in Family Medicine, you may apply to take the ABFM Family Medicine Certification Examination, if you meet the following requirements: 

• You are certified by Exam through the College of Family Physicians of Canada at the time you submit your ABFM certification examination application and maintain your CFPC good standing until the date of your ABFM examination. 
• You are a member in good standing of the College of Family Physicians of Canada
• You have satisfactorily completed two years of post graduate residency training in family medicine accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada
• You have been resident in the United States for least six months
• You have obtained and continuously maintain a medical license(s) which complies with the ABFM Guidelines for Professionalism, Licensure and Personal Conduct
• You are actively involved in family medicine in the United States.

If you have questions or would like to begin the application process, please contact Erik Tousseau at etousseau@theabfm.org or 859-538-7169.

 

[JohnGrisham]

On 9/24/2019 at 6:32 PM, iyin0991 said:

Hey,

So I know if you do 3 years of FM in the states (ABFM) you can easily get the Canadian FM (CCFP) equivalency, at least if you're a Canadian citizen.

Now the other way around, the US won't accept the CCFP and make it equivalent to the ABFM (possibly due to the fact CCFP takes 2 years and ABFM takes 3 years)

I am working with a doctor who stated that he trained in Canada for 2 years (got his CCFP) and then worked 1 year in the US and was then able to challenge the ABFM exam and passed. This btw was prob back in the 70's or 80's. My questions for all you brainiacs is this:

1) Was that possible in the past?

2) Can I later practice with a CCFP in certain regions in the US and then gain the extra year in order to challenge the ABFM licensure exam? (same goes for an extra year doing a fellowship to equate 3 yrs)

Thanks! 

Contact the ABFM directly and ask, they will have your answer. 

[iyin0991]

Thanks icewine and JohnGrisham.

[shematoma]

Please share what you find out!

I have been wondering the same thing.

If you do a 1 year fellowship, you're still subject to the rotational requirements of the ABFM, which includes general surgery and critical care. So simply doing a palliative or sports medicine fellowship may not cut it, for instance, if your original FM residency didn't include those rotations.

If going the CCFP equivalency route, I don't know how you would fulfill the 6 month residency in the US requirement and 6 month actively involved in FM requirement. Does this imply you can practice under someone else's supervision, similar to a PA, for 6 months, and then you can challenge the exam?

[insomnias]

5 hours ago, shematoma said:

Please share what you find out!

I have been wondering the same thing.

If you do a 1 year fellowship, you're still subject to the rotational requirements of the ABFM, which includes general surgery and critical care. So simply doing a palliative or sports medicine fellowship may not cut it, for instance, if your original FM residency didn't include those rotations.

If going the CCFP equivalency route, I don't know how you would fulfill the 6 month residency in the US requirement and 6 month actively involved in FM requirement. Does this imply you can practice under someone else's supervision, similar to a PA, for 6 months, and then you can challenge the exam?

Unlike in Canada, where you need to have passed the CCFP exam to work as an FM, it's not necessary to have passed the ABFM exam to work in family medicine; however, many employers may require it, especially if they bill insurance. More underserved areas generally won't care. Six months residency = six months living in the US, not six months doing a residency. So you could challenge the exam as soon as 6 months after moving to the US were you able to find a job that sponsors you for a visa without requiring ABFM certification.

[iyin0991]

On 9/29/2019 at 4:16 PM, insomnias said:

Unlike in Canada, where you need to have passed the CCFP exam to work as an FM, it's not necessary to have passed the ABFM exam to work in family medicine; however, many employers may require it, especially if they bill insurance. More underserved areas generally won't care. Six months residency = six months living in the US, not six months doing a residency. So you could challenge the exam as soon as 6 months after moving to the US were you able to find a job that sponsors you for a visa without requiring ABFM certification.

Thanks for the feedback buddy. Was wondering of places you would consider looking for jobs in the US? Will contact ABFM but wanted to know if you have friends/family or from personal experiences places that are friendly to Canadian CCFP?