Frequently Asked Questions
To be eligible as a Lifestyle Medicine physician there are 2 potential pathways:
1) Experiential Pathway (for current ABMS certified physicians)
- You must be board-certified by a medical specialty board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) for US based physicians
- You must be certified and registered to practice if you are a Canadian physician
2) Educational Pathway (for residents)
- You must complete the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum through a residency site. Currently being implemented at the residency sites below:
- Florida State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency at Lee Health
- Greenville Health System and University of South Carolina School of Medicine –Greenville Family Medicine Residency and Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship
- Loma Linda University Family Medicine Residency, Preventive Medicine Residency, and Family and Preventive Medicine Combined Residency
- Please note that while you can sit for your ABLM exam after your residency, your certification will only be issued after you successfully passed your primary board exam.
ACLM Certified Lifestyle Medicine Practitioners
Practitioners (bachelor-level nurses and dietitians) are certified by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). Becoming a Diplomate of the ACLM (DipACLM) signifies that the diplomate: |
– has completed a minimum of 30 hours of specific lifestyle medicine online CME |
– has gathered at least 10 hours of in-person CME from attending specific lifestyle medicine oriented conferences |
– has passed a rigorous certification exam Want to learn more? Visit lifestylemedicine.org |
ACLM Certified Lifestyle Medicine Professionals
Professionals (PhD and Masters) are certified by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). Becoming a Diplomate of the ACLM (DipACLM) signifies that the diplomate: |
–has completed a minimum of 30 hours of specific lifestyle medicine online CME |
– has gathered at least 10 hours of in-person CME from attending specific lifestyle medicine oriented conferences |
– has passed a rigorous certification exam Want to learn more? Visit lifestylemedicine.org |
The Prerequisites for the three registration levels are as follows:
MDs/DOs
- Current ABMS certification
- 30 hours of online/non-live CME
- 10 hours of in-person CME
- A case study outlining your personal experience with lifestyle medicine (view PDF)
PhD/Masters Level
- 30 hours of online/non-live CME
- 10 hours of in-person CME
Bachelor Level Nurses and Dietitians
- 30 hours of online/non-live CME
- 10 hours of in-person CME
The ABLM accepts Online CMEs of the following programs/providers:
- ACLM/ACPM Lifestyle Medicine Core Competencies (LMCC)
- Cornell certificate in plant-based nutrition
- Doane University Lifestyle Medicine Professional Certificate Program
- Lifestyle Medicine Board Review Course 2nd Edition
Rules:
- While the ABLM sets the certification competencies and Lifestyle Medicine standards, it is left up to the participants to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and experience from reputable sources.
- CMEs must be no older than 36 months from the date of the exam
- Proof of CMEs, credentials and case study must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the certification exam CMEs from Lifestyle Medicine conferences immediately preceding an exam are exempt from the above 30 day rule
(Please note that no certifications will be issued until the in-person CME certificate has been received).
The ABLM accepts In-Person CMEs of the following programs/providers:
- ACLM conferences & workshops (CME)
- Institute of Lifestyle Medicine (Harvard) conferences (CME)
- Food as Medicine conferences (CME)
- International Plant Based Nutrition Healthcare Conferences (CME)
- ACPM conference, lifestyle medicine stream (CME)
- Plant Based Prevention of Disease Conferences
- PCRM International Conferences on Nutrition in Medicine
Rules:
- CMEs must be no older than 36 months from the date of the exam
- Proof of CMEs, credentials and case study must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the certification exam CMEs from Lifestyle Medicine conferences immediately preceding an exam are exempt from the above 30 day rule
(Please note that no certifications will be issued until the in-person CME certificate has been received).
The cost to certify is a one-time fee, dependent on your registration level and ACLM membership status.
MDs and DOs
- Non-refundable registration fee $299
- ACLM memb.er Certification fee $1,349 (Certification issued by ABLM)
- Non-memb.er Certification fee $1,499 (Certification issued by ABLM)
PhD and Masters Level Health Professionals:
- Non-refundable registration fee $199
- ACLM memb.er Certification fee $1,169 (Certification issued by ACLM)
- Non-memb.er Certification fee $1,299 (Certification issued by ACLM)
Bachelor Level Nurses & Dietitians:
- Non-refundable memb.er fee $99
- ACLM memb.er Certification fee $900 Certification issued by ACLM)
- Non-memb.er Certification fee $999 (Certification issued by ACLM)
The current enrollment period is accepting registrations for exams in Boston, Massachusetts on June 14th 2020 and Carlsbad, California on November 5th 2020.
While the ABLM adheres to the ABMS rule of full re-certification after the end of every 10 year period, the ABLM has launched an alternative Maintenance of Certification pathway, whereby Diplomates have the choice of a 10 year certification or on-going certification. On-going certification requires a yearly minimal payment, the annual reading of 3 LM related articles and answering a series of questions about these articles, and the submission of 30 LM related CME every 5 years. The launch of this MOC pathway is expected to coincide with the ACLM conference in October 2019.
- Exam duration: Maximum 4 hours
- Exam items/questions: 150 multiple choice questions for Lifestyle Medicine physicians; 120 multiple choice questions for Lifestyle Medicine professionals and Lifestyle Medicine practitioners
- Format: proctored exam, using own laptop or tablet (secure online exam dissemination)