Additional Flexibility Added to PHM Practice Pathway

Monday, December 21, 2020

Due to challenges faced by many pediatricians during the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) has added flexibility to the practice pathway for board certification in Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM).

The “look-back window” — the period of time prior to the examination when a hospitalist must have practiced a minimum number of hours — has been expanded from four to five years in an effort to help pediatricians meet the number of hours required to be eligible to take the exam.

“We realize the pandemic has made it difficult to meet practice-hour requirements in 2020,” says Suzanne Woods, MD, Executive Vice President for Credentialing and Initial Certification at the ABP. “Extending the look-back window still allows a candidate to attain sufficient duration and breadth of experience and also allows the ABP to be true to its mission and represent to the public that the candidate is qualified to take the exam.”

The practice pathway is available to pediatricians through 2024 and includes two upcoming examination cycles. To accommodate the additional look-back year, the next initial certifying exams for PHM will be held in the fall of 2022 and the fall of 2024. The start date for practice remains July 2017 for the 2022 exam and July 2019 for the 2024 exam.

Registration for the next exam will open in February 2022.

Read about the revised criteria and PHM frequently asked questions in the “Become Certified” section of our website.

Other accommodations due to the pandemic are available on our COVID-19 Updates page.

Was this page helpful?
* Please do not use this space to ask questions that require a response. Instead, please use the CONTACT tab on the right.