Benefits of taking the ABPM ITE Examination:

• 80% of candidates who take the ABPM In-Training Exams perform better than non-ITE takers on their ABPM Board Certification exam.
• Assesses clinical knowledge with detailed reporting on each subject area, providing clear opportunities for knowledge gap remediation, leading to better outcomes for the resident and Residency Director or Coordinator.
• Case review questions and multiple-choice are written in a manner that reflects the format of ABPM’s Board Certification exam, allowing ITE Candidates to better prepare themselves for eventual board certification with ABPM.

In-Training Examinations (ITEs) are an important aspect of a physician’s residency training period and are a common feature of allopathic and osteopathic medical training; these exams are often administered by the certifying boards for their respective specialties. All residents are required to take at least one year of their In Training Exams offered by a CPME-recognized certifying board, per CPME 320/330.

How do I register for the ABPM ITE?

Podiatric residents are registered for the ABPM ITE exam by their Residency Director or Coordinator via Podiatric Residency Resource (PRR). Residents do not sign themselves up.

How do I learn more about Podiatry Residency Resource (PRR)?

For more information on PRR, visit the website, or contact PRR Support Services/Development at 415.553.7810 or by email at Support@podiatryrr.net.

Speak to your Residency Director or Coordinator to Register for ITEs

All candidates can only be registered by their Residency Director or Coordinator through Podiatry Residency Resource (PRR). Residency Directors or Coordinators must register their residents via PRR by January 1, 2024.

Registration Steps via Podiatry Residency Resource (PRR)

1. Your Residency Director or Coordinator will register you for your ITE Examination via PRR. An account will be created automatically for you. Once your Residency Director or Coordinator has registered you though PRR you will receive an email from PRR with login information. Use this information to login to your PRR account and complete your profile. Please be sure to provide a current email address that you will have access to throughout your residency training and after. ABPM needs this information to disseminate scheduling and reporting information to you.
2. Wait for an email from Pearson VUE and ABPM with authorization information, instructions, the link, and ID numbers needed to schedule your ITE Exam with Pearson Vue.

Where is the In-training Exam offered?

The In-training Examination will be offered at Pearson VUE testing centers nationally or via Online Proctoring. Appointment times and locations are based upon availability at the time of scheduling. For general information and to look up a test center, please visit the ABPM portal on the Pearson VUE website.

For Online Proctoring, please see the Online Proctoring requirements on the Pearson VUE website. Approximately 80% of residents choose online proctoring, allowing them the convenience of taking the exam from their hospital.*

*If you choose to take the exam from your hospital, check with your IT Team to ensure that the hospital firewall will not block the Pearson Vue program.

How to Schedule Your ITE Exams with Pearson VUE:

Residents will receive email with scheduling information beginning November 1st.

1. Wait for your registration emails from:
   1. ABPM (containing your Candidate ID)
   2. Pearson Vue (containing your exam Authorization Link and registration requirements)
2. When you receive the registration email from Pearson VUE, login with the Candidate ID credentials provided in the ABPM email.
3. Select your testing date, time, and location.
4. Make sure you receive a confirmation email from Pearson VUE. ABPM will not send a confirmation.

Cancellation and Rescheduling:

Exams must be cancelled more than 48 hours prior to the registered appointment date.

Exams must be rescheduled more than 48 hours prior to the registered appointment date.

A candidate may go online or call the Pearson VUE call center more than 48 hours in advance of the appointment date, to select another time/date/location.

ABPM reserves the right to recoup, at its discretion, a $50 in rescheduling fee incurred by No Shows from residents who fail to cancel or reschedule their exam appointment less than 48 hours before the exam date.

The next In-training Examinations are being administered:

For ITE 1 and 2: February 5-26, 2024

For ITE 3 and 4: February 12-17, 2024

Exam Format & Contents

The In-Training Exam 1 & 2:

There are two sections, 165 minutes each, in the exam. Section One consists of 100 multiple choice questions and Section Two consists of 50 multiple choice questions and 2 case scenarios.

The In-Training Exam 3 & 4:

There are two sections, 165 minutes each. The exam consists of 100 multiple questions and two case scenarios. Case review questions and multiple-choice questions are written at the level of Board Certification Examinations, allowing ITE candidates to better prepare themselves for eventual board certification with ABPM.

Exam Contents

In-Training Exams for all residents will evaluate knowledge and clinical experience in following subject areas:

Podiatric Medicine

• Pathomechanics: Interpretation of a biomechanical and gait exam, Orthotics and Prosthetics, Footwear/Pedorthics
• Podopediatrics
• Podiatric trauma & sports medicine

Medical Imaging

• Plain radiography
• Advanced imaging (nuclear imaging, CT, MRI, PET, bone densitometry)
• Diagnostic ultrasound
• Vascular imaging and diagnostics

Pathology

• Laboratory studies: Hematology, blood chemistries, coagulation studies, urinalysis, Serology/immunology, synovial fluid analysis, Toxicology/Drug screens, Blood gas analysis, Microbiology
• Anatomic and cellular pathology

Public Health

• Behavioral Science: Professionalism (legal and ethical obligations), Research and biostatistics, Addiction medicine

Internal Medicine and Medical Subspecialties

• Endocrinology, Cardiology & Pulmonology, Critical Care, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Hematology & Oncology
• Infectious disease, Systemic, Lower extremity (soft tissue and bone infection), Nephrology, Neurology, Electrodiagnostic studies, CNS disorders, PNS disorders, Rheumatology, Dermatology, General dermatology, Lower extremity dermatology, Pain management, Physical medicine and rehabilitation

Wound Care

• Evaluation, Principles (including debridement, offloading, dressings), Adjunctive therapies (including NPWT and HBOT)

Emergency Medicine

• General emergencies, Lower extremity emergencies

Anesthesiology

• Perioperative evaluation and risk assessment, Local anesthesia, General, spinal, and regional anesthesia, Conscious sedation

Podiatric Surgery

• Surgical indications, Identification and management of complications

General Surgery and Subspecialties

• Perioperative management, General surgery principles, Vascular surgery principles, Plastic surgery principles, Orthopedic surgery principles

Study Resources:

ABPM Mobile App

An app for iOS/Android devices has been created which contains practice questions to help prepare for the didactic portion of the examination. To download the app, please search for ABPM in App Store for iOS or Google Play Store.

App Store for iOS
Google Play Store

Join ACPM as a Resident Member!

Resident membership in ACPM is free to all residents enrolled in podiatric residency training programs that have been granted candidate status or have been approved by the CPME.

Benefits include:

• Free Access to the ACPM quarterly mini-conferences, featuring multidisciplinary speakers on various podiatric pathologies
• Free Access to the ACPM eLearning POD library, allowing on demand access to lectures on podiatric conditions, billing and coding information, and CPME-required lectures on resident wellness, falls prevention and implicit bias
• Discounts on publications: any new edition of the Review Text in Podiatric Orthopedics Primary Podiatric Medicine; new annual versions of the Billing & Coding Manual.
• Opportunities to perform in scholarly activity: write a journal review for the monthly Lower Extremity Journal Review, submit an interesting case for the Case of the Month, and participate in our Q&A platform.

ACPM Review Text (3rd Edition)

This new edition brings all aspects of the practice of podiatric orthopedics and medicine into one easy to read and track volume. The Review Text comes as a single package of both print and online versions. Access to the online version will be activated as soon as your order is received. Purchase here! [$149 plus S+H for ACPM Resident Members]

Sample Didactic Question:

A 22-year-old female presents with a painful right fifth hammertoe. Examination reveals a semi-reducible dorsally contracted fifth digit. Which of the following procedures is most appropriate?

1. V-Y skin plasty
2. Flexor tenotomy
3. Bi-lobed flap
4. FDL tendon transfer

Answer listed in next section.

Sample Case Review Scenario:

ABPM has made available several FREE case scenario review questions, similar to those on the Board Certification exam. Interested candidates can access these scenarios for practice and review at the link below:

Pearson VUE - Athena (pvue2.com)

Residents should also consult the list of suggested readings to prepare for the ABPM In-training exam.

Answer to Didactic: A

Scoring

Each section of the In Training Examination is scored separately and consolidated into a single exam score for the candidate – the candidate score. Separate scores for each section are not available at this time, but are anticipated to be made available in the future.

This score is represented relative to the average score of residents testing in the same post graduate year pool or PGY-1 (or 2, 3, or 4).

The total number of items corresponds directly to the number of questions in that subject area between both the didactic and case review sections.

Sample Score Report Below:

Examination Information:

The in-training examinations are specific to the resident’s year in training. There are 10 subject areas corresponding to CPME 320 designated training in medicine.

The first-year exam is more focused on basic science and general medicine knowledge containing 150 didactic questions and 2 clinical cases.

The second-year exam introduces more clinical knowledge as residents begin to apply their medical knowledge to podiatric patients containing 150 didactic questions and 2 clinical cases.

The third-year exam expands the focus on clinical podiatric and general medicine containing 100 didactic questions and 4 clinical cases. Case review questions and multiple-choice questions for this exam are written at the level of Board Certification Examinations, allowing ITE candidates to better prepare themselves for eventual board certification with ABPM.

Subject areas defined:

Podiatric medicine: includes pathomechanics, podopediatrics, podiatric trauma and sports medicine. The subject of pathomechanics is subdivided into interpretation of biomechanical and gait exam, orthotics and prosthetics, footwear/pedorthics.

Medical imaging: contains plain radiography, advanced imaging, diagnostic ultrasound, vascular imaging and diagnostics.

Pathology: consists of laboratory studies and anatomic and cellular pathology. These sections include hematology, blood chemistries, urinalysis, serology, synovial fluid analysis, toxicology, blood gases, and microbiology.

Public health: is divided between behavioral science, including addiction medicine, professionalism, including legal and ethical obligation, research and biostatistics.

Internal medicine: includes all topics in general medicine: endocrine, cardiology, pulmonology, critical care, GI, geriatrics, heme/onc, infectious disease, nephrology, neurology, rheumatology, dermatology, pain management, physical medicine, and rehab.

Wound care: tests in evaluation of the patient with a non-healing wound, principles of wound care including debridement, off-loading, and dressings, adjunctive wound care therapies including NPWT and HBOT.

Emergency medicine: is not just general emergencies, but also includes office-based and lower extremity emergencies.

Anesthesiology: consists of pre-operative evaluation and risk assessment plus the various types of anesthesia from conscious sedation to general anesthesia.

Podiatric surgery: includes surgical indications, identification, and management of surgical complications

General surgery and subspecialties: perioperative management and the principles of general, vascular, plastic, and orthopedic surgery.

ABPM Reps to PRR:

Lee C. Rogers, DPM – lee.rogers@podiatryboard.org and Brian Lepow, DPM – brian.lepow@podiatryboard.org