Training Programs
Overview
All candidates for the ABAI Certification Examination must successfully complete 24 full-time months of continuous training at an accredited education program. Accredited training programs are listed in the Graduate Medical Education Directory published by the American Medical Association. Additional information can be obtained through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
The ABAI anticipates that during a post-medical school training program, candidates will acquire adequate knowledge in basic science, as applied to allergy/immunology. In outlining requirements for certification, the ABAI assists the candidate to select superior educational programs that will develop competency in allergy/immunology. The responsibility of acquiring the knowledge rests with the candidate and is essential to the continued professional progress of any allergist/immunologist.
There are currently 78 accredited allergy/immunology training programs in the USA. Contact the American Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for further details.
Reports of ABAI Certification Secure Examination pass rates by training program are available to the program director on request. This is not considered public information and is shared for the purpose of accreditation with the Residency Review Committee (ACGME).
Training Program Documentation
Program directors are responsible for the administration and interpretation of the faculty evaluations of residents. Accordingly, the following documentation must be submitted to the ABAI for each candidate:
- (4) Clinical Competence evaluations
- (1) Procedural Skills Assessment form
Once submitted, the training program requirements are considered complete for all subsequent years.
Board Eligibility
Candidates are considered Board Eligible for ABAI Certification for seven years after successfully completing an ACGME-approved fellowship training program in Allergy and Immunology.
Program Director Responsibilities
- Evaluation - Resident performance must be evaluated every six months throughout training.
- Signatures - Results of the evaluation must be communicated to the resident in a timely manner. The submission of an evaluation by the program director to the ABAI certifies that the resident has reviewed and approved the evaluation.
- Retain Documentation - Permanent records of evaluations must be retained and accessible to the resident, ACGME site visitors, and other authorized personnel.
- Final Evaluation - The program director must submit a Procedural Skills Assessment and attest on the 24-month evaluation that the resident has demonstrated sufficient professional ability to practice competently and without direct supervision.
All evaluations can be submitted and tracked via the ABAI Web Portal.
Unsatisfactory Ratings - If a trainee has received two consecutive evaluations with overall unsatisfactory ratings, the program director must provide the trainee and the ABAI with a written plan for remediation of the trainee's deficiencies. After six months, the training program director must provide the ABAI and the trainee with a report of the success or failure of the remediation program, as well as any additional plans for corrective action.
Absences During Residency - Absences in excess of a total of two months over the 24 month allergy/immunology training program should be made up. If program directors believe that an absence of more than two months is justified, they should send a letter of explanation to the ABAI for review and approval by the Ethics and Professionalism Committee as deemed necessary.