certification

Application Process

Once you’ve determined that you meet the qualifications for certification, the next step is to submit an application.

Download ABLES Application Form

  1. Choose the type of certification you are applying for:
    Foot Surgery
    Or
    Reconstructive Foot and Ankle surgery
    There are different case requirements for each type of certification.
  2. Your application package must contain the following enclosures, and applications without the required enclosures will not be processed:
    1. Proof of graduation from a recognized medical school within the United States or its territories (You must provide a valid diploma-we perform proper vetting and background checks for each candidate.)
    2. Copies of your current and valid state Podiatry or Medical license(s) to practice in your current state
    3. Copies of your current and valid DEA license to prescribe medication in the United States AND your current State Pharmacy License (if applicable-We understand certain states do not require a State Pharmacy license to practice medicine)
  3. A check payable to ABLES for the initial application fee ($1600), as detailed in our Fees section.

Please mail your application package, signed in original signature to:

ABLES
American Board of Lower Extremity Surgery
6210 N. Jones Blvd
PO Box 754000
Las Vegas, NV 89136

This is a PO box.  DO NOT SEND ANY PACKAGES OR MAIL REQUIRING SIGNATURE OR PAYMENT-THEY WILL BE RETURNED TO THE SENDER!  DO NOT forget to include the PO BOX NUMBER!

Examination Process

Once your application is reviewed and the vetting process is complete, we will then arrange a proctored examination via Skype with you, an examiner, and a proctor to oversee the legitimacy of the examination process.

You will be asked a series of questions regarding the practice of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery/Foot and Ankle surgery.  You will be asked to show your desk and surroundings to insure there is not any assistance to you from outside sources.  The questions will be pertinent and relevant to the current practice of Podiatry and Foot and Ankle surgery.

Case Logs

Once you pass this examination, you will then be required to submit case logs. You will have the following requirements based on the certification for which you are applying:

  • 75 cases for Lower Extremity Medicine or for Lower Extremity Medicine and Surgery certification
  • 105 cases for Lower Extremity Medicine and Comprehensive Surgery, including Rearfoot and Reconstructive Surgery certification, with at least one-third of the cases being specific to rearfoot/ankle treatment.

You have 90 days after you pass the guided essay exam to submit your cases. Use the following link to download the Case Documentation Transmittal Form:

Case Documentation Transmittal Form

Submission of Residency Cases

You may submit a maximum of 30 residency cases if you performed more than fifty percent of each procedure and ONLY IF you are within 5 years of graduating from your residency program.  If you have graduated more than 5 years prior to application, all of your cases must be post-residency cases.

Examination for Certification

Initial Case Submission

After you have passed the guided essay examination, you will be asked to submit a certain number of surgical and/or medical cases, depending upon the certification you’re applying for. You have 90 days after you pass the guided essay exam to submit your cases. Using our Case Documentation Transmittal Form, you will submit:

  • 75 cases for Lower Extremity Medicine or for Lower Extremity Medicine and Surgery certification
  • 105 cases for Lower Extremity Medicine and Comprehensive Surgery, including Rearfoot and Reconstructive Surgery certification, with at least one-third of the cases being specific to rearfoot/ankle treatment.

After your cases are submitted, our examiners and directors will choose 10 of those cases if you are being certified in Foot Surgery and 15 of those cases if you are applying for Reconstructive Foot and Ankle surgery.  We will then contact you with the cases we have chosen, and you will be responsible for sending us the required documents for each case.  These documents will include the following:

Download Case Documentation Transmittal Form

You will determine the case mix, but it should be diverse and there are limitations on the number of cases of various types that may be submitted.

Please download and review our Limitations on Case Transmissions document before submitting your cases. If you are applying for certification in Lower Extremity Medicine and Comprehensive Surgery, including Rearfoot and Reconstructive Surgery, please download and review our Reconstructive Rearfoot and Ankle Surgery Case Delineation document as well.

Download Limitations on Case Transmissions
Download Reconstructive Rearfoot and Ankle Surgery Case Delineation

If you are submitting cases from your residency (You may only do so if you have been out of residency for 5 years or less and only 30 cases may come from your residency logs) Please fill out a  SEPARATE Log page and label it “Residency Log” which is to be submitted along with your case logs.  It is essential you delineate these cases separately from your work in private practice.

Required Documentation

For each of the cases we have chosen for your examination, you will be required to submit the following supporting documents:
  1. Pre-operative Patient History and Physical as it relates to this procedure
  2. Pre-operative X-rays if applicable (On a flash drive (preferred) or a CD)
  3. Rationale for Surgery
  4. Lab results and pathology if applicable
  5. Operative Report
  6. Post-operative X-rays if applicable
  7. Progress Notes
  8. Pathology Report if applicable*
  9. Hospital Face Sheet
  10. Discharge summary/Progress notes showing Outcome of the surgery

Examination

Your documents will then be reviewed by an examiner, and you will then be scheduled for an oral interview.  Questions will stem from your body of work, but there will be questions that are relevant to the pathology being treated, potential complications, classification systems as well as questions about pertinent medications and treatments rendered, or that could have been rendered in the event of complications, etc.

Certification

Once you pass your written/proctored examination, your case submissions, and your final oral examination, you will be Board Certified by ABLES.
Your certification will be active for 5 years.  You will then be required to re-certify for the next 5 years.  The recertification process will be explained in the next section of our website under ‘Re-certification’