Requirements

Education

You must have earned the degree of DPM, DO, or MD, awarded by an institution accredited within the United States or its territories from a reputable and recognized medical institution.

(If your degree was granted by an institution outside of the United States or its possessions, you may request consideration for admission to ABLES with sufficient documentation. Such requests may be granted or denied by the Board of Directors at their sole discretion.)

Post-Doctoral Training

You must have completed a recognized and accredited 3-4 year surgical residency in the field of Podiatric medicine and surgery or an equivalent Orthopedic residency with a focus on Foot and Ankle surgery

Professional License

You must be licensed to practice as a DPM, DO, or MD for the full scope of practice within the United States of America. You must not be under indictment for any felony, under any current orders of discipline, restriction, suspension, supervision, or probation, or undergoing rehabilitation as an “impaired physician” because of habituation.

Controlled Substance Licenses

You must hold currently valid DEA number, and, if applicable, a State Pharmacy License valid in the state which you are practicing. (We do understand some states do not require a State Pharmacy License for practice, and those states will be exempt from the requirement of State Pharmacy License).

Cases

Prior to applying, please insure you have met the following case requirements:

• 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.
• If you have graduated from residency within 5 years of applying for board certification with ABLES, you may use 30 cases from your residency logs.  If it has been greater than 5 years since your graduation from your residency program, none of your cases from residency may be used for application to ABLES. 

Cases submitted must be from within the past 5 years of practice.