The Council provides opportunity for individuals or organizations to submit written comments concerning an institution’s qualifications for provisional or continued approval. The Council publishes notices in APMA News and on its website regarding its plans to conduct either a focused evaluation or a comprehensive evaluation of an institution that seeks provisional approval or continuation of approval. The notice indicates the deadline for receipt of third-party comments.

The Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) is aware of the recent announcements by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM) to offer a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in podiatric surgery. The Council does not recognize or approve any CAQs within its current policies and procedures for board recognition. CAQs are not equivalent to certification, and they cannot lead to certification in any specific content area. Further, the Council believes it would be confusing to the public to provide a qualification in podiatric surgery when there is a surgical certification board within the profession...Read the full public notice here. 

At its April 2022 meeting, the Council reviewed and approved Draft II of CPME 320, Standards and Requirements for Approval of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residencies, and CPME 330, Procedures for Approval of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residencies. The call for comment period for both documents is now closed. Further information can be found here.

The continuing education policies document will be used to address questions that require clarification or interpretation between document reviews and revisions. The policies document will also be used to expand the definition of educational content, thus expanding the list of acceptable educational activities.