Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine
Demonstrate your competency in Lifestyle Medicine
Registrations to sit the Board Certification exam in 2023 are now open.
ASLM is accredited to provide the opportunity for Australian and New Zealand-based health professionals to attain Board Certification from the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM). Board Certification from the IBLM signifies specialised knowledge in the practice of Lifestyle Medicine and distinguishes a health professional as having achieved competency in Lifestyle Medicine to an internationally recognised standard.
Candidates Board Certified through the IBLM and ASLM will receive a specialised logo which can be used to signify evidence-based competency and special interest in Lifestyle Medicine.
For those who would like to undertake further professional development in Lifestyle Medicine, Board Certification contributes one third of the points (480/1440) required for the ASLM Fellowship.
If you’re a current Certification candidate, please log in to your account to access the Education Resources section of the ASLM website.
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Why Certify?
Distinguish yourself as a leader in chronic disease prevention and management. Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine will set you apart from other practitioners; demonstrating your competency and recognition to practice from an evidence-base Lifestyle Medicine perspective. Set yourself apart as a practitioner harnessing additional knowledge and research to better support your patients and clients to address the underlying lifestyle drivers of chronic disease.
Additional benefits of Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine include:
- Raise awareness and understanding of the principles and applications of Lifestyle Medicine
- Be part of a global movement dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and reversal of chronic disease
- Stand out to your patients and clients as a Lifestyle Medicine professional
- Improve the health and wellbeing of self, individuals, and communities
- Promote collaboration and an interdisciplinary approach to health care
For further information, please view our latest information session recording at this link.
Eligibility
Eligibility to undertake Board Certification mirrors eligibility for Practitioner Membership with ASLM. This means that you must be a qualified, accredited healthcare practitioner who is also registered and/or associated with the appropriate accrediting body.
Your specific field and level of professional education will determine which of the below Certification categories you are required to register for:
- Board Certified Physician – Medical doctors
- Board Certified Professional – Masters/PhD level health practitioners
- ASLM Certified Practitioner* – Degree level health practitioners
Please note, while you do not need to be a Practitioner Member to undertake Board Certification, Practitioner Members receive a discount on the cost of registration that is equal to the cost of a yearly membership.
*At this time, degree level allied health practitioners are certified by ASLM rather than the IBLM.
Requirements
To obtain Certification in Lifestyle Medicine, you are required to complete the following four requirements:
- 30 hours of online CME/CPD (Lifestyle Medicine specific) *
- 10 hours of in-person CME/CPD (Lifestyle Medicine specific) *#
- Formal case study
- Formal exam (4 hours, 150 items for Physicians, 120 items for Professionals and Practitioners)
*Additional costs may apply.
#For a limited time, members save an extra $200 on Board Certification when you bundle with the Lifestyle Medicine 2023 conference. Add both to cart and enter coupon code BUNDLE200 at checkout.
The process
Investment
Costs associated with completing Board Certification is dependent on several factors, and therefore varies between candidates. Please see below for an outline of the potential costs involved.
Note that acquired CME/CPD is considered valid for 3 years, so you may have already completed some of the below requirements.
This fee covers costs associated with sitting your Certification exam and includes a $440 non-refundable fee. The Certification exam fee varies slightly dependent on the Certification category you are registered for (Physician, Professional or Practitioner). ASLM Practitioner Members receive a $200 discount on their Exam Registration Fee.
This is the approximate cost associated with completing ACLM’s Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine Course ($499 USD) or Lifestyle Medicine Core Competencies Course ($749-$999 USD). While there are several alternative courses that you can complete to meet this requirement, ASLM specifically recommends enrolling in one of these two courses because we believe they offer the best material available to help you prepare for the exam.
The best way to complete this requirement is to attend any in-person ASLM conference, workshop or summit held in the last 3 years. Our next conference, LM23: Better Health For All, is taking place on 8-9 September 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. Early bird pricing starts at $799 for ASLM Members.
To keep your Certification valid, you must either re-sit the Certification exam every 10 years or enrol in our Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. This fee covers the cost of enrolling in our MOC program.
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Candidate testimonies
Frequently asked questions
Board Certification and Fellowship are two separate but related undertakings. Board Certification represents a recognition of competency in Lifestyle Medicine, whereas Fellowship represents a recognition of expertise in Lifestyle Medicine. Board Certification is worth 480 points (one third) towards the ASLM Fellowship. You can complete Board Certification OR the ASLM Fellowship OR you can do both. We have many candidates who like to do both, but you do not need to do one to complete the other.
Board Certification is recognised by the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine as well as ASLM and comes with the certification logo, which you can use to promote your competence and special interest in Lifestyle Medicine.
Fellowship is understood more within the Australasian context and is accompanied by the post-nominals FASLM, which recognise your expertise in this field.
Board Certification involves an exam, but does not have a grandparenting or recognition of prior learning (RPL) pathway, whereas Fellowship does not involve an exam and currently has provisions available for grandparenting and RPL.
If you are relatively new to Lifestyle Medicine, we recommend Board Certification as being an excellent place to start. If you are quite experienced in the field, we would encourage you to apply for the ASLM Fellowship whilst it is still in its grandparenting period. We have many Fellows who also choose to do Board Certification, essentially because they like the recognition of both. We also have many Board Certification candidates who go on to do the ASLM Fellowship.
Both of these Education Pathways in Lifestyle Medicine set the standard for evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine practice, both here in Australasia and around the world.
Exam preparation and Board Certification requirements can theoretically be completed in a 3 month period, depending on how much time you have to study. However, we recommend 6 months as an ideal preparation period. Past candidates have recommended that you allow between 100-200 hours to work your way through the content and study it in depth. This, of course, depends on your study style and pace of learning.
To help support your efforts, we have created an education resources area of the website which will walk you through, step by step, how to prepare for the exam.
We also offer a peer-led study group where you can connect with other Board Certification candidates and support one another in your preparation for the exam. This is available on an ‘opt-in’ basis and is an excellent way to get to know your future Lifestyle Medicine peers.
Our Education Team is also here to answer any of your questions along the way.
Certification lasts for 10 years. Once certified, you have a choice of either:
- Sit the exam again each 10 years, or
- Enrol in the ‘Maintenance of Certification‘ (MOC) program.
The MOC program has yearly and 5-yearly requirements.
- On a yearly basis you must read 3 expertly selected articles and answer 80% of the questions about those articles correctly. This equates to 4-6 hours per year and you will receive a certificate when you complete this each year which you can use to claim CPD points elsewhere if desired.
- In addition, on a 5-yearly basis you must provide evidence of 30 hours of Lifestyle Medicine specific CPD (an average of 6 hours per year). This CPD can be obtained from a wide range of sources, so will very likely be the same courses, workshops, summits and conferences you are already choosing to attend, including ASLM courses and events.
The cost of MOC is a low annual fee (much cheaper than sitting the exam again) and is conveniently delivered via our online learning system.