ABFM Adolescent Medicine study guide
ABFM Adolescent Medicine · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Adolescent Medicine is a subspecialty credential offered by the American Board of Family Medicine in conjunction with the American Boards of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. It recognizes fellowship training and knowledge in the unique physical, psychological, and social characteristics of adolescents and their health care problems and needs. Candidates must continuously maintain their family medicine certification, complete a minimum of 24 months of full-time training in an ACGME-accredited Adolescent Medicine fellowship, submit an online application with associated fees, and achieve a passing score on the Adolescent Medicine one-day exam, which is offered every other year in even numbered years. Initial certification is followed by longitudinal assessment (MOCA-Peds), beginning in the sixth year after gaining initial certification and repeating in five-year cycles. Topics on this exam: Physical characteristics of adolescents and their health care problems and needs, Psychological characteristics of adolescents and their health care problems and needs, and Social characteristics of adolescents and their health care problems and needs. The ABFM Adolescent Medicine study guide has 3 sections and about 897 words.
01Physical Characteristics of Adolescents and Their Health Care Problems and Needs
Adolescent physical assessment is mostly about knowing the normal trajectory and spotting deviation from it. Peak height velocity occurs at roughly age 11.5-12 in girls and 13.5-14 in boys; girls typically finish linear growth about 2 years after menarche, boys continue into the late teens.
316 words, about 2 min02Psychological Characteristics of Adolescents and Their Health Care Problems and Needs
Adolescent psychology is organized around two threads: cognitive maturation and identity formation. Piaget's formal operational stage (emerging around 11-12) allows abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking, but psychosocial maturity (impulse control, future orientation) lags behind intellectual maturity into the mid-20s.
306 words, about 2 min03Social Characteristics of Adolescents and Their Health Care Problems and Needs
Adolescent health is shaped heavily by social environment: family, peers, school, and community. Peer influence peaks in early-to-mid adolescence and strongly affects risk behavior.
275 words, about 1 min