ABIM Hematology

You must be previously certified in internal medicine by ABIM at application, satisfactorily complete accredited fellowship training, demonstrate clinical competence and ethical behavior, hold a valid, unrestricted and unchallenged medical license, and pass the Hematology Certification Examination. Fellowship must be accredited by the ACGME, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or the Collège des médecins du Québec.

For fellows who began hematology fellowship in or after Academic Year 2018-19, the minimum is 24 months of training, of which 12 months must be clinical. Clinical months may be aggregated across the fellowship rather than completed consecutively, and continuity clinic time during nonclinical training does not count toward the clinical requirement.

For deficits of 35 days or less in required training time, ABIM defers to the judgment of the program director and promotions or competency committee. With program director attestation that you achieved required competence, additional training time is not required. Trainees cannot make this request to ABIM on their own behalf.

Required training in the subspecialty, including vacation time, must be completed by October 31 of the year of examination. Plan backward from that date when scheduling electives and any extended final-year training, because an incomplete record at that point blocks admission.

Dual certification requires three years of accredited combined training with at least 18 months of full-time clinical training: at least 12 months focused on neoplastic disease including hematologic malignancies and six months on non-neoplastic hematologic disorders. If two programs are involved, 24 continuous months must be completed at one institution, and both must be accredited in both disciplines.

Yes. You may complete all three years before applying to either exam, or take one subspecialty exam after two years of combined training and then apply for the other exam after satisfactorily completing the third year. Continuity outpatient clinic must be maintained throughout all three years.

It assesses the medical knowledge and clinical judgment expected of a practicing hematologist across benign and malignant hematology, hemostasis and thrombosis, transfusion medicine, and laboratory interpretation. Expect image-based items on peripheral smears and bone marrow preparations, plus questions on systemic therapy, apheresis, and indwelling venous access devices.

Start with a content outline and tag weak areas, then build short daily blocks on high-yield topics like cytopenias, coagulopathy, and myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms. Add spaced image review of smears and marrows, and finish with timed mixed question sets rather than re-reading notes. Track error patterns by topic instead of total score.

The usual failure modes are uneven coverage, such as over-studying oncology and neglecting coagulation, transfusion, and laboratory interpretation, and never practicing under time pressure. Others misjudge eligibility timing or assume clinical months can be double-counted. Verify training credit rules early and confirm details in ABIM's current Policies and Procedures for Certification.