ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Bradley G. Changstrom, MD; James C. Puffer, MD; Thomas R. O’Neill, PhD; Ting Wang, PhD; James Kinderknecht, MD; Suzanne Hecht, MD; Holly J Benjamin, MD; Warren Newton, MD MPH
Corresponding Author: Bradley G. Changstrom, MD; The American Board of Family Medicine; University of Colorado School of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine.
Email: bradley.changstrom@cuanschutz.edu
DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2025.250292R1
Keywords: ABEM, ABFM, ABP, ABPMR, Athletic Injuries, Certification, Clinical Competence, Examination Questions, Licenses, Physicians, Program Evaluation, Psychometrics, Quantitative Research, Specialty Boards, Sports Medicine
Dates: Submitted: 07-30-2025; Revised: 10-22-2025; Accepted: 11-03-2025
Status: Volume 39, Issue 1 (Publishes March 2026)
The Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine (CAQSM) is administered by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) and cosponsored by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM), the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), and the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR). The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is a qualifying board for the CAQSM. This article reviews the history of the blueprint development for the CAQSM certification examination. This article will also overview the methodology behind the creation of a new sports medicine certification blueprint. The redesign of the blueprint reflects the evolving practice of sports medicine. The intent was to develop an approach that would ensure that the sports medicine examination is relevant and reflects current practice of the subspecialty. Additionally, this blueprint will help guide the assembly of both the sports medicine certification examination and, eventually, a sports medicine certification longitudinal assessment. The new blueprint should provide more statistical precision and be more clinically relevant.