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Become an ABPMR Volunteer
After reviewing the volunteer requirements for the various opportunities available (below), please fill out this form indicating your interest and qualifications. A member of the ABPMR staff will review your application and contact you for any additional information needed.
Role descriptions
Volunteer Positions at the ABPMR
Oral Exam Track
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ABPMR Oral Board Examiner
Role description
Many ABPMR volunteers start their service as oral board examiners. In the weeks leading up to the exam administration, these volunteers complete several hours of self-paced training on exam logistics, scoring, unconscious bias, and other topics, as well as tech training, examiner partner roleplay, and group training. During the exam itself, oral board examiners commit to serve 1.5-2 days of active examinations, administering to a minimum of 12 candidates. Examiners receive detailed feedback on their performance from ABPMR Oral Board Evaluators’ observations during and after the exam and a comprehensive report from the psychometrician.
Qualifications
- At least 5 years post-certification
- No failing scores on primary certification exams
- Participating and Meeting Requirements in the ABPMR Continuing Certification Program
- Must abide by ABPMR Confidentiality, Assignment, and Conflict of Interest Policy for volunteers, including no participation in board preparation or review activities
Time commitment
Training requirements include completing one-two hours of online coursework, participating in one 90-minute virtual collaborative session (for first-year examiners), and participating in one four-hour virtual collaborative session (for all examiners). The examination administration requires 1.5 – 2 days’ commitment in half-day or whole-day increments.
Advancement opportunity: ABPMR Oral Board Exam Content Expert
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ABPMR Oral Board Exam Content Expert
Role description
High-performing ABPMR Oral Board Examiners may be asked to serve as Oral Board Content Experts. These volunteers create, write, review, and edit the patient vignettes that eventually are used in the ABPMR Part II (Oral) Examination. Oral Board Content Experts may be invited to in-person vignette writing meetings and asked to participate in discussions on innovations to the Part II Examination. In addition to their vignette writing and review responsibilities throughout the year, Oral Board Content Experts participate in the Part II Examination as examiner observers and at times are asked to fill in as examiners in the case of illness or if a candidate is known to an examiner.
Qualifications
- Completed at least one three-year term as an oral board examiner
- Performance statistics demonstrate strong consistency, quality, and reliability as an examiner
- No failing scores on primary certification exams
- Participating and Meeting Requirements in the ABPMR Continuing Certification Program
- Must abide by ABPMR Confidentiality, Assignment, and Conflict of Interest Policy for volunteers, including no participation in board preparation or review activities
Time commitment
16-24 hours annually: Content Experts participate in vignette development and finalization during in-person collaborative meetings held one day each summer and two days in the fall. In a leadership role, they help facilitate examiner collaborative training sessions and conduct examiner observation and mentorship. Observations are two-fold: Examiner performance and vignette administration performance.
Term
The three-year term may be renewed twice for a total of nine years
Computer-Based Test Exam Track
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ABPMR Board Exam Content Writer
Role description
ABPMR Board Exam Content Writers create questions for ABPMR computer-based examinations, including:
- Part I Examination
- Brain Injury Medicine Examination
- Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Examination
- Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Examination
- Longitudinal Assessment for PM&R (LA-PM&R)
Content writers are invited to join an annual question-writing workshop held in person each fall. ABPMR staff editors provide content writers comprehensive training on the ABPMR’s evidence-based exam question writing norms, including how to write clinically relevant questions, the appropriate ABPMR item writing style and format for answer options, and finding/citing current references. Content writers are given assignments based on their identified interest areas and the needs of the ABPMR item (question) banks. The workshop is a highly collaborative development and peer review setting where subject matter experts and content experts review with an eye on content correctness, core knowledge, and appropriate level of difficulty. After several rounds of review and vetting, the questions are evaluated for inclusion in the ABPMR question bank. Content writers are provided feedback on their submissions and tips for improvement during and after the process.
Ad hoc task force content development is offered in a remote setting throughout the year in assignments lasting one-two months. Content developers draft items by assignment and work with a content expert to refine and review them for content correctness, core knowledge, and appropriate level of difficulty.
Qualifications
- At least three years post-certification
- Participating and Meeting Requirements in the ABPMR Continuing Certification Program
- Subspecialty Board Exam Content Writers must be board certified in the subspecialty they are writing for (BIM, PRM, SCIM)
- Must abide by ABPMR Confidentiality, Assignment, and Conflict of Interest Policy for volunteers, including no participation in board preparation or review activities
Time commitment
The workshop setting is in person and lasts two days.
The ad hoc task force remote setting requires 60-90 minutes of initial online training and between 75-90 minutes for each item developed based on the writer’s level of experience during each one-two-month content writing submission window.
Term
The three-year term may be renewed twice for a total of nine years.
Advancement opportunity: ABPMR Board Exam Content Expert
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ABPMR Board Exam Content Expert
Role description
ABPMR Board Exam Senior Content Experts have demonstrated strong item writing skills and are well-versed in ABPMR’s exam question writing norms. These volunteers have advanced to reviewing Board Exam Content Writers’ submissions, determining whether the content is correct and core to the field or subspecialty exam and at appropriate level of difficulty. They work with ABPMR Associate Directors and Board Directors to further refine submitted questions, including several stages of review and vetting to ensure strong performing items on the ABPMR examinations.
Qualifications
- Completed at least one 3-year term as Board Exam Content Writer
- Meets deadlines, incorporates constructive feedback, is responsive to reviewer and staff emails
- Demonstrates strong item writing skills, items perform well on exams
- No failing scores on primary certification exams
- Participating and Meeting Requirements in the ABPMR Continuing Certification Program
- Subspecialty Exam Content Experts must be board certified in the corresponding subspecialty (BIM, PRM, SCIM) with no failing scores on those examinations
- Must abide by ABPMR Confidentiality, Assignment, and Conflict of Interest Policy for volunteers, including no participation in board preparation or review activities
Time commitment
16-24 hours annually after initial training; attend the annual content development workshop or work with ad hoc task force content developers remotely via webinar.
Term
The three-year term may be renewed twice for a total of nine years
Advancement opportunity: ABPMR Associate Director
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ABPMR Associate Director
Role description
ABPMR Associate Directors sit on ABPMR examination/assessment committees, including:
- Part I Examination Committee
- Brain Injury Medicine Examination Committee
- Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Examination Committee
- Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Examination Committee
As full voting members of their committee, ABPMR Associate Directors participate in all committee meetings (virtual and in-person), contributing to discussions and decisions on exam and assessment performance, scoring, question review, exam assembly, exam report review, standard-setting studies, and innovations to exam and assessment processes. Associate Directors are often called upon to participate fully in review work for exam content, including revising and refining questions and updating aging questions.
Qualifications
- Completed at least one three-year term as Board Exam Content Writer
- Demonstrates leadership and mentoring skills, recognized expert in the field/their practice focus
- Demonstrates strong item writing skills; items perform well on exams
- Assignments are completed on time and volunteer is responsive to instructions and reminders from board colleagues and staff
- No failing scores on primary certification exams
- Participating and Meeting Requirements in the ABPMR Continuing Certification Program
- Subspecialty Exam Content Experts must be board certified in the corresponding subspecialty (BIM, PRM, SCIM) with no failing scores on those examinations
- Must abide by ABPMR Confidentiality, Assignment, and Conflict of Interest Policy for volunteers, including no participation in board preparation or review activities
Time commitment
36-48 hours annually, multiple commitments virtually (synchronous and asynchronous) throughout the year; two in-person one-two-day meetings with travel required.
Term
The four-year term may be renewed once for a total of eight years