CPME, ACGME and What a Change Could Mean for Licensing

Every podiatrist's residency was accredited by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME). Physicians' residencies are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In December 2025, CPME published a paper weighing a proposal to move podiatric residency accreditation under ACGME and set out its concerns. No change has been made. But because state licensing laws are written around CPME, it is worth understanding what is at stake before any decision.

Why is CPME wary of an ACGME move?

The paper, titled "CPME Considerations: ACGME Accreditation of Podiatric Residencies," frames the proposal as a risk to the profession's independent training structure. Its main points:

• Scale. "ACGME accredits 5,866 programs with 40,041 first-year positions, while CPME accredits 222 programs with 609 first-year positions." CPME warns podiatry's needs could become invisible inside a much larger system.
• Program closures. "Roughly 20% of podiatric residencies are in institutions without ACGME residencies. VA programs (11%) may not meet ACGME institutional standards and could close."
• Scope. Podiatry's educational scope "could gradually be redefined within orthopedic or general surgery frameworks," affecting credentialing, privileges and legislative advocacy.
• Licensing and certification. "State licensure laws tied to CPME accreditation may conflict with an ACGME transition," and "misalignment between ACGME training requirements and ABFAS/ABPM certification standards could complicate board qualification."

The paper says the proposal "was not part of APMA's strategic plan and lacks a profession-wide feasibility and impact study," and that "CPME recommends a multi-year, data-driven study with full stakeholder input before any engagement with ACGME is considered."

How do state licensing laws refer to residency accreditation?

This is where the licensing question lives. The statutes and rules read for the state pages describe approved residencies in different ways:

• CPME by name. Iowa requires a residency "approved by the council on podiatric medical education" (Iowa Code 149.3). Idaho, Texas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Indiana and Tennessee likewise name CPME in the provisions read, and Rhode Island requires a residency accredited by CPME at the time of training (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-29-6).
• CPME or an equivalent. Ohio accepts training in a program "accredited by the council on podiatric medicine or the American podiatric medical association or its equivalent as determined by the board" (ORC 4731.52). New York accepts training approved by CPME "or an equivalent organization acceptable to the Department."
• Board-approved programs. Wisconsin requires training in a program "approved by the affiliated credentialing board" (Wis. Stat. 448.63), and Vermont's endorsement law refers to a program "accredited by an organization that is acceptable to the Board" (26 V.S.A. 372).
• Older references. Some rules still name the American Podiatric Medical Association, under whose authority CPME accredits residencies; Mississippi asks for "APMA-approved postgraduate training," for example.

Scope rules name CPME too. Alabama ties surgery on the bones of the ankle to "at least 36 months of post-graduate residency training approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education" (Ala. Code 34-24-235), and Connecticut's ankle surgery documentation refers to a three-year residency accredited by CPME (C.G.S. 20-54).

What would a change mean for licensed podiatrists?

For podiatrists who already finished residency, probably little. Their training was CPME-accredited when they completed it, and several laws look at accreditation at the time of training. CPME's own FAQ ties board certification to "the CPME approved residency in existence during their years of training."

The open questions are for future graduates. If residencies were accredited by ACGME instead, a state whose statute names only CPME might need to amend its law, or its board might need to interpret an equivalence clause, before it could accept those graduates. States with "or its equivalent" or board-approval language would have more room. The podiatry compact's model law also requires "a podiatric residency program approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education" (Section 2(m)), so it would face the same question.

Is anything changing now?

No. CPME continues to accredit podiatric residencies and to verify them; its residency verification service and records going back to the mid-1960s are unchanged. The December 2025 paper is a position statement, not a decision, and it recommends a multi-year study before any engagement with ACGME. Nothing in the sources read sets a date for any change.

Where should residents and program directors keep watch?

1. Your certificate and verification. Keep your CPME residency certificate and know how to get a CPME verification letter. That record is what every board checks.
2. Your target state's wording. If you plan to license in a state whose statute names CPME alone, any future change would matter most there.
3. Board certification. CPME flags possible misalignment with ABFAS and ABPM standards. Certification affects Virginia endorsement, several ankle surgery rules and podiatry compact eligibility.

The current state residency rules are in residency length and state law, and each state's verified rule is on the state license index. A Podiatry Licensure Readiness Review ($149, credited toward your first application) checks your residency against each target state's wording.