IFM has been educating clinicians for more than 30 years—and assessing practitioners through our functional medicine certification program since 2009. The need to ensure the rigor, relevance, and reputation of functional medicine has greatly evolved in that time, and as such, the certification of functional medicine must evolve as well.

• The new functional medicine certification program better reflects the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are necessary to competently practice functional medicine within individual licensures and across different disciplines.
• This evolution was informed by a comprehensive, formal review of the certification program over several years, which included external credentialing consultants, clinicians, subject matter experts, and collaboration with additional internal and external stakeholders.
• These changes ensure a separation between medical education and certification testing to maintain the integrity of the functional medicine credentials.

The process for evaluating:

A key component of this evolution work was an 18-month long formalized job analysis, which included a data-driven approach to define and validate the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the functional medicine discipline. A job analysis is a critical component of professional testing that serves as the foundation of any credentialing program.

• Job analysis findings reflect the clinical expertise, polling, and input of subject matter experts and thousands of functional medicine practitioners and highlight the important differences in the practice of functional medicine, based on scope of licensure.
• These differences resulted in defining two sets of competencies and thus two certification designations. The key distinctions include practitioners who are trained and licensed to perform physical examinations, order and interpret labs, and prescribe pharmaceuticals within their scope of license and those whose licensure does not typically allow for full scope practicing authority in these activities.

The elevation of the new program:

We are expanding the current IFM certification program into the certification program for the field of functional medicine to better align with industry-leading certification program standards and ensure the rigor, reputation, and relevance of the practice of functional medicine.

• To support the integrity of functional medicine practice, and in keeping with standards of practice among other medical and health professions, we are developing the Functional Medicine Certification Program™ according to standards published by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which is the gold standard when it comes to accreditation of programs that certify professionals working in medicine, health, fitness, wellness, and other occupations.
• Governed by an autonomous and independent certification body, the new functional medicine certification program will be managed by a newly formed credentialing department within IFM. These changes ensure a separation between medical education and certification testing to maintain the integrity of the functional medicine credentials.

Certification designations and functional medicine competencies: 

The findings of the certification program evaluation, job analysis, and validation survey reflect the clinical expertise and input of subject matter experts and thousands of functional medicine practitioners and highlight important differences in functional medicine practice, based on scope of licensure. These differences resulted in defining two sets of competencies and thus two certifications, each with their own designation issued upon successful completion: 

• Functional Medicine Certified Professional (FMCP)™  
• Functional Medicine Certified Professional – Medical (FMCP-M)™

You may view the full competencies here: 

• FMCP Competencies – Click Here to View 
• FMCP-M Competencies – Click Here to View  

Licensed healthcare practitioners receive comprehensive training within their disciplines, emphasizing both practical skills and approaches based on current science, evidence, and clinical reasoning tailored to their specific areas of practice. However, there are distinct differences between degree types within each certification designation.  

Practitioners who hold the FMCP™ designation are professionals who hold specialized degrees that enable them to provide focused care in their respective fields, and their scope of licensure varies. They are skilled in delivering treatments, offering expert guidance, and managing specific health conditions within their scope of practice. They play a key role in patient well-being by contributing their expertise in focused areas.

Practitioners who hold the FMCP-M™ designation are practitioners who hold degrees that grant them a broad scope of licensure, allowing them to perform comprehensive physical exams; order and interpret labs; diagnose and treat medical pathologies; prescribe pharmaceuticals, botanicals, and nutraceuticals, and manage a wide variety of acute and chronic health conditions. These practitioners identify personalized treatment options and offer ongoing management, with the capacity to coordinate all aspects of care.  

Commonly eligible degree types for the new certifications: 

All commonly eligible degree types within the current certification program remain eligible for the new certification designations. International equivalents and designations will be evaluated based on degree, regulatory status, and scope of practice. 

• Acupuncturist (LAc) 
• Dentist (DDS/DMD)  
• Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) 
• Doctor of Naprapathy (DN) 
• Doctor of Optometry (OD) 
• Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) 
• Mental health professionals (e.g., psychologist, LCSW, LPC, LMFT)  
• Nutrition professionals (e.g., CNS, RD, NT) 
• Occupational Therapist (OT) 
• Pharmacist (RPh/PharmD) 
• Physical Therapist (PT) 
• Registered Nurse (RN) 
• Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
  

• Medical Doctor (MD) 
• Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) 
• Naturopathic Doctor (ND) 
• Nurse Practitioner (NP) 
• Physician Assistant (PA) 

The current IFM Certification Program and the new Functional Medicine Certification Program™ are both voluntary and certification designation does not expand or reduce a practitioner’s scope of licensure, nor confer any additional legal or specialty status. Practitioners can only apply their functional medicine education within the scope of their current healthcare license issued by the appropriate authority in the state, province, or country of their clinical practice. It is incumbent upon practitioners of the program to understand their scope of licensure and apply functional medicine approaches according to the permissions and limitations of their existing licensure. 

A few details about the new program eligibility:

The eligibility requirements for both new certification designations (FMCP-M™ and FMCP™) continue to require practitioners to:

• Hold at least a master’s level degree (for some professions, a bachelor’s degree is accepted) in a health-related field from an accredited university. International equivalents and designations will be evaluated based on degree, regulatory status, and scope of practice.
• Hold an active healthcare license to practice by the appropriate authority in the state, province, or country of clinical practice.

To successfully earn their designation, candidates will be required to:

• Complete an application for the new program.
• Complete a minimum of 100 hours of accredited functional medicine education and training that align with the designation’s functional medicine competencies. At this time, IFM’s core functional medicine curriculum is the only organization teaching to the functional medicine competencies. Approved accrediting bodies will be announced prior to program launch.
• Pass either the FMCP™ or FMCP-M™ written examination. Each designation will have a separate written examination based on the respective functional medicine competencies, not specific courses or trainings by a specific educational organization. The written exams will incorporate new, detailed, case-based test questions to assess clinical skills. There will no longer be a separate case study submission.

A few details about Maintenance of Certification   

We are excited to announce new information about the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements for the Functional Medicine Certification Program™. Once certified, the credential will be valid for six years. To maintain certification, a certified practitioner must: 

• Confirm ongoing, active licensure every two years 
• Earn a minimum of 75 Professional Development Hours (PDH) every six years

The purpose of the MOC requirements is to ensure public protection via ongoing, active licensure and for practitioners to actively demonstrate continued competence, enhance their learning, and remain up-to-date given the pace of change in the practice of functional medicine over time.  

Additional details about the MOC renewal program are still in development, so much more is to come regarding how to earn professional development hours. The goal is to develop a renewal process that will be easy and convenient, as we understand that many certified practitioners also have to earn CME to maintain a variety of other licenses and board certifications. We look forward to sharing more information about ways in which certified practitioners will be able to earn credit to renew their credential. 

Final current IFMCP certification testing cohorts:

The final IFMCP testing cohort under the current program is July 2025: 

• Written test dates: July 18-28, 2025 
• All courses must be completed by: May 9, 2025 
• Case study submission must be received by IFM no later than: May 9, 2025 

Last chance program dates under the current IFMCP program:

For practitioners wanting to pursue certification through the current program, all courses must be completed by May 9, 2025. The remaining course offerings eligible for completion by the final IFMCP testing cohort in July 2025 include: 

• Medicina Funcional Módulo de Práctica Avanzada™ Hormona – 17-19 de noviembre de 2024 
• Medicina Funcional Módulo de Práctica Avanzada™ Bioenergética – 20-22 de noviembre de 2024 
• Cardiometabolic APM – January 24-26, 2025 
• Immune APM – March 7-9, 2025 
• AFMCP Europe – Jan 21-April 3, 2025; April 4-5 in-person

This list does not include IFM’s full program calendar. IFM continues to offer its high-quality, ACCME-accredited educational programs annually.

Launch of the new functional medicine certification program:

We plan to launch a pilot cohort for the new certification program in early 2026 and we anticipate the full program launch later in 2026. More information will be communicated soon.  

 Details for IFM Certified Practitioners: 

• On transitioning: Practitioners who certified under the IFMCP program will be transitioned into the new Functional Medicine Certification Program™, and a new certification renewal date will be granted. More information about the transition process and timeline is in development and will be shared as details become available. 
• On recertification: For all current certified practitioners, whether you are due for recertification this year or in several years, the current IFMCP recertification is on pause. We will extend your certification date until you are transitioned into the new program, and you will complete recertification going forward under the new program. The maintenance of certification process is outlined above. 
• There are no changes to the IFMCP benefits at this time. More information on updated benefits will be shared prior to the launch of the new certification program.  

How to choose between completion under the current IFMCP program or waiting to complete under the new certification program: 

When it comes to choosing between completing the current IFMCP program or the new Functional Medicine Certification Program™, each practitioner must ultimately make the decision that is best for their journey, resources, and study preparation timeline. 

To help determine if you will be able to complete the program requirements under the current program, please refer to IFM’s program calendar and IFMCP certification process.  

For practitioners who are unable to complete current certification requirements by May 9, 2025, and plan to certify under the new program: 

• All completed IFM core functional medicine curriculum (AFMCP and APMs) will count as eligible hours toward the new certification program. 
• You must apply to the new certification program.  
• Your current application fee will apply toward the new program application fee. 

For practitioners whose IFMCP applications have expired or will expire before May 9, 2025: 

• All completed IFM core functional medicine curriculum (AFMCP and APMs) will count as eligible hours toward the new certification program. 
• If you plan to certify under the current program, we will extend your application time period through July 2025.  
• If you plan to certify under the new program, you must apply to the new certification program. New application fees apply. 

For practitioners who may not pass examination components (case study and/or written exam) during the final IFMCP Testing Cohorts:

• If a practitioner does not pass examination components for the November 2024 cohort, they will have an opportunity to retest in the final IFMCP testing cohort, following our policy and procedures.
• If a practitioner does not pass examination components for the final July 2025 cohort, they will submit a new application and related fees for the new certification program and test within the new program requirements.