Health Professions Partial Academic Pathway to Certification for Students

Faculty members who teach in health professions master’s and doctoral programs can help their students achieve certification in lifestyle medicine by applying for a course waiver with ACLM. By demonstrating that a lifestyle medicine course taught at the university level includes a minimum of 22 core competencies, ACLM will provide a certificate of waiver equal to the 20 hours of requisite event education to sit for the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Certification Exam to students who successfully complete an ACLM approved course.

Health professions programs eligible for this opportunity include nursing, physician associate, nurse practitioner, dietitian, occupational therapy, physical therapy, public health, and others. If you have a program that you’d like to have considered, please submit a request through our Help Center.

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Download the Partial Academic Pathway flyer to share with colleagues and leaders within your university.

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FULL academic pathway

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To properly evaluate your course, please fill out the Competencies Checklist and submit with your application.

For a course to qualify for the Academic Pathway, it must meet the following criteria:

Twenty-two (22) of the competencies below must be met within the course
One competency must be from the Nutrition Science, Assessment and Prescription Domain
One competency must be from the Physical Activity Science, Assessment, and Prescription Domain

The lifestyle medicine core competencies were developed by a committee of physicians from several medical specialties to provide guidance on the knowledge and skills needed for physicians to provide high quality lifestyle interventions that optimize chronic disease outcomes. These competencies were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2010 and used as the foundation for the first lifestyle medicine course and for the lifestyle medicine board certification examination. In the ensuing years, interest in the field and application has expanded to a variety of health professionals. With evolution of the lifestyle medicine evidence-base, the competencies have been updated. This article sums up the changes in their organization and content. Regular updates are anticipated to align with the ongoing scientific studies and evolution of the field.

Original physician LM core competencies 2010

Updated multidisciplinary LM competencies 2022

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Rolling Application Deadline: Please apply at least 30 days before the start of the course.

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Upon completing this document, please sign and submit it through this portal.

Certification in Lifestyle Medicine

“My training and board certification in lifestyle medicine changed my life and practice, personally and professionally. Whole food plant centered eating, culinary medicine cooking classes and long-term coaching support are the key for patients to achieve success with sustained weight loss, longevity and feeling great! Passing the board certification exam legitimized my expertise in my professional world and created fabulous opportunities to expand my career. I am grateful to be a part of the lifestyle medicine family and the ACLM! Go for it!” ~ OB-Gyn, DO, DipABLM – Georgia, USA.

Become Certified

In Person & Online

Save the Date | November 16 – 19, 2025
The Gaylord Texan, Dallas/Fort Worth

Every Fall, ACLM hosts the premier continuing education event focused on lifestyle medicine – the therapeutic dose of proper nutrition, regular physical activity, social connection, restorative sleep, stress management, and avoidance of risky substances.

Learn More