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Sport and Exercise Medicine Diploma Exam

2024 Exam

2025 Exam

General Information

Please submit the exam application form complete with the signature of the applicant, the application fee and a passport-style photograph of the applicant as well as all the required documents requested in the application form and eligibility requirements. At the time of the exam application CASEM will charge a $250.00 exam non-refundable administration fee. The administration fee will be deducted from the exam fee once your application has been accepted and the balance of the exam fee at the exam priority application deadline.

The exam application fee is $2000.00 CDN. Examination candidates will be accepted on a “first come first served” basis. Every second exam, accommodations will be made for candidates to write the exam in French provided that a minimum number of francophone candidates are reached (12). The exam will be offered in French, regardless of number of candidates, at least every 4 exams. Priority is given, at the time of the application deadline, to fellows registered in recognized Canadian Sport Medicine fellowship programs and to those who have failed in the previous year.  Applications will be received on a first com first served basis. The applicants accepted for examination will be notified by the CASEM Executive Director, and will be provided with information about the centre where he/she will take the examination.

Please note, in the event that an applicant qualifies to sit the examination but is unable, for whatever reason, to sit the exam, the refund policy will apply.  Future applications to sit the examination can be made upon payment of the appropriate application fee.

Eligibility

CANDIDATES FOR THE CASEM DIPLOMA EXAMINATION IN SPORT MEDICINE MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

Exam Application Form

You can e-mail your application form to: Rebecca Menard

OR

Mail it in to:
CASEM
House of Sport RA Centre
2451 Riverside Drive
Ottawa, ON K1H 7X7

FAQ

How Do I Prepare for This Examination?

What Type of Coverage Counts Towards the 50 Hours Required?

What Will I Receive as a Result of Passing This Examination?

Who Is Eligible to Sit the Exam?

How Long Is the Examination?

What Will the Examination Look Like? How Will It Be Organized?

Is This Examination Just for Family Physicians?

How Often Is the Examination Administered?

What if I Want to Do the Examination in French?

Who Sets the Examination?

What Standard of Expertise Are Candidates Expected to Demonstrate in the Examination Setting?

When Will Payment Be Processed?

How Do I Register for the Diploma in Sport and Exercise Medicine?

As a Succesful Candidate How Do I Use the Dip. Sport Med. Nominal?

Who Do I Contact if I Need More Information?

 

All who are interested in sitting the Exam should submit an application form with the appropriate fee by the announced deadline.  Please note that applications are accepted throughout the year, on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Credentials Committee reviews applications periodically throughout the year, as required. Applications will not be considered complete unless the candidate is a member in good standing of the Academy.

Successful candidates may use Dip. Sport Med. as a nominal.

NOTE: The use of this designation is contingent upon ongoing membership in the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine.

The Diploma in Sport and Exercise Medicine is considered a privilege granted by the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine to its members. Active membership in the Academy is a necessary prerequisite to sitting the exam and an absolute requirement to maintaining the designation as a Diplomat in Sport and Exercise Medicine.

Candidates unsuccessful in passing the examination in previous years are encouraged to repeat the examination in a subsequent year. Such candidates need not submit an application form but must submit a letter of intent to sit the examination no later than the specified application deadline date for that year. The application fee has to accompany this letter.

Information and Exam Appeal Process

The Examination

The examination is predominantly conducted using OSCE situations but other forms of examination can be used as well, i.e. multiple choice or short answer questions. These are designed to simulate, accurately as possible, situations that are likely to arise in the context of the practice of clinical sport medicine. They are designed to evaluate and assess not only knowledge, but also clinical skills and behavior.

Applicants who have been involved in the clinical practice of sport medicine, are familiar with the current literature, have participated in ongoing CME activities in this area, and who are aware of contemporary issues in sport medicine are ideal candidates for the examination.

EXAMINATION APPEAL PROCESS
Procedure for the Formal Review of the CASEM Diploma Examination Process

Formal reviews of the examination are performed as part of the overall evaluation and quality control process. They provide a means to investigate the circumstances of the examination administered to one or several candidates to ascertain whether the exam was carried out according to the instructions from the CASEM Credentials Committee.

Grounds for Appeal

Candidates should only request an appeal if they believe a process error had occurred during the exam that resulted in them receiving a failing grade; appeals made on the basis of examination content will not be successful. This is a fundamental distinction. Process is the conduct of examiners, conduct of standardized patients, or environmental circumstances under the direct jurisdiction of the Credentials Committee ONLY. It does not include candidate fatigue, lack of preparation, grief, illness, field of practice, etc. Process irregularities may include – power outages, examiner absence, etc. The Credentials Committee members are appointed based upon their position as the “authority on content”. As such their judgment relative to the correctness of a candidate’s answers is not open to challenge. Otherwise the review would become a content-oriented discussion between experts. To do so would be to “second guess” the examiners and most likely weaken the examination process. Further, process irregularities are considered relevant only when they are serious enough to materially affect the candidate’s performance.

On occasion deviations from the stated format of conduct of the examination may be unavoidable and irregularities may occur which do not result in any unfairness or significantly affect the performance of the candidate.

In the case that a candidate feels that he/she has been treated unfairly during the examination he/she may appeal the process. As indicated above, a successful appeal must be based on a process error.

In the case of an appeal the following procedure must be adhered to:

An appeal fee of $300.00 must be sent to the CASEM office along with a cover letter and a completed “Formal Appeal Form” (available on request) outlining the specific concern regarding the appeal. This must be received within 30 days after the Credentials Committee transmits the official results to the candidate. The candidates’ name will only be known to the CASEM National Office, the Committee Chairman and Chief Examiner. In as much as possible, the review process will be anonymous.

The candidate will be informed the request has been received within 30 days. The request must explain completely, and in detail, all of the circumstances surrounding the alleged irregularity. The Committee will perform a formal review of the candidate’s concern. The decision will be made on the basis of a majority vote.

The Decisions of the Credentials Committee
The decision regarding an official appeal of the examination by a candidate will be one of the following:

1. No process irregularity has occurred (appeal fee is forfeited)
2. There was a process irregularity but NOT of sufficient magnitude that it could materially affect the candidate’s performance or results (appeal fee is forfeited)
3. There was a process irregularity of sufficient magnitude to affect materially the candidate’s performance or results. In this case, the appeal fee is refunded to the candidate and the
committee chooses between one of the following two options:
• A repeat examination is allowed at the next examination session of the CASEM with no cost to the candidate
• The candidate is given a passing grade based upon the appeal

The Credentials Committee Decision, and reasons for the decision, will be transmitted to the CASEM Board of Directors. As a group of sport medicine experts who have no relation to the examination itself, the CASEM Board of Directors has the final decision on the result.

N.B. The CASEM Credentials Committee is a standing committee of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, made up of volunteers who generate, administer and review the CASEM OSCE Diploma Examination. This process is done in good faith. The Diploma Examination is not considered a high stakes examination that allows or prevents a candidate from practicing medicine. The committee understands that the possession of the Diploma in Sport Medicine is considered to be an important distinguishing document. In some provinces and jurisdictions it is used as a way of determining additional expertise in the area of Sport Medicine.

The CASEM is a non-profit charitable organization. The Credentials Committee, on behalf of the CASEM is in no position to enter into any appeal process with a candidate, where legal council is required. In addition, the appeal process is not bound by the rules of law concerning evidence applicable to judicial proceedings.

The Diploma in Sport Medicine is considered a privilege granted by the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine to its members. Active membership in the Academy is a necessary prerequisite to sitting the exam and an absolute requirement to maintaining the designation as a Diplomat in Sport Medicine.