Learning Center
Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP) February 2025 Online
Online Course- Only the CME/CE option is eligible for commensurate CME/CE credits, which can be purchased for an additional $315 More Info
- Base tuition is $2600. Automatic discounts, including membership pricing, have already been applied for logged in users. More Info
- This course is eligible for Resident and Medical Student Tuition. More Info
- IFM offers a military discount. More Info
- This course is part of the IFM Certification Program and the Functional Medicine Certification Program™ More Info
- IFM highly recommends this course as the best place to begin your functional medicine education and training as it sets the foundation for effective use of functional medicine concepts and tools.
- 90 Day Online Cohort: February 10 - May 11, 2025
Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP)™ synthesizes the latest medical research with a model of care that integrates each patient’s individual history, genetics, and lifestyle factors. AFMCP equips clinicians to design effective, personalized treatments for each patient.
Through a combination of interactive video lectures, case studies, online activities, and quizzes, AFMCP Online delivers comprehensive educational content as you learn at your own pace. Experienced functional medicine clinicians teach you how to use IFM’s tools to improve outcomes for patients with chronic diseases and health conditions.
AFMCP Online allows you to access the 90-day course at any time of the day, from any location with internet.
Tools and Takeaways
Your tuition at AFMCP includes a comprehensive toolkit, clinical pearls to apply directly to your practice, and strategies to enhance your practice and approach to medicine. These include:
- 33 hours of highly interactive video divided into segments so learners can come and go as they please within a 90-day timeframe.
- Access to a selection of IFM’s Toolkit, including intake forms, assessment questionnaires, patient handouts, customizable food plans, and laboratory assessment tools for the duration of the 90-day course.
- Course Materials: PDF presentation slides, MP3 audio recordings, and MP4 video recordings of the most recent AFMCP offering. Recordings will be made available after the close of the course to those who have completed the course. Course materials access lasts for one year post cohort.
- A listing on IFM’s Find A Practitioner database, which receives more than 200,000 views each month. To be listed on the Find A Practitioner database, you must complete AFMCP and maintain a current IFM membership.
- Access to an IFM-hosted private discussion group for community interaction and discussion.
- Access to the AFMCP Online Milestone Calendar to guide attendees through upcoming important dates and suggested milestones to stay on track with the course.
- An experiential five-week Elimination Diet course that includes individual, complimentary coaching sessions that will increase your confidence in implementing this important tool into your practice.
This course includes 23 lectures AND 8 Q&AS WITH THE EDUCATORS:
Session | Educator |
---|---|
Welcome and Orientation | Dan Lukaczer, ND |
Introduction to Functional Medicine: Redefining Disease Applied Systems Medicine Part 1 – Non-CME | Mark Hyman, MD |
Introduction to Functional Medicine: Redefining Disease Applied Systems Medicine Part 2 | Patrick Hanaway, MD |
Facilitated Q&A: Redefining Disease – Non-CME | Mark Hyman, MD Patrick Hanaway, MD Jeffrey Bland, PhD |
Mapping the Territory: Using the Functional Medicine Matrix Model | Kristi Hughes, ND |
DIGIN to Root Causes of Gut Dysfunction | Patrick Hanaway, MD |
Treatment of GI Dysfunction in the Context of the Functional Medicine Matrix | Tom Sult, MD |
Social Determinants of Health | James Carter, MD |
Facilitated Q&A: Gut Function and Dysfunction – Non-CME | Tom Sult, MD Robert Rountree, MD |
Immune Dysfunction and Inflammation: A Primary Mechanism of Illness | Robert Rountree, MD |
Food Allergies, Sensitivities, and Intolerances: Diagnosis and Treatment | Dan Lukaczer, ND |
Prescribing an Elimination Diet | Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD |
Anthropometrics, Biomarkers, Clinical Assessment, and Diet Evaluation: The ABCDs of Nutritional Evaluation: Part 1 | Michael Stone, MD, MS Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD |
Facilitated Q&A: Food Reactions – Non-CME | Michael Stone, MD, MS Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD |
Shifting the Therapeutic Encounter | Monique Class, MS, APRN, BC |
Anthropometrics, Biomarkers, Clinical Assessment, and Diet Evaluation: The ABCDs of Nutritional Evaluation: Part 2 | Michael Stone, MD, MS Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD |
Lowering the Toxic Body Burden Using Diet, Lifestyle, and Other Strategies | Robert Rountree, MD |
Functional Approaches to Cardiometabolic Disease | James Carter, MD |
Facilitated Q&A: Cardiometabolic Disease – Non-CME | Mark Holthouse, MD James Carter, MD |
Challenges in the Journey of Change | Monique Class, MS, APRN, BC |
Understanding the HPATG Axis: From Biochemistry to Application | Dan Lukaczer, ND |
Assessment and Treatment of Adrenal Dysfunction | Arti Chandra, MD |
Assessment and Treatment of Thyroid Dysfunction | Robert Luby, MD |
Facilitated Q&A: Adrenal and Thyroid – Non-CME | Dan Lukaczer, ND Arti Chandra, MD |
Testosterone Deficiency in Men | Mark Holthouse, MD |
Modulating a Woman’s Hormones Part 1 | Wendy Warner, MD |
Modulating a Woman’s Hormones Part 2 | Joel Evans, MD |
Facilitated Q&A: Modulating a Woman’s Hormones – Non-CME | Joel Evans, MD Wendy Warner, MD |
Mitochondria and Energy Dynamics | David Haase, MD |
Clinical Integration of Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Change | Shilpa Saxena, MD |
Clinical Integration and the Functional Medicine Matrix | Robert Luby, MD |
Facilitated Q&A: Clinical Integration and Lifestyle Change – Non-CME | Robert Luby, MD Shilpa Saxena, MD |
Facilitated Q&A: Therapeutic Partnership – Non- CME | Monique Class, MS, APRN, BC David S. Jones, MD |
Insight, Intuition, and the Therapeutic Partnership | David S. Jones, MD |
Topics:
Additional Information
What You Will Learn
In the AFMCP course you will learn how to:
- Identify root causes of dysfunction to allow personalized, precision-based treatments.
- Differentiate upstream causes of illness to design individualized treatments for each patient, even those with the same diagnosis.
- Explain to patients how their unique upstream factors cause their conditions, improving motivation and adherence.
- Use a whole person, whole health approach by eliciting what matters to your patient.
- Engage a clinical care team and utilize point-of-care tools to improve practice efficiency and outcomes.
- Utilize physical exam to detect nutritional deficiencies and imbalances.
- Use the functional medicine model to make personalized, precision-based diet and lifestyle recommendations.
- Identify and address five key domains of gut dysfunction with personalization and precision.
CME/CE Information
The CME/CE option is intended for clinicians who need to fulfill continuing education requirements. If you do not need CME/CE credits, you may purchase the non-CME option.
IFM is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
MD/DO: The Institute for Functional Medicine designates this other activity (an online semi-synchronous cohort) for a maximum of 33.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
New! ABP MOC points available: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn up to 33.5 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.
ABIM MOC points available: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 33.5 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
ND: Generally, state naturopathic boards accept courses accredited through the ACCME.
Nursing Professional: The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) accept contact hours approved through ACCME.
PA: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts contact hours approved through ACCME.
RD: The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) accepts contact hours approved through ACCME.
DC: Northwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU) provides continuing education credit for chiropractic physicians. Continuing education approval applications are submitted by NWHSU to all state chiropractic boards except Alberta, Arizona, California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. Please contact IFM for details on the approval status in your state.
LAc: This course has been approved by the California Acupuncture Board, Provider Number 0232, for 33.5 Category 1 hours of continuing education. Per the Recertification Handbook of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental (NCCAOM), courses approved by a state acupuncture regulatory board are eligible to submit with the re-certification application. Note: California acupuncturists must complete this course in full to receive CPEUs. Partial credit is not available.
Other: For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board or other credentialing organization regarding the acceptance of contact hours through ACCME-accredited organizations.
*Continuing education credits are subject to change.
Registration, Participation, and Cancellation Policies
registration POLICY
Program materials and CME/CE certificates are delivered to you through your personal IFM online account. Online access cannot be shared – course materials, course content, and CME/CE credit are provided to the individual registrant only. For this reason, you may not register multiple people or someone other than yourself. No registrations will be taken after 4:00 pm PT, Monday, February 17, 2025.
PARTICIPATION
Participants of the AFMCP Online Course have 90 days from the course start date (Monday, February 10) to complete the program. If registrants are not current IFM members, 90 day access to a selection of IFM’s Clinical Practice Toolkit is included beginning on the course start date (Monday, February 10). Learners who do not complete within the time frame will lose access to all course materials. Our systems does not allow for course extensions for any reason. No partial CME/CE credit will be awarded.
cancellation POLICY
Cancellation Request Received | Eligible Refund |
Date of registration/purchase – January 10, 2025 * | Refund less 10% administrative fee |
January 11, 2025 – February 09, 2025 * | Refund less 25% administrative fee |
February 10, 2025 – February 25, 2025 * | Refund less 50% administrative fee |
After February 25, 2025 * | No Refund |
*Next tier of fees in effect at midnight Pacific time
Tuition is non-transferable. Failure to log into the online course with no prior written cancellation or switch will result in complete forfeiture of tuition, course materials, and the course will not count toward certification (nonrefundable, nontransferable, no exceptions). Program materials are available only to registered participants. Log-in information is unique and cannot be shared. If you have completed your purchase through Affirm, your cancellation will incur an additional fee of up to 6%. Cancellation requests must be submitted via the Course Cancellation Form. IFM will reply with a written acknowledgement once processed. IFM will reply with a written acknowledgement once processed. My registration for Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice (AFMCP) signifies that I have read and agreed to IFM’s cancellation policy found above. My participation in AFMCP is not a substitute for any licensing requirements that may be applicable to me and does not independently authorize me to render care, prescribe regimens, or prescribe medications or supplements. My activities in the health and wellness field remain subject to my education, qualifications, and licensure. |
SWITCH FEE POLICY
Switch Request Received | Switch Fee |
February 11, 2025 – March 26, 2025* | $150 USD |
March 27, 2025 – May 10, 2025 * | $300 USD |
After May 10, 2025 * | No Switch Permitted |
*Next tier of fees in effect at midnight Pacific time
Requests to switch must be submitted in writing to info@ifm.org. Switches can only be made from the current AFMCP offering to the next cohort. |
Elimination Diet Challenge
Included in your Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice course, you will have the opportunity to participate in an experiential, five-week Elimination Diet course with support from a certified health coach. This course, a $400 value, will increase your confidence in applying this critical tool into your practice and gives you first-hand experience of the benefits that health coaches can bring to a care team.
What does a Functional Medicine Health Coach do?
A Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC) partners with individuals and groups in a client-centered process to support their health. FMCA graduates are trained to work closely with clients on lifestyle factors (sleep/relaxation, exercise/movement, nutrition, stress, relationships) that influence health. They are experts in behavior change and employ effective strengths-based coaching strategies such as motivational interviewing and appreciative inquiry. Health coaches possess the skills required to create connection, trust, and rapport. This directly leads to improved communication with the treating practitioner, a better understanding of the therapeutic plan, and a deeper commitment to following treatment recommendations.
An FMCHC has a solid understanding of the foundations of functional medicine. They are fully trained to utilize resources provided by IFM, such as the Timeline, Matrix, and various Food Plans. This background allows them to understand and, with the addition of their coaching skills, support the client to implement Functional Medicine treatment plans into their lifestyle. A health coach moves beyond the diagnosis-prescription model to co-create and execute a plan with the client that inspires him or her to a path of better health. An FMCHC does not assess, prescribe, diagnose, treat, or interpret results nor do they provide meal plans or fitness programs.
What can I expect in my sessions with my FMCHC?
You will have 5 sessions with your health coach through this program. It will be up to you and your coach to determine the length and frequency of your sessions, but in general health coaching sessions range from 30 to 60 minutes in length, and it is recommended that clients meet weekly or bi-weekly for the best results.
The first session with your coach is what we call a “Foundation Session” where you and the coach will get to know each other and the coach will ask you about your goals, vision and aspirations as it relates to what you are wanting to work on with your coach (completing the Elimination Diet, and other goals you may have such as managing stress, getting more sleep, or having more energy).
WHAT PAST ATTENDEES HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE PARTICIPATING IN THE ELIMINATION DIET CHALLENGE WITH A FMCHC:
- “With the help of my coach, I did the elimination diet and I saw myself becoming positive through the journey. I started introspection on what was my higher goal and how I should take small steps to reach my goals. I learned that It is always about looking at the brighter side of things. I am a better person now.”
- “It was really helpful having a health coach support me through the elimination diet. Without her support I don’t think I would have been compliant and completed the “challenge”. I felt I had a commitment to her and myself and was able to finish the challenge with a lot more motivation!”
- “I didn’t expect to take away so much from the coaching. I found my coach to be incredibly insightful. I learned a lot more about myself through the process other than the basics of just being able to put the plan into practice and keep to it. She helped guide me towards recognizing behaviors and self-limiting beliefs I had about myself, that of course ultimately are linked to my overall health.”
Exhibit & Sponsorship Opportunities
View the 2024 Core Program Exhibitor Prospectus for details on exhibit and sponsorship opportunities. For any questions or to discuss further, please contact the IFM Exhibiting Manager at exhibiting@ifm.org.
Practitioner Testimonials
All of the lectures were brilliantly presented. They shed a new light on subjects I'd learned but never fully grasped. I feel like I learned more practical information in a week than I did in Med School."