American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology is responsible for setting the criteria for the training and qualifying of psychiatrists and neurologists in the United States. Psychiatrists and neurologists who pass the requisite training may take examinations to become board-certified by ABPN. As of 1994, all individuals achieving Board certification by the ABPN are issued ten-year, time-limited certificates. ABPN reports that it seeks to promote good practice through its certification process.
The ABPN is one of 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).
Contents |
[edit] History
The organisation was founded in 1934 by a committee of individuals drawn from the American Psychiatric Association, the American Neurological Association, and the American Medical Association. The emblem of the organisation features the Star of Life.
A notable founder was Walter Freeman, the most enthusiastic advocate and practitioner of the lobotomy, who also became president of ABPN from 1946 to 1948.
[edit] Organisation
The current president of the ABPN is Daniel Winstead. The Board of Directors consists of sixteen voting members. The nominating organizations for psychiatry are the the American College of Psychiatrists, American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association; for neurology, they are the American Neurological Association and the American Academy of Neurology. Each of these organizations proposes nominees to serve on the Board, but the Board itself selects its members. The Board is independently incorporated.
ABPN reports that it certifies around 1000 psychiatrists and 500 neurologists a year.
[edit] Examination Process
The ABPN examination involves a Part 1 computer-administered written test and a Part II oral examination involving clinical vignettes (written examples or video clips of hypothetical patients) followed by focused discussion, and evaluation by numerical score.
