The Value of Specialty Board Certification

Information for Patients and the General Public

The ABPN certifies physicians in the specialties of psychiatry, neurology, and child neurology, as well as in many subspecialties of psychiatry and neurology. Physicians who are “board certified” by the ABPN have demonstrated their abilities to provide quality care to the highest standards of certification.

The resources linked below provide more information about board certification by the ABPN and what it means for your physicians to achieve and maintain their certification.

- Is my physician board certified by the ABPN? How can I find a physician in my area who is board certified by the ABPN?Please see our VerifyCERT page, which allows you to look up ABPN-certified physicians by name, specialty, or geographic location.
- How a Physician Becomes, and Remains, Board-CertifiedView these flowcharts, which show the typical professional journey taken by board-certified psychiatrists, neurologists, and child neurologists.
- Patient FlyersThese informational flyers briefly summarize important facts about your board-certified physician.
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the General PublicFind answers to commonly asked questions about board certification and the ABPN
- Videos about Board CertificationABPN President and CEO Dr. Jeffrey Lyness has prepared several brief videos that describe the importance of board certification, including the ABPN Continuing Certification Program and its components, such as the Article-Based Continuing Certification pathway.
- Further Reading — Articles and Research about the Value of Board CertificationRead commentary in the journal Academic Medicine from President and CEO Dr. Jeffrey Lyness and ACCME President and CEO Dr. Graham McMahon about the value of specialty board certification, as well as find links to other research on continuing certification as collected by the American Board of Medical Specialties Continuing Certification Reference Center.
- Test Development, Scoring, and Reporting ProcessesView the Flow Chart that shows the overall process of ABPN test development, scoring, and reporting processes.
- ABPN Position on Advocacy for Board Certification and Continuing CertificationThe ABPN believes very strongly in the value of certification; however, we do not engage in formal advocacy activities, as described in the ABPN Position statement.

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), of which the ABPN is a member board, lists many other published research articles related to the value of board certification on its Certification Matters website and on the advocacy page of the ABMS website.