Primary Certification Requirement Policy for Subspecialties
All ABPN-administered subspecialty certifications, except for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, require maintaining primary specialty certifications
Primary Certification Requirement for Subspecialties
ABPN-administered Subspecialties
Administrative Board
Must Maintain Primary Certification?
Addiction Psychiatry
ABPN
Yes
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
ABPN
No
Clinical Neurophysiology
ABPN
Yes
Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
ABPN
Yes
Epilepsy
ABPN
Yes
Forensic Psychiatry
ABPN
Yes
Geriatric Psychiatry
ABPN
Yes
Neurocritical Care
ABPN
Yes
Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
ABPN
Yes
Neuromuscular Medicine
ABPN
Yes
Vascular Neurology
ABPN
Yes
Effective July 2019, those ABPN diplomates currently certified in a multidisciplinary subspecialty administered by an ABMS member board other than the ABPN now have the option of following the lead of the administering ABMS member board regarding their primary certification requirement. Under this policy, requirements for diplomates who hold ABPN-administered subspecialties have not changed. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is the only ABPN-administered subspecialty which does not require maintenance of primary certification. Please refer to the requirements tables below.
Multi-disciplinary Subspecialties
Administrative Board
Must Maintain Primary Certification?
Brain Injury
ABPMR
Yes
Pain Medicine
ABA
No
Sleep Medicine
ABIM
No
Under this policy, ABPN diplomates in the following multidisciplinary subspecialties only, may follow the administrative board’s policies concerning maintaining or not maintaining primary certification. Please consult the appropriate website for policy information:
ABPN diplomates must continue to satisfy all ABPN Continuing Certification requirements (Parts I-IV) to maintain subspecialty certification.
Under this policy, requirements for diplomates who hold ABPN-administered subspecialties have not changed. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is the only ABPN-administered subspecialty which does not require maintenance of primary certification. Please refer to the requirements tables below.
If your current subspecialty certification in brain injury medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, pain medicine and/or sleep medicine has lapsed, consult your ABPN Physician Portal account for more information about maintaining your primary and/or your subspecialty certification in the future.
The ABPN encourages diplomates to investigate and carefully review the policies of various external stakeholders (including but not limited to the state licensing board, medical staff, and insurance panels) and any contracts that he/she may be a party to in an effort to ensure that dropping primary ABPN certification will not have a negative impact on the diplomate, his/her practice, or these other entities.
ABPN
