Psychosomatic Medicine Subspecialty Information

After more than a decade of effort by countless members and friends of APM, at the March 2003 meeting of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) the Assembly approved the issuance of subspecialty certificates in Psychosomatic Medicine (PM) by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). In June 2003, the Academy received approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In June 2005, the first ABPN examination in Psychosomatic Medicine took place.

For more information about the subspecialty approval, see Subspecialty Documents below.

SUBSPECIALTY EXAM

Five subspecialty examinations have been held thus far, in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011. Am J Psychiatry published a list of all 2005 certifications in its August 2006 issue in "ABPN Report on the 2005 Examinations." A PDF reprint is available here. Psychosomatic Medicine certifications are on journal pages 1469-1470 (or PDF pages 6-7). For more information about the 2005 exam and its statistics, see "PM Subspecialty Exam: 2005 Results" on page 9 of APM's Summer 2006 Newsletter.

A list of the 262 diplomates certified by the Board in the subspecialty of psychosomatic medicine awarded in April 2008 is available on the ABPN website as well as a PDF reprint here.

The next initial subspecialty examination in Psychosomatic Medicine is expected to be administered June 2013 (the examination schedule will be at www.abpn.com/exam_schedules.html).

The first re-certification exam, for those who passed the 2005 exam, will be held in 2015. This exam will include a written exam assessing cognitive expertise as well as the other elements of MOC (Maintenance of Certification): Professional Standing, Self-Assessment and CME, and Performance in Practice.

For more information about the initial and MOC subspecialty exams, see the Psychosomatic Medicine Subspecialty page on the ABPN web site.

PREPARING FOR THE EXAM

In November 2004, the Academy held a two-day Board Review Course designed to assist applicants in preparing for the 2005 exam. The Review Course included 14 CME hours of live presentations by international leaders in the field, plus two accompanying CD-ROMs featuring all live presentations plus an additional 10 CME hours of instruction, references, and exam-type questions. These CDs are available for purchase. Although CME credits can no longer be earned, the course is valuable preparation for the exam. For session topics, course presenters, and how to order the CDs, see Board Review Course.
 

SUBSPECIALTY DOCUMENTS

Proposal for Recognition of "PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE" as a Psychiatric Subspecialty Lyketsos CG and Levenson J with the APM Task Force for Subspecialization, July 2001 This proposal was submitted by the APM Task Force to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) for specialty board status. While much of the work for this was performed behind the scenes, the document is an excellent review of the proposal process, training details, and expectations in our field, and a valuable resource for preparing other types of proposals involving Consultation-Liaison (or now Psychosomatic) Psychiatry.

Program Requirements for Residency Education in Psychosomatic Medicine The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), effective June 2003

Home  •  About  •  Join  •  Members  •  News  •  Annual Meeting  •  Career  •  Library  •  Foundation