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ABPP Mission Statement
The mission of the American Board of Professional Psychology is to increase consumer protection through the examination and certification of psychologists who demonstrate competence in approved specialty areas in professional psychology.
ABPP Value Statement
Board Certification through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) provides peer and public recognition of demonstrated competence in one of its fourteen affiliated specialty areas. Additionally, Board Certification through ABPP provides the professional with increased opportunities for career growth, including employability, mobility, and financial compensation.
Message from the President
This is to introduce myself, review some of the ABPP highlights of the year, and mention important items currently percolating at ABPP. First, I want wish you all a very happy New Year and hope that 2012 is a successful and productive year for each of you.
By way of introduction, I am board certified in clinical neuropsychology and work as a professor of neurology in the Medical College of Georgia at the Georgia Health Sciences University evaluating patients, conducting clinical research, and teaching graduate and medical students and residents. My pathway to ABPP is familiar to many of you. I first heard about board certification during my training years and learned that ABPP certification was the most definite way to demonstrate specialty competency in neuropsychology. I became involved as a member of the BOT in 2006 and served on the executive committee as secretary and then as president-elect. My ABPP has been valuable to me for multiple reasons, but just to name a few: it was universally accepted as an unambiguous statement of competence in my specialty both inside and outside of the health care setting; certification eased the pathway toward promotion at work; and board certification placed me on a more equal footing with my colleagues in medicine, all of whom were board-certified in their specialties.
It is indeed a privilege and an honor to serve as the new president of ABPP for the next two years. I am following two of the most incredibly talented and hard-working people I have ever met, Dr. Nadine Kaslow and Dr. Chris Maguth Nezu. They both have worked tirelessly to increase the visibility and value of board certification in psychology, and our organization has benefitted greatly through the leadership of these two exceptional psychologists. They have set a high bar for future presidents to live up to, and I can only attempt to do so.
Turning to some of the important highlights of this past year, I think the progression to full affiliation of Police & Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP) to become ABPP’s 14th specialty board would have to be at the top of the list. Although the monitoring phase of ABPPSP affiliations application was approved by the Board of Trustees in 2010, they achieved full affiliation only after completing approximately 50 board examinations during 2011. The ABPPSP is now actively working on obtaining recognition as a specialty by the Committee on Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP).
ABPP will be holding its third annual ABPP Summer Workshop Series in Philadelphia, PA this coming July 11-14, 2012 at the Warwick Hotel. We will be offering some 20 half-day and whole-day workshops by some of the most knowledgeable leaders in their field. Additionally, ABPP is encouraging specialty boards to combine this meeting time with their own board activities, to include oral board exams or board of directors meetings, as examples. We hope that you will join us in Philadelphia this summer and also assist in planning for specific topics and specialty board activities to help grow the workshop series in the future.
ABPP Executive Committee. The ABPP secretary, Jay Thomas, has become ill and resigned his post this fall to attend to his health. We wish to thank Jay for the service he has provided ABPP. Please join with us in keeping Jay and his family in your thoughts and prayers. At ABPP’s annual meeting this past December in Chapel Hill, NC, the Board of Trustees elected Randy Otto as the President-elect, Jerry Sweet as Treasurer, and Alina Suris as Secretary. These accomplished and diligent individuals will add much to broaden the perspective of the EC. Randy Otto is from Florida, Jerry Sweet is from Illinois, and Alina Suris is from Texas.
The Board of Trustees has initiated a plan to have all ABPP specialty boards be consistent with the specialties recognized by APA’s Committee on Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP). At present, there are three ABPP specialty boards that do not have CRSPPP recognition, and these boards are actively working with CRSPPP to submit their specialty applications. Conversely, the area of geropsychology has already been recognized by CRSPPP as a specialty, and ABPP has invited the American Board of Geropsychology to seek ABPP specialty board affiliation.
At the annual meeting in December, the Board of Trustees voted to accept the plan proposed by the Board-Academy Relations Workgroup which outlined the options available for how academies can organize their affiliation to their specialty board (SB) and ABPP. Academies now have three options: 1) merge with their specialty board under the ABPP umbrella, 2) remain a separate organization from their specialty board, but still be under the ABPP umbrella, or 3) remain a separate organization and be incorporated independently from ABPP but be affiliated with ABPP. This workgroup will be designing an affiliation agreement acceptable to ABPP and the academies in the coming months.
ABPP’s newsletter editors, Bob Hill and Michael Cuttler, will be offering CE credits for articles in The Specialist at no cost to board certified specialists. The plan is to have one brief CE article in every issue of the newsletter and a link in the document to the ABPP website where the CE quizzes will be located and credit issued. In the next year or so, ABPP plans to begin developing online continuing education offerings through the ABPP website starting with podcasts with audio lecture content and PowerPoint slide presentations that last between 45 and 60 minutes.
The Maintenance of Certification Task Force has been working on plans to gradually introduce a “maintenance of competence” program into the ABPP board certification process. The emphasis in psychology, as in medicine and other professional groups, is to move beyond simple licensing and certification to continuous professional development for specialists. As currently envisioned, a host of continuous professional development activities (e.g., approved sponsored CE activities, mentoring, clinical training, research, self-directed learning) would consist of a multi-staged process, similar to current requirements in many states for documentation of CEs for maintaining a state license, that would occur over a ten-year period with some form of peer review, such as a modified practice sample review.
The tentative goal is to have criteria in place by January 1, 2013. At that point, Beta testing would occur with several specialists in each specialty. As currently envisioned, this maintenance of competence requirement for board certification would only be required of individuals who obtain board certification after the date the plan is adopted. The program would be voluntary for all current specialists.
The ABPP Foundation was formally recognized by the IRS as a 501(c) (3) charitable organization in 2010. The overall purpose of the ABPP Foundation is to receive charitable support in order to provide educational opportunities and continuing professional education development for licensed professional psychologists and ultimately to improve the health of the general public. Donations may be directed toward projects that foster or disseminate information that is of relevance to professional psychology and enhances public health through its training opportunities. Donations may be made securely online through the webpage at www.ABPP.org and linking on the left side of the page to “ABPP Foundation” or you may use the direct link to the foundation:
http://www.abpp.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3577. Checks are also welcome and may be made payable to “The ABPP Foundation” and sent to 600 Market Street, Suite 300, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.
Our goal to develop a cultural shift within the profession, such that board certification becomes more of an expected standard for specialty practice in professional psychology, has begun to gain some traction, and ABPP continues to work diligently on increasing the visibility of the ABPP board certification process. We are happy to let you know that our application rate continues to increase annually, and our collaboration with other important educational, training, and credentialing organizations in psychology has begun to thrive. I look forward to working with all of you over the next two years to continue the positive trajectory that ABPP has set itself to follow. As in prior years, please feel free to contact me with your feedback and suggestions at any time at, glee@georgiahealth.edu.
Executive Officer Update
David R. Cox, PhD, ABPP
The year 2011 flew by! It is amazing that another year is upon us, and looking back I realize how much ABPP has accomplished this past year, and over the last several years. Our Central Office staff is exemplary. I could not ask for a better group of people with whom to work, as we work hard, collaboratively as a team, and enjoy what we do. I think that shows to those with whom we have the opportunity to interact, as I frequently receive feedback about the team. Thanks to Nancy, Lanette and Diane for all of the support that they provide me and ABPP as a whole in moving our organization – and profession – forward! Please take a look at the article that they have provided elsewhere in this issue for some highlights of how ABPP Central Office has advanced!
The ABPP Executive Committee (EC) is another group that has put in countless hours working to help ABPP, and professional psychology, advance and succeed. Most of you know that Jay Thomas, our ABPP Secretary, has become ill and has resigned his post to care for his health. All of us wish him well and are extremely grateful for the service he has provided to ABPP, as well as his friendship. Nadine Kaslow, Chris Nezu, Greg Lee and Randy Otto have been a real pleasure to work with and I think we can all be proud of the results of the Executive Committee’s hard work! I look forward to working with all of the new Executive Committee members – Greg Lee (President), Randy Otto (President-elect), Nadine Kaslow (Past-President), Jerry Sweet (Treasurer) and Alina Suris (Secretary). We are quite fortunate to have these talented individuals providing their service to ABPP!
Below are some major areas of emphasis that I would like to point out, but I also want to take a moment to comment on some less concrete items that are related to ABPP activities, and I believe are positively impacted by ABPP.
Congratulations to Don Bersoff, PhD, JD, ABPP for his victory (as well as to those that preceded him)! We will have the honor of having Dr. Bersoff as one of the presenters at the 2012 ABPP Summer Workshop Series. In the 2009 APA election, 4 of the 5 candidates on the ballot for president-elect were ABPP psychologists; 2010 had 5 such individuals. The elected in each year was ABPP. In 2011, only 1 of the 5 candidates was ABPP. Yet the newly elected APA President-elect is, for the third year in a row, an ABPP psychologist! Again, congratulations!
I hear comments all the time at various APA and other organizational meetings about the growth of the “culture of competence” in psychology and that including the importance of being board certified through ABPP. Groups such as the Council of Specialties in Professional Psychology (CoS), Committee on Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP), Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) and others are working hard to help get professional psychology “all on the same page”. APA has recently developed a Taxonomy that includes Specialty and Subspecialty; ABPP’s voice was requested and heard in the development of that (I was a member of the Taxonomy Workgroup that started the process). Ron Rozensky, of CRSPPP, commented recently to me on the positive progress that professional psychology is making and stands to make in the near future due to the exceptionally good working relationships that the leaders of various important psychology organizations have presently. I could not agree more; psychology is presently near the “tipping point” in regard to competence as a standard, including a growing expectation of board certification. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with the likes of Dr. Rozensky, Dr. Steve DeMers (ASPPB), Dr. Jeff Baker of APPIC, Dr. Katherine Nordal (APAPO) and the many others with whom I have the pleasure of interacting on a rather regular basis.
ABPP Summer Workshop Series
Initiated in 2010, the ABPP Summer Workshop Series provides for half day and full day workshops presented by recognized, board certified psychologists with specific expertise in the area of presentation. The second series of workshops – the 2011 ABPP Summer Workshop Series – was held in San Francisco this past June. The 4 day event included 18 workshops as well as opportunities for those in attendance to interact on an informal basis. Just as with the 2010 ABPP Summer Workshop Series, the response from those attending and those presenting was uniformly positive. Although the initial (2010) series cost ABPP financially, it was deemed successful in providing a benefit to those in attendance; the ABPP 2010 series significantly changed the financial outcome and indeed generated a small profit. The 2012 ABPP Summer Workshop Series will be held July 11-14, 2012 at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, PA. We have another terrific lineup of roughly 20 presentations; it is our hope that you can join us. We also invite those interested in specific topics to let us know what workshops you would like presented in the future.
Affiliations
The American Board of Police & Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP) was approved in December 2010 by the ABPP Board of Trustees to move forward in the affiliation process. ABPPSP held its initial examinations as it progressed toward full affiliation with ABPP concurrent with the 2011 ABPP Summer Workshop Series. ABPPSP has done a remarkable job of attracting psychologists who specialize in a variety of aspects of law enforcement and other public safety psychological services to pursue board certification. We have received over 160 applications to this board already, and the ABPPSP has completed roughly 50 examinations to date. A series of articles was published in The Police Chief, a publication of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, about specialization in police and public safety psychology. I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Dave Corey, Dr. Michael Cuttler and others on an article for that publication; as well, I was honored to have been graciously included with many of the ABPPSP founders as a recipient of an APA Division 18 (Public Service) award for Outstanding Contribution to the field of Police & Public Safety. ABPPSP presentations were a significant contributor to the success of the 2011 Summer Workshop Series, and we anticipate that will repeat in 2012. Having been involved for several years now in encouraging this board’s application, I am very pleased with the diligence – and outcome – demonstrated by the committed group that brought the ABPPSP to this point.
The American Board of Pharmacopsychology (ABP) submitted its revised application for affiliation. That application was provided to the Affiliations Committee and the Board of Trustees for review at the December 2011 meeting, at which time representatives of that board presented via telephone conference. The ABPP BOT voted to not approve the application for affiliation at this time.
The American Board of Geropsychology has indicated it intends to apply for affiliation in 2012. The area of geropsychology has been recognized by the Committee for Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Psychology (CRSPPP) and I have had communication with some of the individuals involved for the past few years. Dr. Victor Molinari, with the University of South Florida, is the “point guard” for this group’s affiliation process. I am very pleased to see that this group is moving rapidly toward ABPP affiliation.
As a reminder to all, ABPP has adopted the stance that all ABPP specialty boards that are already affiliated with ABPP, as well as any proposing affiliation, shall make application to CRSPPP for recognition as a specialty. ABPP recognizes and encourages the inter-organizational efforts that have been underway to attempt to provide for more uniform understanding of the taxonomy of psychology, including recognition of specialty areas. The American Board of Group Psychology (ABGP), the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology (ABRP) and the American Board of Police & Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP) are each working with CRSPPP in this regard.
Continuing Professional Development
ABPP participated with ASPPB in its “Maintenance of Competence and Licensing” (MOCAL) efforts. Nadine Kaslow and I were participants in a recent ABPPSP workgroup on this issue. Greg Neimeyer, of the University of Florida and also of the APA CE committee, and I developed a survey that has been distributed to all ABPP psychologists and many other psychologists across the nation. The survey was to determine how the ASPPB MOCAL proposal fits with current continuing professional development (CPD), as well as to assess how psychologists respond to the possibility of this proposed range of CPD activities. Results indicate that most psychologists already do the activities that are proposed, and ABPP psychologists tend to engage in more continuing professional development activities than do non-ABPP psychologists. The results of the survey are being prepared for publication, and Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (PPRP) has indicated an interest in the article. An additional publication is being prepared that will review the ABPP v. non-ABPP results and an additional survey, to gain perspective from consumers, is being considered. We have requested time at the APA State Leadership Conference to present on the findings, and garner further input from leaders in SPTAs.
ABPP’s Maintenance of Certification task force, chaired by Chris Nezu, recently held a working meeting, and Carol Webb, president-elect of ASPPB, participated with us in that work. Watch for more information from that meeting and work group in the future; they are working hard on a proposal based on capturing the ongoing activities in which ABPP psychologists engage to maintain competence in a specialty area.
ABPP Myths
Christine Maguth Nezu, PhD, ABPP
Myth 1. ABPP is a Largely Academic and Elitist Organization.
Myth-busting facts. The mission of ABPP is to board certify individuals in various psychology specialties. As such, board-certified specialists are first and foremost, competent professionals who are responsible for the delivery of best practices of their specialty. It is true that, In addition to their commitment to providing competent services to the public, some psychologists who hold leadership positions on the various ABPP boards and academies also hold leadership positions in various clinical training or academic institutions. However, this is not elitist, rather, simply attests to their active participation in the growth and improvement of the field. Board-certified specialists are individuals who are interested in promoting competent practice, at all levels of experience, from the full range of professional service settings, and from all theoretic orientations. Since when did the aspiration of competent practice cease signifying responsibility and start signifying elitism?
Myth 2. If one is Licensed, There is No Need for Further Evaluation of His or Her Abilities.
Myth-busting facts. Technically, in order to legally and ethically engage in independent general practice, this is correct. However, if one considers him- or herself a specialist regarding assessment, treatment, or consultation in any of the recognized specialty areas within professional psychology, there is a growing interest among jurisdictional regulators and third- party payers to look toward board certification, similar to medicine, as a way to credential competent specialty practice. Moreover, our own ethical standards require us to provide services within the boundaries of our competencies. Board certification goes beyond what knowledge we have obtained and extends to how we competently apply what we know in day-to-day specialty practice.
Myth #3. I am a Quality Provider and Very Successful. I Don’t Need ABPP to Attract Patients.
Myth-busting facts. ABPP was never intended to be a marketing vehicle by which individuals could attract patients or increase the entrepreneurship of their practice (although it is a reported additional benefit for some). Rather, when high quality providers (e.g., the very people who subscribe to this myth and accurately self-identify in this way) are recognized through board certification, the process uplifts the entire profession because their practice provides the specialty benchmarks for competent work. One psychologist (who previously subscribed to this myth) recently told me that it was his concern about uplifting the profession during our discussions that sold him on the importance of board certification through ABPP.
Myth #4. ABPP Does Not Have Value for Me. Indeed, if I Take the Exam, I May be Communicating That I Am Not Competent Until I am Board Certified.
Myth-busting Facts. Ask any ABPP board-certified psychologist if they ever questioned the board-certification process or if they experienced any fears of how patients or colleagues might react if they did not pass (although the pass rate for individuals taking the exam is high, most all of us have experienced these fears). It is important to consider that many of the most valuable personal learning experiences involve some discomfort. After the first question, the board-certified specialist should then be additionally asked why he or she decided that it was still worth the time, effort, and cost to get board certified. I have never spoken to a specialist who regretted their decision. With regard to concerns about performance, there is much one can do to increase the likelihood of a successful exam experience by seeking information, guidance, and mentorship through the specialty board or academy of interest. More important, ABPP’s value far exceeds the individual sense of accomplishment, the increase in practice mobility, the increase in employment or salary opportunities, and increased protection of the public. Its value is important primarily to the professional of psychology as a whole. I have received emails, letters, and phone calls in the past two years from psychologists who are concerned about the unfair recognition of doctoral-level psychologists compared to their counterparts in medicine. Examples include the lack of fairness in media outlets regarding their refusal to use the title “Dr.” for psychologists and attempts by some segments of the American Medical Association (AMA) to do the same. It is reasonable and justifiable to have these concerns and desire to want to fight for equal professional footing. However, the overwhelming majority of physicians are board certified, whereas the current percentage of qualified psychologists who are board certified is approximately 4%. We will never receive the parity and fairness we seek regarding the media, law-making bodies, insurance carriers, our colleagues in other disciplines, or the public, unless we demonstrate an equal commitment to ensuring competence in our specialty practices. What we do is important. The easing of human suffering, the improvement of lives and relationships, and improved mental and physical health outcomes require robust and competently delivered therapies. Board certification is a widely accepted means by which to increase confidence in the competence of those who provide such services.
Myth # 5. ABPP is Only for Expert Practitioners Who Have Been Practicing for Years and Years.
Myth-busting facts. Individuals qualify as candidates for board certification if they have the requisite doctoral training and have an unrestricted license in the jurisdiction in which they practice. Although requisite professional experience varies with specialties, in most cases, this involves approximately three years postdoctoral training (including internship).
Myth #6. I Don’t See Patients in Day-to-Day Practice Much Anymore. More of My Work Involves Program Development, Supervision, or Development of Effective Treatments Through Psychology Research.
Myth-busting facts. I saved this one for last because I hear it so often in academic settings. I usually ask the person perpetuating this set of myths some of the following questions depending upon the particular version of the myth. “Imagine for a moment that you were a student seeking a professional doctoral training program (e.g., psychology, medicine, nursing, etc.), would you seek training from board-certified or non board-certified professionals in the specialty or discipline with which you are interested? If you were seeking treatment for a significant medical or physical problem, would you want to know that your provider was board-certified as competent and prepared to treat the problem for which you seek help?” And finally, “if you were supporting research to investigate a psychotherapy approach that was aimed at decreasing human suffering, would you want to know that the therapists in the study were competent?” Of course the answers to any (and all) of these questions is usually a resounding “yes.” Particularly in academic settings that train the next generation of professional psychologists or investigate the next wave of effective psychotherapy treatments, competence is a critical concept. For example, one clear bridge between research and practice is that those conducting clinical research trials in psychotherapy must necessarily be concerned with ensuring the competency of therapists in their studies as an essential aspect of their scientific integrity.
Why Myths Tend to Periodically Resurface
Recently, I read an article in another professional psychology organization’s newsletter, in which that organization was promoting its own credentialing process. Rather than focusing on the benefits to their members regarding their own activities, the author provided false and misleading information about ABPP, referring to it as an “academic certification” (see myth # 1), stating that only 1% of psychologists are board certified (false and misleading information), and making statements directly dismissing the value of ABPP board certification. It is disappointing when fellow psychologists behave poorly. More importantly, when our colleagues resort to disseminating information that is at best inaccurate and naive, and at worst, irresponsible and unprofessional, their behavior can be damaging to the profession as a whole.
Despite our training and experience, none of us are immune to fear, or any of the array of personal strategies human beings employ to reduce fears, including avoidance, denial, distraction, rationalization, or even aggressive acts. Many of the myths that persist can be traced back to colleagues’ fears that their competence might be questioned, avoidance of the burden of a fair and objective exam, denial of its importance, distraction from responsibility, rationalization that peer evaluation of competence is not necessary, and in its extreme, aggressive and attacking remarks toward the board certifying body (ABPP). It does not need to be this way. This issue significantly hits the notion of “practicing what we preach” and working together to support and help each other in the inevitable sequence of steps we all recognize as essential to demonstrating competent practice and placing professional psychology on equal footing with other healing disciplines. By doing so, we can reduce the prevalence of these myths and simultaneously help the profession. In order to accomplish this, we will need to reduce our own desires to promote the idea that there are so many competent psychologists out there that should be recognized and identified as such. We will need to do more to help our colleagues confront examination fears in a more effective manner and walk willingly into their board-certification experience. One reason for publishing our first ABPP book this summer was to reach out and make the board certification process more user-friendly, by sharing our experiences, our knowledge, and our collective helpful guidance with the process. We need to be welcoming and encouraging. The challenge, which I have often heard stated at so many meetings and conferences, is to get psychologists to “stop shooting ourselves in the foot.”
How to Stop Shooting Ourselves in the Foot
Rather than allow fears of the oral exam or face the possibility that some our specialty competencies may require continuing education to result in arguments or competitions with each other, how can we appeal to our colleagues to “cease fire” and stop thinking of ABPP as a “four-letter word?” Continued avoidance, denial, rationalization, and attacks may provide some immediate sense of personal control over fear, but it inevitably reduces the value and importance of what our profession can offer.
Imagine how the field could be strengthened if we helped and supported each other to reach the competency standards for practice to which we can mutually agree. More energy would be spent on mentoring, supervision, continuing education, and cross-specialty conferences. To begin this type of activity, we are planning the first-ever, ABPP-wide, continuing education conference in Portland, Oregon July 6-10, 2010 (please mark your calendars and save the date). This conference will disseminate the work of board-certified psychologists across all specialty areas, and allow for cross-specialty integration. It will provide cutting-edge developments and will be open to both board-certified and non-board certified psychologists. I look forward to seeing you all there.
In recent months, I have spoken to many people and organizations in my role as ABPP President in order to disseminate information about board certification, promote the importance of competence in professional psychology, and to invite dialogue regarding how we can best reach the many licensed psychologists for whom board-certification would acknowledge their work and promote the profession. Although I have witnessed an ever growing enthusiasm for these concepts, I continue to experience the barriers of old myths that are perpetuated by a lack of information or presence of fears.
Why We Need to Change
I recently was speaking with a hospital credentialing administrator and explained the importance of board certification for professional psychology specialists. In doing so, I made a few comparisons to the board-certification process required by physicians. She listened carefully and agreed that peer evaluation of competency in a specialty certainly provides for an important means for the public to have confidence in the psychological services provided by the hospital. Additionally, she indicated that it clarifies for other groups, such as third party payers, the nature and competencies involved in one’s specialty practice. However, she later suggested, “unless we can grandparent the existing practitioners, we may have a revolt on our hands…because no psychologist who has been practicing for many years is going to be willing to take another test. They’re not like other docs…they fight these things.”
Another licensed psychologist recently told a colleague that after years of practice as a qualified psychologist, to have her patients know that she is taking a board-certification would be an embarrassment that may have a negative impact on her practice. As you might expect, I could not disagree more. It’s essential to help our colleagues overcome the barrier of fear in much more constructive ways. However, in order to do so, they should expect our enthusiastic support, mentorship, and helpful guidance. Although undergoing evaluation may be a bit daunting, it’s the very concept of self-study, continuing education, and dedication to competence that contributes to our organization’s integrity.
Why We Need to Address Maintenance of Board-Certification in the Future
During this same week, I read an editorial by a cardiologist who writes a column for our local newspaper that had as its focus, the board-certification requirements of physician specialists and the more recent requirement of maintenance certification to which all of their 24 member boards agreed to participate. The American Board of Medical Specialties indicates that this maintenance of certification is important because it “assures that the physician is committed to lifelong learning and competency in a specialty and/or subspecialty by requiring measurement of core competency areas established by the association.”
Our own board of trustees began an exploration of the topic of maintenance last December and charged the standards committee to consider various models and processes of continuing education and lifelong learning that provide a means by which ABPP as an organization can maintain the value of board certification. As part of their preliminary deliberations, the ABPP Board of Trustees recognized that once an individual is board certified, a full re-examination process would not be efficient; rather it would be and unnecessarily burdensome to our specialists, the examining boards, and the overall organization. As an alternative, the Standards Committee is working on the development of a future process by which board certified specialists can earn “recertification credits” through demonstration of their continued dedication to remain current, active, and proficient in the profession. A model such as this acknowledges that the board certified professional has demonstrated their competence, support of the profession, and personal commitment to excellence in the field at the time of their original certification examination process. This model also presumes that, unless otherwise demonstrated through adverse action, this competence can be maintained by daily professionally relevant work responsibilities and activities. Sample activities that might be included will be solicited from current specialists soon; there is announcement regarding plans for the process in this issue of The Specialist. We are eager to hear from all of you as a way of identifying the daily activities and responsibilities that you view as contributing to the maintenance of competence.