Interview With a Board Certified Specialist

Anita H. Sim, PhD, ABPP

Staff neuropsychologist at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. She is the primary neuropsychologist within the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation where she provides neuropsychological assessment services to both veteran and active duty service members on the inpatient and outpatient services. She is also actively involved in the training and supervision of pre-doctoral interns and residents in neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology. She completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. She was a neuropsychology pre-doctoral intern at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center prior to completing her two-year postdoctoral residency at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She attained board certification in 2011. Her clinical and research interests include sports-related concussion, mild traumatic brain injury, performance and symptom validity, and multi-cultural/diversity issues. She has authored or co-authored multiple papers and book chapters and is an ad hoc journal reviewer for The Clinical Neuropsychologist and the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. Dr. Sim is also actively involved in APA’s Society for Clinical Neuropsychology, including past service on the Ethnic Minority Affairs, Program, and Women in Neuropsychology subcommittees.

Q. What motivated you to seek board certification in neuropsychology?
A.  I was fortunate enough to have been mentored and supervised by board certified neuropsychologists throughout my training experiences, so seeking board certification myself was just another expectation like getting licensed. On a more personal level, however, I wanted board certification to know that I had sought out and “passed” the highest test of our profession.  
 
Q. Looking back, what misconceptions did you have about the ABPP/ABCN credentialing and examination process that you would like future applicants to know?
A.  Again, with the good fortune of having excellent mentorship, any misconceptions that I may have held were often quickly dispelled. However, I do believe the biggest misconception applicants often have is how much additional studying is necessary to successfully navigate through the process. I think that, too often, applicants forget that they have already been “studying” for many many years through graduate school, their various practicum experiences, internship, and residency training experiences in neuropsychology. I try to remind applicants that this is not an examination to become a neuropathologist, but for clinical neuropsychology. I try to demystify the process and to assuage people’s anxieties or insecurities by reminding them that all of their efforts thus far has brought them 80-90% of the way there.  Lastly, I think it is important for most applicants to know that everyone who is involved in the examination process truly does want you to succeed.   
 
Q.  What was the most challenging/interesting/surprising aspect of the board certification process?
A.  I was most pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the process despite the fact that parts of it were certainly stressful. Like many full time clinicians, I do not always have the luxury to just quietly sit and read the newest neuropsychology book that I just picked up or read more about neuropsychology-relevant topics that I don’t always routinely encounter in my clinical practice but want to know more about. Studying for the exam forced me to set aside the time to do these things, and I surprisingly found it to be a lot of fun.  
 
Q. What might you consider doing differently based on what you learned?
A.  In retrospect, one thing I would do differently is to just pick a date and sign up for the exam. I eventually did this, but up until then, my preparation was very stop-and-go. This was very inefficient as I would start studying, and then stop for a while. When I would return to studying, I would invariably have to backtrack and review what I had already studied. I only began preparing in a continuous and earnest fashion once my exam date was set. A second thing I would have done differently is to earmark any potential practice sample cases as I saw them versus having to go back and go through them all. 
 
Q. What advice would you give to a candidate for board certification in neuropsychology?
A.  I would advise candidates to either join a study group or try and round up some friends with whom you can go through the process. Although I did not join a study group per se, going through the process with friends helped me stay on track and allowed us to support one another. You’re much less likely to keep pushing the exam date off or delaying your work sample submissions when all your buddies are on track to complete these things by a certain date.
 
Q. ABCN encourages applications from under-represented minority groups in neuropsychology.  What advice would you give a minority applicant?
A.  Firstly, you can do it!  And, secondly, there is a great deal of support behind you, so don’t be shy about seeking it out or even accepting unsolicited help!  Many people genuinely want to see you succeed as we recognize that the field of neuropsychology is only strengthened by increased diversity among its members. There are various avenues where someone can seek out mentorship or support. ABCN’s mentorship program or the APA’s Society of Clinical Neuropsychology  Ethnic Minorities Affairs are just a few ways to help you get connected.  
 
Q. What did you learn about yourself, or in what ways do you see yourself differently having completed the board certification process?
A.  I definitely feel like I began carrying myself with a greater degree of confidence once I became board-certified. Many of us have joked about having an “impostor syndrome” or feeling as though we were mistakenly granted admission into graduate school based on a clerical error. We can carry anxieties about our competence and our know-how. Attaining board certification helped me to feel more confident and to speak more assertively about my thoughts on a patient whether it be to other professionals or in my interactions with the patient him- or herself.
 
Q. What have you found most valuable or rewarding about board certification?
A.  As a VA employee, a tangible and immediate award was that I received a step increase (i.e., salary increase). What I found most rewarding, however, was knowing that I had objectively demonstrated my competence as a member of this specialty. This brought a tremendous sense of PEACE! While other providers and I could certainly have disagreements about my conclusions or other matters, there was little doubt about the sufficiency of my training or practice knowledge.
 
Q. How has your professional life changed since attaining board certification?
A.  Professionally, board-certification has helped to provide distinction. It distinguishes me from my peers as someone who has objectively demonstrated competence in the specialty. It also helps me provide reassurance to my patients. It also helps me feel respected among my physician colleagues.
 
Q. What is the most interesting/challenging/rewarding/fulfilling aspect of your work as a neuropsychologist?
A.  I’ve always loved mystery or detective novels. What I find most interesting about neuropsychology is that we often get to play “detective” as we investigate and integrate multiple pieces of data to try and arrive at an accurate conceptualization about a patient.
 
Q. What would readers be most surprised to learn about you?
A.  That I am married to another board-certified neuropsychologist.  And if our daughter should happen to become a neuropsychologist, she’ll be supported in becoming board certified too!