Setting the highest certification standards for psychiatrists and neurologists since 1934

Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology

Deadlines, Fees and Content for Initial Certification

*Application deadlines are at 11:59 p.m. CT.

Other Important Dates
Active, full, unrestricted license due to the Board or application is denied September 1, 2024
Graduation verification from training programs due to the Board for residents graduating June 30, 2024 July 15, 2024
Graduation verification from training programs due to the Board for residents graduating July 31, 2024 August 15, 2024
Clinical Skills Evaluations

The ABPN has made changes in the credentialing process effective for residents who entered residency training in neurology on or after July 1, 2007 (PGY-1) or July 1, 2008 (PGY-2). Some of the clinical skills evaluations that were conducted previously in the Part II oral examination are now taking place within the residency program and the residents will be required to submit documentation of satisfactory performance in the evaluation of clinical skills as part of the ABPN credentialing process. Assessment of other clinical skills has been integrated into the computerized Certification examination beginning in 2011.

Candidates who successfully pass the child neurology certification examination will be awarded a certificate in their specialty.

All applicants for the child neurology certification examination must successfully complete five clinical skills evaluations that comply with the standards set forth in the document Requirements for Clinical Skills Evaluation of Residents in Neurology and Child Neurology.

In addition to documentation of their pediatrics and residency training, all physicians must submit documentation from the program director of an ACGME accredited child neurology program verifying completion of the five clinical skills evaluations will be completed by July 31 in the year of the exam administration you plan to sit for. Physicians who do not provide acceptable documentation of successful completion of the five clinical skills evaluations by the deadline will be denied an opportunity to sit for the certification examination. For physicians in the preCERT® system, verification of training is done in preCERT®.

Residents who entered residency training in child neurology prior to July 1, 2007 (PGY-1) or July 1, 2008 (PGY-2):

Physicians who entered child neurology training prior to July 1, 2007 (PGY-1) or July 1, 2008 will not have completed the clinical skills evaluations that are currently required during residency training. Such physicians will be required to complete the required five clinical skills evaluations in an ACGME-accredited program and comply with the standards set forth in the document Requirements for Clinical Skills Evaluation in Neurology and Child Neurology before they will be admitted to the certification examination. Evaluations must be completed by July 31, in the year of the exam administration you plan to sit for.

BNS (Basic Neuroscience Pathway)
Child Neurology History and Statement of Principles
Child Neurology History and Statement of Principles

Candidates in the specialty of neurology and neurology with special qualification in child neurology are those in the field of Neurology/Child Neurology, who are seeking ABPN Board Certification.

Neurology with special qualification in child neurology is a specialty that involves the specialization in neurology with special skills in diagnosis and treatment of neurologic disorders of the neonatal period, infancy, early childhood, and adolescence.

Subspecialties in neurology/child neurology include; brain injury medicine, clinical neurophysiology, epilepsy, hospice and palliative medicine, neurodevelopmental disabilities, neuromuscular medicine, pain medicine, sleep medicine, and vascular neurology.


 

Initial Certification in Child Neurology

A. General Training Requirements

References to residency refer to entry at the second year of postgraduate (PGY-2) training, unless otherwise stated.  Residency training must be in the specialty in which the applicant seeks certification, except for residents who are in an approved combined training program. Training programs approved by the residency review committees and accredited by the ACGME can be found on the ACGME website at www.acgme.org. The ABPN training and leave of absence policies are located on the Policies page.

The required years of training may be completed on a part-time basis, provided that it is no less than half-time.

All training must be completed by September 30 in the year of the exam administration.

Effective for residents entering residency training (PGY-2 in child neurology) as of July 1, 2002:

The 36 months of full-time, specialized residency training must be completed in no more than two blocks. If completed in two blocks, the blocks must not be more than 10 years apart.

Effective for residents entering residency training (PGY-2 in child neurology) as of July 1, 2011:

Full-time residency training must be completed in no more than two blocks. If completed in two blocks, the blocks must not be more than five years apart and the shorter block must not be less than six months long. One-year full-time equivalent of subspecialty residency training must be completed in a continuous block of not less than one- half time.

B. Training in More Than One Residency Training Program

To ensure continuity of training, the Board requires that two of the three years of residency training, excluding the PGY-1, be spent in a single program. The ABPN credentials committee will consider an exception to this rule only under extraordinary circumstances. In such cases, respective program directors should contact the Board office, in writing, prior to the transfer. The letters must outline the resident’s training content, duties, and responsibilities, including exact dates (month/day/year to month/day/year) of training, and indicate clearly that the resident will satisfy all ACGME program requirements as outlined on the ACGME website, www.ACGME.org. Each case will be considered on an individual basis.

If the credentials committee approves the request, the Board will notify the program directors in writing. A copy of this letter should be given to the resident as well as noted in the resident’s ABPN preCERT® record. Residents who have not received prior approval from the Credentials Committee risk the possibility that the Board will deny their application.

When training is completed in more than one program, the training director of the first program should send the training director of the second program a letter detailing the training satisfactorily completed, including exact dates (month/day/year to month/day/year) of training, and areas of training that are deficient. After reviewing this documentation, the training director of the second program should inform the resident whether or not the second program will be able to provide the resident with the experience necessary to remove the deficits.

C. Specific Training Requirements

Proper preparation for the practice of child neurology requires that the practitioner be a qualified neurologist who has had additional training in pediatrics and child neurology. To qualify for this certificate, a different type of preparation and certifying examination are required. The same diploma will be used, the only difference being that instead of certifying qualification in “neurology,” it certifies qualification in “neurology with special qualification in child neurology.” Unless otherwise specified, all training must be completed in programs accredited by the ACGME (See sections on Canadian and Combined Training below). Different requirements apply for applicants who began training in child neurology prior to 1991. These candidates should contact the Board office if they have any questions.

All applicants for the Child Neurology Certification Examination must successfully complete five clinical skills evaluations that comply with the standards set forth in the document Requirements for Clinical Skills Evaluation of Residents in Neurology and Child Neurology.

Four patterns of training are acceptable for two of the five years of training:

  1. General Pediatrics

The usual pathway is two years of training in general pediatrics in an ACGME-accredited program. This is the only pathway that allows the applicant admission for examination by both the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) and the ABPN. Admission to ABP examination requires specific pediatric rotations. Residents who wish to be certified by the ABP should refer to the ABP website, www.abp.org, for the specific rotation requirements.

OR

  1. General Pediatrics/Basic Neuroscience Research

One year of training in general pediatrics in an ACGME-accredited program and one year of research in the basic neurosciences. The basic neuroscience pathway was created as an alternative track for residents who are planning a research career in academic child neurology. The year of basic neuroscience must provide training in a research discipline related to child neurology and is intended to increase the trainee’s knowledge base and competitiveness for federal and nonfederal grant support. The trainee must make at least an 80 percent time commitment to basic neuroscience during this year of training.

For the purpose of this training track, “basic neuroscience” is defined as laboratory research related to the cellular or molecular basis of neurologic diseases. Examples of relevant basic disciplines include molecular neurogenetics, neurochemistry, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, neuroimmunology, developmental neurobiology, biophysics, and cell biology.

Effective for residents entering residency training in child neurology as of July 1, 2003, the written proposal for the neurosciences research training track must be submitted to the Board for approval no later than six months prior to the date the research training track is to begin. A form to guide the applicant’s description of the research, his or her role, skills to be acquired, and the likely outcomes (e.g., presentations and/or peer-reviewed manuscripts) is part of the information to be provided. Credit will be given for basic neuroscience training obtained as part of an integrated clinical neuroscience program leading to certification in neurology with special qualification in child neurology. Credit cannot be obtained for basic neuroscience training obtained as part of a degree-granting program (e.g., PhD).

Residents entering child neurology training prior to July 1, 2003, must have this training track approved by the Board prior to completion of the five years of training. A program director who intends to propose a neuroscience research training track for a resident should contact the Credentials Department at the Board office to request the proposal form. The form may also be downloaded from the ABPN website, www.abpn.org. This form, along with letters from the mentor (and child neurology program director, if a different individual), must be submitted and must describe the research and explain how the year of neuroscience relates to child neurology and to the trainee’s academic career. All documentation of pediatrics training must also be submitted. Documentation must include exact dates of training (from month/day/year to month/day/year).

OR

  1. General Pediatrics/Internal Medicine

A. One year of training in general pediatrics and one year of training in internal medicine in ACGME accredited programs.

B. An acceptable alternative to the one year of internal medicine is a full year of ACGME-accredited training that includes a minimum of six months of training in internal medicine, the details of which must be documented by the training director. The composition of these six months may NOT include rotations in neurology, family medicine, pediatrics, or emergency medicine. To ensure that these six months constitute a high-quality experience, they should emphasize progressive responsibility for the resident.

i. At least two of the additional six months of training must be spent in any combination of internal medicine, pediatrics, and/or emergency medicine.

ii. For candidates entering child neurology residency training on or after July 1, 2002, at least two of the additional six months must be spent in any combination of internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, and/or emergency medicine.

iii. No more than two of the remaining four months may be spent in neurology.

OR

  1. Pediatrics/Family Medicine

A. One year of training in general pediatrics and one year of training in family medicine in ACGME accredited programs.

AND

All candidates will be required to complete three full years of postgraduate, specialized residency training in a child neurology program accredited by the ACGME.

Canadian Training Programs

Canadian residents may apply for the ABPN examination if they meet the following requirements:

  1. Completed their training in a Canadian program accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada AND
  2. Achieve certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada AND
  3. Possess an unrestricted license to practice medicine in a Canadian province

All requirements must be met, and documentation must be received by September 1 in the year of the exam administration you plan to sit for. Please contact the Board for additional information at credentials@abpn.org.

Other International Training: Currently, the ABPN does not accept other international training programs.

D. Licenses

Applicants who submit a training license with their application must update their active, full, unrestricted medical license in their ABPN Physician Portal account by September 1 in the year they wish to sit for the examination.  Applicants who do not update their full, unrestricted medical license by September 1 in the same year of the examination, will be denied sitting for the Child Neurology Certification Examination.

E. Off-Cycle Graduating Residents

Prior to July 31, the ABPN must receive written notification from the program director that the resident will not finish training by August 30 but will finish no later than September 30 of the year of the exam administration. The program director must confirm to ABPN via the preCERT system that training has been successfully completed immediately after the resident has finished training.

Once approved, ABPN will email the applicant scheduling instructions that allows them to schedule the certification exam. Off-cycle applicants must sit for certification within three weeks of being approved. This may require sitting for the examination in mid to late October. Applicants are responsible for updating their email address through their ABPN Physician Portal account to ensure they receive the instructions in a timely manner. The Board will be unable to extend examination dates due to an incorrect email address on file.

Please note that ABPN does not guarantee the availability of locations, dates and/or times of Pearson VUE test centers. If an applicant cannot schedule an appointment that initially suits their needs, the applicant should make the best appointment he/she can at that time. The applicant may then contact Pearson VUE periodically to reschedule if a more suitable appointment becomes available.

ABPN will not allow a candidate to sit for the certification examination if training has not been completed by September 30 in the year of the certification examination. For residents that will be completing training October 1 thru December 31 in the year of the certification examination, please have the program director contact our office at credentials@abpn.org for additional information.

F. Supplementary Certification

Candidates may apply for certification in another specialty. A candidate may have more than one application on file with the Board if the applications are for certification in different specialties or subspecialties. Candidates completing training both in psychiatry and in neurology or child neurology may apply to sit for examinations in both specialties.

1. Dual Certification in Psychiatry and in Neurology
Unless otherwise specified, all training must be completed in programs accredited by the ACGME.

Applicants seeking certification both in psychiatry and neurology who began residency training prior to January 1, 1999 should contact the Board office for requirements.

The ABPN has approved programs for combined training in psychiatry and neurology. Residents interested in completing a combined residency training program in psychiatry and neurology should complete their training in one of the ABPN approved combined psychiatry and neurology training programs.

For residents entering non-ABPN-approved combined psychiatry and neurology residency training on or after July 1, 1999:

Program directors should contact the Board office for a copy of the combined psychiatry/neurology guidelines. The respective program director(s) should submit a proposal to the Board office, no later than the beginning of the PGY-3, detailing the training proposed for the resident. As stipulated in the combined training guidelines, the resident is required to complete a PGY-1 that meets the requirements for neurology.