Board Certification
Kelly Psychiatric Associates
What does it mean if your Doctor is Board Certificated?
Board Certification is a process by which trainees in a given medical discipline are evaluated for their level of competence, and continually re-evaluated throughout their lifetime. Perhaps nowhere is board certification more critical than a field such as psychiatry, in which masters in the field attest to the expertese of their peers. Though there are many types of board certification, for our purposes we will discuss those that apply to our psychiatrists here at Kelly Psychiatric Associates, those of "General Psychiatry" and "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry."
BOARD CERTIFICATION IN GENERAL PSYCHIATRY
"At the conclusion of their training, most psychiatrists apply for certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. They undergo two full days of examination, including written tests and review of cases on videotape. These exams are created by experienced psychiatrists who have themselves passed the tests. These examiners have a vested interest in making the tests challenging, for by certifying the performance of the test takers they are welcoming them to the public as representatives of their own profession. Applicants who pass these rigorous examinations are said to be “board certified” in general psychiatry.”
BOARD CERTIFICATION IN CHILD AND ADOLESCENT THERAPY
"Part of the requirements for general psychiatry training is that, at some point, trainees must spend two months working with children and adolescents. For psychiatrists interested in treating younger patients, there is a separate training that follows their general psychiatry residency. Called a fellowship, it entails two additional years of working exclusively with children and adolescents. Psychiatrists who enter this realm of work train with a variety of experts in the diagnosis and management of young people, and in a variety of settings. After completion of this work the trainees are eligible for Board Certification in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, an additional full day of testing and examination."
- Adolescent Depression: A Guide for Parents, pages 299-300