Read AAEM’s letter of support. (PDF)
The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has approved subspecialty certification in Neurocritical Care (NCC). NCC is co-sponsored by the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA), the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM), the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). Physicians certified by these four boards who meet the eligibility criteria for NCC will have the opportunity to become certified in NCC.
The medical subspecialty of Neurocritical Care is devoted to the comprehensive multisystem care of the critically ill patient with neurological diseases/conditions. The ultimate goal of NCC is to provide optimal care to a unique patient population that simultaneously requires expert management of acute nervous system illness and trauma while integrating all other aspects of critical care medicine.
There will be two pathways to certification in NCC: a training pathway and a time-limited practice pathway. The practice pathway will start at the time the first exam is offered. Eligible pathway criteria will be posted on the ABEM website by the end of 2018. ABPN will develop and administer the examination; physicians will submit applications to their primary certifying board. The first examination is expected to take place in either 2020 or 2021.
NCC becomes the tenth subspecialty available to ABEM-certified physicians along with Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine, Emergency Medical Services, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Internal Medicine-Critical Care Medicine, Medical Toxicology, Pain Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine. ABEM-certified physicians also have pathways to subspecialty certification in Addiction Medicine and Clinical Informatics (through the American Board of Preventive Medicine), Brain Injury Medicine (through ABPN), and Surgical Critical Care (through the American Board of Surgery).