Boarding Time: The Psychiatry Candidate's New Guide to Part II of the ABPN Examination

by James Morrison MD, Rodrigo A. Muñoz MD

Overview

By the time psychiatrists face Part II of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology examination, they have completed many years of coursework, untold hours of study, and the rigors of internship and residency. Yet this oral exam may be among the most stressful events in their careers. With no "right" answers and the spotlight on their patient interview techniques, they must rapidly formulate and defend a diagnosis and discuss etiology, prognosis, and therapy. With so much riding on this examination, candidates need all the insight and guidance they can obtain.

That's where Boarding Time: The Psychiatry Candidate's New Guide to Part II of the ABPN Examination comes in. Long a classic in the field, this practical, systematic guide has been thoroughly updated to reflect new developments in clinical psychiatry and the latest changes to the exam. Grounded in the authors' exhaustive review of the literature and extensive interviews with candidates and examiners, this book also offers other features sure to benefit the candidate: • For the first time, it includes training vignettes -- both in written and video formats -- that capture the immediacy of the examination experience. In an appendix, the authors discuss each video vignette included on the DVD. • The authors have designed the book to be useful to all candidates -- whether they are just beginning their preparations, have limited time, have already reviewed extensively, or have failed the exam and are retaking it. Study strategies are provided for each of these groups.• As the authors point out, Boarding Time is "a manual of advice, not a scientific treatise." This pragmatic, down-to-earth approach ensures that it will be useful, not only as exam preparation, but as a concise reference work for interviewing and diagnosis after the candidate obtains certification.• An appendix devoted to "Maintaining Your Certification" provides a guide to steps in the process of recertification: the self-assessment program, lifelong learning activities, "Performance in Practice," and "Cognitive Expertise."

Easy-to-read and filled with actual case examples, Boarding Time provides indispensable knowledge and support at a critical juncture in every psychiatrist's career.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781585629190
Publisher:	American Psychiatric Publishing, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/23/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	246
File size:	680 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

James Morrison, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Oregon Health&Science University in Portland, Oregon.

Rodrigo A. Munoz, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at University of California, San Diego, and Medical Director, Outpatient and Partial Hospitalization Programs, at Mercy Hospital in San Diego, California.

Table of Contents

PrefaceChapter 1. Why Candidates FailChapter 2. Preparing for Part IIChapter 3. Presenting Yourself for the ExaminationChapter 4. The ExaminersChapter 5. Exam EtiquetteChapter 6. Taking the Psychiatric HistoryChapter 7. Mental Status ExaminationChapter 8. The 30-Minute HourChapter 9. Evaluating Your PatientChapter 10. Presenting Your IdeasChapter 11. Vignette VarietiesChapter 12. What If You Fail?Chapter 13. A Mock Board InterviewAppendix A: A Brief History of the American Board of Psychiatry and NeurologyAppendix B: Maintaining Your CertificationAppendix C: Suggestions for Further HelpAppendix D: Discussion of Video Vignettes Included on DVDReferencesIndex

What People are Saying About This

Harold I. Eist

Boarding Time is a superb book, written by two experienced psychiatrists. It is clear, full of useful clinical information and excellent teaching vignettes informed by warmth, compassion, and humor. Most psychiatrists would benefit from reading this book, particularly candidates for Part II of the board examination, residency training directors and all Board examiners.

Editorial Reviews

3 Stars from Doody

Reviewer: Steven T Herron, MD (CPI/Assurance Health and Wellness)
Description: This is an update of the book used by many individuals preparing for "mock examinations" and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology's (ABPN) oral examination for board certification in psychiatry.
Purpose: Given the significant changes implemented on the oral examination, this book aims to address the structure of the test and practical approaches to exam preparation.
Audience: This should appeal to psychiatric residents, psychiatrists who have recently graduated from a training program and are waiting to take part II of the board examination, or any trained psychiatrist preparing for the second portion of the boards.
Features: The first part of the book involves an explanation of the examination and how to prepare for it, and the second part discusses the testing format, offering advice on time management, presentation, and content of the interview. The last part provides examples of a patient interview (in transcript form) and vignettes (written and video — included on DVD). There is also a brief discussion of questions, expected answers, and comments on the video vignettes.
Assessment: Though much of this book is similar in content and structure to the previous edition (for example, many of the discussion points and the transcript of the candidate examination are identical to the third edition), the inclusion of sample written and video vignettes is a major revision of this edition. These can be used to gain an appreciation for vignette types and common questions asked by examiners. In addition, chapter 11 has been completely restructured to reflect the recent changes to the examination. Overall, this book is worthwhile for its intended audience, though its time is limited, as the ABPN is eliminating part II of the board examination by condensing both portions into one test, complete with case-based simulations like those seen on the USMLE Step 3 licensing examination.

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