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Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry

Maintenance of Certification

Focus is the best system to meet Maintenance of Certification requirements of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), Self-Assessment, Performance in Practice, and Lifelong Learning. In one easy subscription, Focus provides a comprehensive review of current clinical practice, an approved self-assessment activity that fulfills the requirement of psychiatrists applying for and taking the recertification examination, and clinical modules approved by ABPN for the clinical chart review component of MOC Part 4.

The ABPN has reviewed Focus: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry and the Focus Self-Assessment Examination and has approved this program as part of a comprehensive lifelong learning and self-assessment program, which is mandated by the ABMS as a necessary component of maintenance of certification.


Performance in Practice

Six Clinical Modules, approved by the ABPN for the clinical chart review component of MOC Part 4, are included in a subscription to Focus:

  • Screening of Adults with Substance Use Disorder
  • Assessment and Treatment of Adults with Substance Use Disorder
  • Assessment and Treatment of Adults at Risk for Suicide and Suicide-Related Behaviors
  • Physician Practice Assessment Tool for the Care of Adults with Schizophrenia
  • Clinical Module for the Care of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder
  • Clinical Module for the Care of Patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Completion of three stages of these easy-to-use, clinical modules provides 20 additional CME credits per module and qualifies as a completed MOC Part 4 activity.


Self-Assessment Examination

A subscription also includes the annual Focus Self-Assessment Examination, written by practicing psychiatrists and academic experts using the same process of examination construction that is used for other board-type exams. Completing this 120-question exam allows one to earn an additional 24 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™—and the opportunity to anonymously compare knowledge against that of peers. The Focus Self-Assessment Exam is listed by the ABPN as an approved self-assessment activity that fulfills the requirement of psychiatrists applying for and taking the recertification examination. It is also approved for Section 3 of the Maintenance of Certification program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

The Self-Assessment CME programs listed below have been reviewed and are approved for a maximum of 24 AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credits by the Physician Assistant Review Panel. Approval is valid until the expiration date listed below. Physician Assistants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. These programs were planned in accordance with AAPA’s CME Standards.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education
to provide continuing medical education for physicians.