Be Ready for ABPP In Neuropsychology (BRAIN)
Work Samples
Once you pass the written examination, you will be able to submit your practice samples. If you want to move through the process efficiently and feel like you are likely to have passed the written exam, you might consider pulling the charts on a few good clinical cases while you await the written exam results. Often, the written exam results come out just a few weeks before the deadline for submitting your work samples in preparation for the next oral exam.
The ABCN website lists upcoming oral exams and the deadlines for work sample submission if you want a shot at a given oral exam date. The AACN study guide details the process of work sample review, and provides very important advice on preparing the work sample. We'll provide an overview and some tips here.
For your work samples, you will submit two cases that are "typical" of your practice, and they must be different types of cases. They will be reviewed by three people and 2 out of 3 must judge your samples as "acceptable." Be sure to include the following in your work samples:
- referral question;
- current complaints and relevant history;
- relevant findings from other disciplines;
- influence of demographic variables;
- a thorough assessment of important cognitive and psychological domains;
- and conclusions and recommendations.
In picking which cases to submit, we recommend shying away from the exotic, highly complicated, and controversial cases. They may be great for case conferences, but they're not the best choices for the certification process. Remember that cases deemed “acceptable” at this step are simply considered to be OK to defend at the oral examination. You will have to be ready to defend all aspects of your practice sample in the oral exam, and you may regret submitting highly complicated cases, every nuance of which you must then consider when preparing for the orals. Similarly, you sure don't want to have to engage in a debate with one of your oral examiners about a controversial issue because you sent in a practice sample that includes controversial diagnoses, procedures, etcetera.
Generate copies of your report (original with names blacked out or computer-generated with names crossed out or otherwise de-identified), raw data, and summary sheet. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you de-identify your cases completely, including raw data, page headers, and supporting documents by other professionals (when applicable)! Check, double-check, and triple-check to be sure you have not missed anything.
We can not stress strongly enough the importance of having your work samples reviewed by a couple of people prior to submission. Ideally at least one of those folks will be an ABCN examiner or a recent diplomate. If you're on the BRAIN list-serve, feel free to call on fellow members to help review your work samples (many folks who have completed the process stay involved in the group). The AACN mentorship program, which connects applicants with experienced mentors, may also be a good resource. The AACN mentorship program is coordinated by Jacobus Donders at jacobus.donders@maryfreebed.com
Keep in mind that the amount of time it takes for you to hear from ABCN about your cases has nothing to do with whether they will be accepted. Instead, it is a reflection of how well organized your reviewers are and whether any of the reviewers had to disqualify themselves from looking at your cases (e.g., if they happened to have trained you). When a reviewer disqualifies themselves, the cases have to be returned to the ABPP office and sent out to another reviewer. This is one good reason to remove your identifying information from the cases before you submit them. In other words, don't just remove the patient's name and other identifiers--remove yours too. ABCN considers this to be an accepted practice, and it greatly reduces the likelihood of a reviewer disqualifying themselves from your cases.
In our experience, the staff at the ABCN office (734-936-8269) keep track of when cases were received. If your cases were received prior to other submissions but your reviewers were slow to review them, they will hold a spot open for you at the oral exam in the event your cases are accepted.
Some of the content of this page was adapted with permission from Armstrong, K., Beebe, D.W., Hilsabeck, R., & Kirkwood, M. (2008). A Step-by-Step Guide to ABPP/ABCN Certification in Clinical Neuropsychology: How to Become Board Certified Without Sacrificing Your Sanity. New York: Oxford University Press.
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