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

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.

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.