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• Maintenance of Certification

Support for Maintenance of Certification

As the ABPN phases in new requirements for Maintenance of Certification (MOC), the APA is helping members to meet these benchmarks with a variety of CME tools and lifelong learning programs.
     The most comprehensive product for MOC participants continues to be FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, a quarterly publication designed for the clinical psychiatrist.  FOCUS follows the exam content outline set forth by the ABPN, with each issue addressing a different topic in psychiatry and covering all major content areas over a four-year period.  The journal features clinical synthesis and comprehensive review articles by experts, as well as influential publications selected by a consensus of authors and advisors.  Regular items in FOCUS include a Patient Management Exercise, “Ask the Expert” and Ethics columns, and a CME quiz to reinforce learning and help subscribers earn AMA PRA Category 1 credits™.  Subscribers also have access to the annual FOCUS Self-Assessment, a supplement to the journal featuring 100 multiple-choice Board-type questions.  The exam is an ABPN-approved self-assessment activity that fulfills Part 2 of MOC and offers 20 AMA PRA Category 1 credits™, and is a valuable resource for those preparing for their recertification exam.  As MOC requirements evolve, FOCUS helps psychiatrists meet the new Part 4 MOC requirements with Performance in Practice (PIP) modules, 3-stage chart review activities approved by ABPN.  The first three PIP modules are Substance Abuse Screening, Substance Abuse Assessment and Treatment, and Assessment of Suicide Risk.  eFOCUS is a clinical vignette sent by email, free to all APA members and Focus subscribers, and offers 2 hours of Self-Assessment AMA PRA category 1 CME credits™, also approved by ABPN for MOC Part 2.
     Another valuable tool for MOC participants is the Learning Management System at APAeducation.org.  Users can access a variety of online courses, including APA Practice Guidelines and accompanying CME quizzes; a course on Buprenorphine and Office-Based Treatment of Opioid Dependence; a Research Literacy course, and several others.  Participants can also create and maintain a CME/Course Transcript Report, which automatically records their participation in LMS courses and allows users to report their own CME activities for Category 1 and 2 credit.  This transcript can be transferred to the ABPN to demonstrate MOC Part 2 compliance.  Many MOC participants find this transcript to be a useful way to organize their CME activities in one place and keep track of their progress.
     The Annual Meeting Self-Assessment was offered for the first time in 2011.  All registrants for the Annual Meeting have access to this 100 multiple choice question self-assessment from February until the May meeting.  They can then plan to attend sessions at the meeting in areas where improvement is needed.  This activity is approved by the ABPN for 8 hours of Self-Assessment CME credit, MOC Part 2.
     The Division of Education is committed to helping psychiatrists navigate the changing requirements of MOC as part of a continuous program of lifelong learning.  More products are planned, and APA will continue to develop MOC activities that are clinically relevant and easy to use. 

More information about FOCUS