What Are the Board's Specific Training Requirements for
General Psychiatry?
Unless otherwise specified, all training must be completed in programs
accredited by the ACGME.
An applicant seeking admission to examination for certification in
psychiatry must have satisfactorily completed an ACGME-accredited
PGY-1 (See below) and three full years of postgraduate, specialized residency
training in a psychiatry program accredited by the ACGME.
Different requirements apply for applicants who began training in psychiatry
prior to 1986. These candidates should call the Board office if
they have any questions.
Two patterns of training are acceptable:
1. Three-Year Psychiatry Residency Program
A broad-based clinical year of ACGME-accredited training
in internal medicine, family practice, or pediatrics; or an
ACGME-accredited transitional year program that included
a minimum of four months of primary care; or an ACGMEaccredited
residency in a clinical specialty requiring comprehensive
and continuous patient care.
AND
Three full years of postgraduate, specialized residency
training in a psychiatry program accredited by the ACGME.
OR
2. Four-Year Psychiatry Residency Program
Four years of training in an ACGME-accredited program in
psychiatry is acceptable. A psychiatry PGY-1 must include
at least four months in internal medicine, family practice,
and/or pediatrics. This training must be in a clinical setting
that provides comprehensive and continuous patient care.
No more than one month of this requirement may be fulfilled
by an emergency medicine rotation, as long as the
experience predominantly involves medical evaluation and
treatment, rather than surgical procedure. Neurology
rotations may NOT be used to fulfill this four-month
requirement.
