Neurocritical Care Boards = Garbage?

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engineeredout

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So I'm in the process of applying for intensivist positions out there. Not in dedicated neuro ICUs, just general units which may handle neurocrit patients.

Have been asked more than once regarding board eligibility for neurocritical care.

The grandfathering pathway seems like a money making scheme for the board offering it, and not much else.

What is the point in asking for this? Is it to make neurosurgeons happy because they think their patients will somehow get better care? Sure as **** not learning anything. Could I buy a review book, study for and pass an exam? Of course, been doing it my entire medical career. Not learning anything that actually matters when it comes to patient care. Doesn't seem like it would be tied to billing. It isn't a representation of training as everyone going through this grandfather pathway is not doing a neurocritical care fellowship, so it all just comes down to what is the point? I'm getting rather annoyed being asked regarding it - seems like another obnoxious merit badge.

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Maybe the group is looking for someone who can see all the brain bleeds and anoxics... "You're boarded in neurocritical care so you get to see all these fun patients that have a low likelihood of meaningful recovery!"
 
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So I'm in the process of applying for intensivist positions out there. Not in dedicated neuro ICUs, just general units which may handle neurocrit patients.

Have been asked more than once regarding board eligibility for neurocritical care.

The grandfathering pathway seems like a money making scheme for the board offering it, and not much else.

What is the point in asking for this? Is it to make neurosurgeons happy because they think their patients will somehow get better care? Sure as **** not learning anything. Could I buy a review book, study for and pass an exam? Of course, been doing it my entire medical career. Not learning anything that actually matters when it comes to patient care. Doesn't seem like it would be tied to billing. It isn't a representation of training as everyone going through this grandfather pathway is not doing a neurocritical care fellowship, so it all just comes down to what is the point? I'm getting rather annoyed being asked regarding it - seems like another obnoxious merit badge.

the grandfathering also requires that it be a fairly sizeable percentage of your critical care practice so that most of us doing a mixed MICU really won’t qualify anyway. IIRC 50%. Some weeks maybe half my patients have a primary sick head. A lot of weeks I may not have more than a stroke or two come in and come out. My practice wasn’t enough.

I suspect that in the future in order to have the highest stroke designation you will also need a board certified neuro crit person available in consult. That’s probably why you are getting asked.
 
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Its 50% over 2 years, 33% over 3 years, 25% over 4 years etc. Its pretty easy to qualify if you are doing full time CCM in a mixed unit.

Might be harder to do if you're doing pulm and CCM...
 
Its 50% over 2 years, 33% over 3 years, 25% over 4 years etc. Its pretty easy to qualify if you are doing full time CCM in a mixed unit.

Might be harder to do if you're doing pulm and CCM...

yeah, that's right and I think it said something like TOTAL practice
 
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