Current Practices of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

To the Editor.— The editorial pages of the Archives seem a logical place in which to examine current practices of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. This communication is prompted by a belief that the Board is currently not living up to its responsibilities and is failing in its stated purpose of distinguishing "the fully qualified specialist from the would-be specialist of inferior training and inadequate experience."1It is imperative that the Board's activities be fair and efficient. Since 1934, the Board has begun to assume a position of ever-increasing importance in the careers of neurologists. The diploma it grants has become a major determinant of academic rank, hospital priviledge sic, and salary. In the future the diploma or a similar designation will be necessary for full payment of fees by National Health Insurance or third party carriers, which is not the case now. At present, the Board