Page 1 of 5 Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training (CAST) Society of Neurological Surgeons Practice Track Application: Eligibility Criteria for Individual Certification NEUROCRITICAL CARE (NCC) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR INDIVIDUAL CERTIFICATION: A. General 1. Applicants must be certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) or another ABMS-recognized board. 2. Applicants must hold a current, active, valid, unrestricted, and unqualified license to practice medicine in at least one jurisdiction in the United States and in each jurisdiction in which they practice. 3. Physicians with ABMS-certified training in Neurology, Internal Medicine, Anesthesiology, Surgery, Emergency Medicine, or Pediatrics will be eligible for a CAST certificate in Neurocritical Care if: a. the applicant has successfully completed a fellowship in NCC that is accredited by CAST, UCNS, or similar ABMS-affiliated critical care organization, and b. the fellowship was at least 24 months in length 4. CAST certificate holders must continuously fulfill the ABMS Policy on Medical Licensure. Licenses that have been revoked, suspended, surrendered, or not renewed in order to terminate or settle disciplinary proceedings do not qualify as meeting the requirements for medical licensure, and all such licensure changes must be reported to the ABNS, CAST, and/or other appropriate recognized ABMS specialty boards for review and consideration. Failure to do so may result in loss of certification according to their bylaws, and hence, loss of subspecialty certification granted by CAST. B. Neurosurgery training during residency (enfolded) The specific criteria levels for subspecialty training in Neurocritical Care (NCC) for the neurosurgery resident during their 7 years of training include a dedicated interval of basic neurocritical care for ALL trainees. During this experience, each resident must complete milestones 1-4 for NCC and satisfactorily complete a 7-year ACGMEaccredited residency training program in neurosurgery. As a result of this training, the individual will be able to consult on and manage the neurosurgical issues, write orders related to that responsibility, and bill as trained to provide for these services as they arise in patients in the intensive care unit with neurosurgical conditions.
Page 2 of 5 In order for an individual will be able to take responsibility for and manage ALL of the critical care issues that arise in patients in the intensive care unit with all types of neurological conditions, more specific training and certification is required beyond that of the core neurosurgical training curriculum. For the neurosurgery resident to become CAST certified in NCC via an enfolded fellowship, the residency training must include: 1 year dedicated ICU experience in a CAST-accredited NCC fellowship milestones 1-5 for critical care completed and signed off by both the residency and NCC fellowship program directors satisfactory completion of a 7-year ACGME-accredited residency training program in neurosurgery, during which there is: 1. continuous participation in the academic/educational medical knowledge and patient care training processes relative to critical care, and 2. responsibility for critical care management of patients within the ICU At the conclusion of these requirements, the candidate will receive an acknowledgment of neurocritical care fellowship training from CAST, which will be converted to a CAST fellowship certificate once the candidate becomes certified in neurological surgery by the ABNS. The certificate will thereafter be valid as long as the candidate maintains satisfactory participation in the ABNS MOC process. C. Post-graduate CAST-accredited NCC fellowship training Neurosurgeons and other specialists may also become CAST certified in NCC via a post-graduate pathway, with the same training and privileges as outlined in the enfolded fellowship: Neurosurgeons: satisfactory completion of an ACGME-accredited residency training program in neurosurgery, during which there was basic training in critical care
Page 3 of 5 1 year dedicated ICU experience in a CAST-accredited fellowship At the conclusion of these requirements, the candidate will receive an acknowledgment of successful completion of a CAST-accredited NCC fellowship, which will be converted to a CAST NCC certificate once the candidate becomes certified in neurological surgery by the ABNS. The certificate will thereafter be valid as long as the candidate maintains satisfactory participation in the ABNS MOC process. Other specialties: Satisfactory completion of an ACGME-accredited residency training program in a field other than neurosurgery: 2 years of dedicated NCC experience in a CAST-accredited fellowship ABMS certification in their primary field Upon satisfying these requirements, the candidate will receive CAST certification in NCC. The certificate will thereafter be valid as long as the candidate: 1. maintains a valid and unrestricted primary board certification 2. satisfactorily participates in the ABMS MOC process for their respective specialty, and 3. satisfactorily fulfills all other CAST requirements for periodic recertification* *CAST NCC re-examination or similar neurocritical care examination acceptable to CAST, such as that administered by an ABMS-affiliated board or by UCNS.
Page 4 of 5 D. PRACTICE TRACK CAST certification in NCC: Physicians who have already completed their primary board certification and have had additional training and/or experience in NCC prior to the availability of CAST accredited training programs are eligible for CAST certification. To be considered, the applicant must submit the following documentation: Neurosurgeons: satisfactory completion of ACGME-accredited residency training program in neurosurgery, which included basic training in NCC successful completion of a recognized fellowship in Critical Care (UCNS, Surgery, Anesthesia, Neurotrauma, Critical Care, etc) or documentation of extensive NCC experience and clinical practice, as outlined, validated and recommended by the chief of neurosurgery* an active hospital appointment in NCC satisfactory participation in the ABNS certification and MOC processes *If the applicant for certification is the Chief of Neurosurgery, documentation of extensive NCC experience may be provided by the Chief of Staff or Chief Medical Officer of the institution where the NCC privileges are exercised. This practice track pathway of application will expire on December 31, 2020. To apply via this pathway, neurosurgeons must have fulfilled the requirements of the pathway on or before that date. Certification obtained under the practice track pathway will have the same limitations and privileges as certification obtained via any CAST accredited fellowship pathway. Other specialties: satisfactory completion of an ACGME-accredited residency training program in their primary field with ABMS board certification in their primary specialty successful completion of and certification by a recognized fellowship in Critical Care (UCNS, Surgery, Anesthesia, Neurotrauma, Critical Care, etc)
Page 5 of 5 documentation of extensive NCC experience and clinical practice, as outlined, validated and recommended by the chief of neurosurgery an active hospital appointment in NCC (or a similar neurocritical care exam acceptable to CAST, such as that administered by an ABMS-affiliated board or by UCNS) satisfactory participation in their primary ABMS board MOC process satisfaction of all other CAST requirements for periodic recertification (including successful completion of CAST NCC re-examination or of a similar neurocritical care examination acceptable to CAST, such as that administered by an ABMSaffiliated board or by UCNS)