Training the Next Generation of Child Neurologists

Abstract

In the United States, child neurologists continue to value close, historical ties to adult neurology. However, the mandatory year of adult training for American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology certification in "Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology" deprives residents of educational opportunities that would yield greater benefit for children afflicted with neurologic diseases. The need for modernization has been recognized in a Professors of Child Neurology survey in which a majority of program directors favored reducing adult neurology training and changing the certification to "Child Neurology." This article reviews the rationale for an overdue transformation of Child Neurology training.