The American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS)

1. What is Neurological Surgery?

NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY is a discipline of medicine and that specialty of surgery that provides operative and non-operative management (i.e. critical care, prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation) of disorders of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their supporting structures and vascular supply; the evaluation and treatment of pathological processes that modify the function or activity of the nervous system, including the hypophysis; and the operative and non-operative management of pain. As such, Neurological Surgery encompasses treatment of adult and pediatric patients with disorders of the nervous system: disorders of the brain, meninges, and skull, and their blood supply, including the extracranial carotid and vertebral arteries; disorders of the pituitary gland; disorders of the spinal cord, meninges, and vertebral column, including those that may require treatment by spinal fusion or instrumentation; and disorders of the cranial and spinal nerves throughout their distribution.

2. What is the ABNS?

History
Recognizing the need for specialized training and qualifications for the practice of neurosurgery, representatives from the Society of Neurological Surgeons and Harvey Cushing Society (now the American Association of Neurological Surgeons) met in 1939 to discuss the concept of a separate Board for neurological surgery. A second meeting included representatives from the Section of Nervous and Mental Diseases and the Section of Surgery of the American Medical Association, the American Neurological Association and the American College of Surgeons. The ABNS was incorporated in 1940 as a new examining board in medical specialties after gaining approval by the Advisor Board for Medical Specialties in collaboration with the AMA Council on Medical Education. The first meeting was held in Chicago on October 17, 1940, during which 24 candidates were examined. The 50th anniversary meeting was held in Boston in May, l990, at which time the 3672nd diplomate was certified.

Aims and Purposes
The ABNS is responsible, through the conference of board certification, that an individual’s quality of training and practice of neurological surgery meets acceptable standards. The broad aim of the AMERICAN BOARD OF NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY is to encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards, and advance the science of neurological surgery, thereby serving the cause of public health. The primary purposes of the American Board of Neurological Surgery are to conduct examinations of eligible candidates who voluntarily seek certification, and to issue certificates to those who meet the Board's requirements and satisfactorily complete its examinations, thereby conferring Diplomate status. Certification by the ABNS is based upon approval of an applicant's educational and training qualifications, as supported by statements from his or her program director, a review of professional practice as reflected in statements of his or her colleagues, review and approval of at least twelve months of practice data, and passage of written and oral examinations.
The ABNS operations that flow directly from these primary purposes are to: (1) define the requirements for training in neurological surgery, (2) develop, produce, and administer the Primary Examination, (3) evaluate the credentials of candidates for certification, (4) evaluate professional practice, (5) develop and administer the oral examination, (6) issue certificates, (7) define the requirements for maintenance of certification in neurological surgery, and (8) other evaluations as indicated.

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