American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry

The American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry (AOBNP) is an organization that provides board certification to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) who specialize in disorders of the nervous system (neurologists) and to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders (psychiatrists).

The board is one of 18 medical specialty certifying boards of the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (AOABOS) of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). Established in 1941, the AOBNP is responsible for examining DOs who have completed an AOA-approved residency training in neurology and/or psychiatry. The purpose of the certification examination is to ensure that physicians who have completed the required training have a high level of competency and therefore can safely provide services to their patients which meets a well established standard of care. Physicians who successfully pass both parts of the examination are recommended by the AOBNP to the AOABOS for certification. The AOABOS holds the ultimate authority in conferring board certification.

The AOBNP is one of two certifying boards for neurologists and psychiatrists in the United States. The other certifying authority is the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc. (ABPN), a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties. As of December 2011, there are 486 osteopathic neurologists and psychiatrists who hold active primary board certification with the AOBNP. A total of 38 physicians hold a Certificate of Special Qualifications in Child Psychiatry and 3 physicians hold a Certificate of Special Qualification in Child Neurology. A total of 41 physicians hold a Certificate of Added Qualification in at least one of the five subspecialty areas of neurology and psychiatry.