Continuing education, recertification, and examination anxiety

A substantial majority of the 645 psychiatrists responding to a questionnaire survey favored mandatory continuing education and evidence of continuing education as a requirement for relicensure. The respondents' overwhelming repudiation of recertification may be based on examination anxiety. The respondents recognized the value of continuing education, were even willing to document it in order to be relicensed, but did not wish to examined. Those respondents who were younger, Board-certified, and had an academic appointment were more likely to favor continuing education requirements in order to be relicensed. Private practitioners were underrespresented among the respondents, highlighting the important role that APA and its district branches must play in developing meaningful continuing education opportunities for psychiatrists.