Neurocritical care medicine

Providing care for critically ill patients with neurological diseases and conditions

Connecting anesthesiology and neurocritical care

Neurocritical care medicine (NCC) is devoted to the multidisciplinary care of critically ill patients with neurological diseases and conditions.

The NCC Exam is administered by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). It’s offered to eligible diplomates of the American Board of Anesthesiology, the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and the American Board of Surgery (ABS).

After you register for your exam in ABA GO, ABPN will reach out to schedule.

More Info From ABPN

Neurocritical Care Medicine Exam (NCC) 2026

ABPN will administer the NCC Exam every even-numbered year

Exam Date

2026

Standard Registration

TBD

Late Registration

TBD

Registration requirements

How to Register

Diplomates must:

Hold an unexpired license to practice medicine or osteopathy in at least one state or jurisdiction of the United States or province of Canada that is permanent, unconditional and unrestricted. Further, every United States and Canadian medical license the registrant holds must be free of restrictions
Hold at least one ABA certification
Meet MOCA requirements
Have fulfilled the temporary criteria/practice pathway
Attest to their current privileges and clinical activity in neurocritical care (practicing it, on average, at least one day per week during 12 consecutive months over the previous three years)
Be capable of performing the entire scope of the neurocritical care practice independently without accommodation or with reasonable accommodation

Eligibility Pathways

You may qualify to take the exam via a “temporary criteria” or practice pathway for the first six years the Neurocritical Care Exam is administered. After that time, you will have to complete a fellowship training pathway to be eligible.

During a six-year “temporary criteria” or practice pathway period, eligible diplomates may qualify to take the exam if they meet one of the pathways listed below:
- Hold a certification in neurocritical care by the UCNS or CAST
- Have completed a UCNS, CAST or other non-accredited neurocritical care fellowship
- Have post-training neurocritical care practice that has been one of the following (based on 40-hour week):
  
  At least seven hours per week for the past six years
  
  At least 10 hours per week for the past four years
  
  At least 13 hours per week for the past three years
  
  At least 20 hours per week for the past two years
  
  They are an academic program director, administrator, or researcher with at least 10 hours of post-training clinical practice per week for the past four years
Pathway Checklist
After the six year “temporary criteria” or practice pathway period, all candidates for the NCC Exam must meet both the registration requirements listed earlier and have completed one of the following training pathways:
- One year of general ACGME-accredited anesthesiology, medical or surgical critical care fellowship AND one year of an ACGME-accredited neurocritical care fellowship
- Two years of an ACGME-accredited neurocritical care fellowship
Pathway Checklist

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