Subspecialty Careers: Sleep Medicine

Subspecialty Careers: Sleep Medicine

The Discipline
Physicians who specialize in Sleep Medicine are trained to detect, treat, and prevent sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, snoring, insomnia, sleep walking, and jet lag. Sleep Medicine was recognized as a medical subspecialty by the ACGME in 2003.

Procedures
According to the ABIM, Sleep Medicine specialists should be trained to interpret results of polysomnography, maintenance of wakefulness testing, multiple sleep latency testing, actigraphy, and portable monitoring related to sleep disorders.

Training
The ACGME began accrediting Sleep Medicine fellowship training programs in 2005, and involves one year of additional clinical training after completion of the internal medicine residency.

Certification
Sleep Medicine's board certification exam is administered every two years by the following institutions: American Board of Family Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Otolaryngology, American Board of Pediatrics, and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. The first certification exam was held in the fall of 2007.

Training Positions
For the 2011-2012 academic year, there are 72 ACGME-accredited training programs with 162 trainees.

For additional information regarding the training and certification required for Sleep Medicine, please visit www.abim.org/certification/policies/imss/sleep.aspx.

Major Professional Societies

  • American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM)
    One Westbrook Corporate Center, Ste. 920
    Westchester, IL 60154
    Phone: (708) 492-0930
    Fax: (708) 492-0943
    E-mail: aasld@aasld.org
    Web site: www.aasmnet.org

Major Publications

  • SLEEP, the official publication of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.



Back to December 2011 Issue of IMpact

More Articles Like This