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 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in 2003.
Procedures
According to the American Board of Internal Medicine (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 2013-2014 academic year, there are 78 ACGME-accredited training programs with 164 trainees.
For additional information regarding the training and certification required for Sleep Medicine, please visit www.abim.org/certification/policies/imss/sleep.aspx.