The American Board of Independent Medical Examiners – is it worthwhile?

The American Board of Independent Medical Examiners – is it worthwhile?

December 22, 2014

Some have requested information about the The American Board of Independent Medical Examiners. I see that a number of medicos in Western Australia and other states have this qualification. Some of the training appears to be quite generic and might be useful as a basis for commencing in medicolegal practice but there seems to be little to offer for psychiatrists. I was especially concerned by one module: “How to write winning reports”.

This group have provided some training in Adelaide and I would be interested in feedback from anybody who has gone through their training in October last year. For the moment I would be very cautious.

comments

The American Board of Independent Medical Examiners – is it worthwhile?: 3 comments

  1. Michael Epstein Says:

    The American ethos for Independent Medical Examiners seems to be demonstrated by the title of the American publication – ‘Writing and Defending Your IME Report’ which I purchased some years ago.The book discusses the best way to express your opinion and techniques to get your views across in a courtroom, but nowhere in the book is there anything about being objective, evidence-based or fair in the opinions you might express! I too have my doubts about the value of ABIME. I did attend one of their courses some years ago and I don’t think it added much to my knowledge or practice, apart from the CME points!

    Regards

    Peter Sharman

  2. Michael Epstein Says:

    Thanks Peter, your personal experience reinforces my concerns about the underlying ethos.

  3. psharman Says:

    The American ethos for Independent Medical Examiners seems to be demonstrated by the title of the American publication – ‘Writing and Defending Your IME Report’ which I purchased some years ago.The book discusses the best way to express your opinion and techniques to get your views across in a courtroom, but nowhere in the book is there anything about being objective, evidence-based or fair in the opinions you might express! I too have my doubts about the value of ABIME. I did attend one of their courses some years ago and I don’t think it added much to my knowledge or practice, apart from the CME points!

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