ABPN Pain Medicine study plan

Map every blueprint element of pain assessment and clinical evaluation (history structure, pain scales, neurologic and musculoskeletal exam, imaging and electrodiagnostics, differential diagnosis) into a one-page topic outline with time estimates per subtopic.

Distinguish nociceptive, neuropathic, and nociplastic presentations by working through 20 written vignettes and stating the two or three exam or history findings that drive each classification.

Compare standardized instruments (numeric rating scale, visual analog scale, DN4, painDETECT, Oswestry Disability Index, PROMIS) by scoring method, validated cutoffs, and the clinical question each answers.

Perform 20 localization drills that trace limb or axial pain to root, plexus, mononeuropathy, myelopathy, or referred visceral source using dermatomal, myotomal, and reflex patterns.

Build a drug-class comparison table covering mechanism, starting dose, titration, ceiling effects, CYP-mediated interactions, monitoring parameters, and organ-based dose adjustment for non-opioid analgesics and adjuvants.

Apply current guideline-based opioid prescribing by drafting risk mitigation steps (PDMP review, urine drug testing, treatment agreement, naloxone co-prescribing, tapering schedule) for four representative patient scenarios.

Calculate 20 equianalgesic conversions across oral and parenteral opioids, including methadone and transdermal fentanyl caveats, and verify each against a reference table.

Explain recognition and management of serotonin syndrome, anticonvulsant hypersensitivity, NSAID renal and GI injury, acetaminophen hepatotoxicity, and opioid-induced hyperalgesia and androgen deficiency.

Adjust analgesic regimens for renal impairment, hepatic impairment, older adults, pregnancy, and patients with substance use disorder.

Catalog indications, absolute and relative contraindications, target landmarks, and expected contrast spread for interlaminar and transforaminal epidural injection, medial branch block and radiofrequency ablation, sympathetic blocks, and major joint and bursa injections.

Interpret fluoroscopic and sonographic anatomy for 15 common pain procedures by identifying the target structure, at-risk structures, and the safety view before needle advancement.

Apply peri-procedural anticoagulation and antiplatelet planning by writing hold and restart intervals for common agents using published regional anesthesia and interventional pain guidance.

Describe prevention, recognition, and immediate management of procedure complications including intravascular injection, dural puncture, infection, nerve injury, pneumothorax, and spinal cord injury.

Compare neuromodulation and targeted drug delivery options (spinal cord stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, intrathecal therapy) by patient selection criteria, trial strategy, and failure modes.

Contrast cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, biofeedback, hypnosis, and relaxation training by mechanism, evidence base, and referral triggers.

Apply the operant, fear-avoidance, and diathesis-stress models to explain how catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, and secondary gain shape disability and treatment response.

Design graded activity, graded exposure, work conditioning, and functional restoration plans that specify progression rules and objective benchmarks.

Screen for psychosocial yellow flags, depression, insomnia, and opioid misuse risk using validated tools, and convert findings into a documented referral plan.

Differentiate multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and multimodal care, and specify the roles, communication flow, and shared goal-setting process among physician, psychologist, physical therapist, pharmacist, and nursing team members.

Draft referral and care-coordination documentation that states the clinical question, urgency, required records, and measurable goals for five common referral scenarios.

Explain informed consent, decision-making capacity, confidentiality limits, boundary setting, controlled substance regulatory requirements, and impairment and disability determination in pain practice.

Outline practice management fundamentals including evaluation and procedure coding, documentation requirements, prior authorization workflow, and telehealth and prescribing rules.

Re-derive high-yield pharmacology content from memory, then correct against references, concentrating on equianalgesia, interactions, and adverse-effect management.

Rehearse procedure safety decision points aloud for 15 scenarios involving anticoagulation, infection risk, aberrant anatomy, and failed prior blocks.

Integrate medication selection with procedural planning in 10 case vignettes, justifying sequencing, expected benefit, and stopping rules.

Categorize every error from the week 2 and week 3 deliverables by cause (knowledge gap, misread stem, faulty reasoning) and re-test only the missed concepts.

Complete a timed full-length practice examination under test-day conditions, including section timing and breaks.

Map every incorrect or guessed item to a blueprint domain and subtopic to produce a ranked weakness list.

Re-study the ten weakest concepts using spaced retrieval rather than rereading, and write a one-sentence discriminating rule for each.

Rehearse test-taking strategy for lengthy vignettes by practicing answer-elimination and time-checking on two additional timed blocks.

Remediate the two lowest-scoring domains through targeted rereading, self-quizzing, and concept mapping until recall is fluent.

Consolidate cross-domain decision rules for pain classification, drug selection, procedural referral, psychological referral, and ethical documentation into a single retrieval sheet.

Re-test all previously missed items and confirm retention of corrected concepts.

Complete a final light review of high-yield tables and confirm logistics, timing, and test-day plan.