Training Factors Influencing Scores on the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine Self-Assessment Examination: A Follow-Up Study.

INTRODUCTION/AIMS: A previous publication reported that the number of months of training and the number of patient studies independently influenced examination scores for the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) self assessment examination (AANEM-SAE). The purpose of this study was to explore additional questions regarding how electrodiagnostic (EDx) training impacts AANEM-SAE score.

METHODS

This was a retrospective review of the 2024 and 2025 AANEM-SAE results. Participants were asked the number of: patient studies performed, months of training completed, hours of didactic training received, and hours they studied to prepare for the AANEM-SAE. There were also questions regarding neuromuscular ultrasound training.

RESULTS

A total of 1530 participants completed the proctored examinations. Scores steadily improved with additional months of training but leveled off after 300-400 patient studies. Regression analysis indicated that higher numbers of patient studies and higher numbers of didactic training hours and study hours were correlated with higher examination scores even after accounting for the number of months of training. Of the 2025 participants, 56% received training in neuromuscular ultrasound, but most completed no more than 30 patient studies. No association was found between ultrasound training and performance on ultrasound questions, but the number of questions was small.

DISCUSSION: EDx training program directors should continue to emphasize core elements of EDx training and design their curricula with attention to providing sufficient numbers of studies and hours of didactic instruction for trainees.