You can finally officially apply on-line for the 2012 oral exam on February 1 at www.abog.org. Your application and the application fee of $840 are due March 15. Don’t risk overlooking this menial, but necessary administrative task. If you delay, you will incur stiff late fees.
Surely you already have your case list software, but if you do not, then stop everything and order it now from the ABOG website.
Remember that case list collections started JULY 1, 2012 or seven months ago! So now you’re over the hump and only FIVE MONTHS LEFT to complete your collection of cases.
By this time you must be in a routine for entering your cases. ABC recommends that you keep a stash of case list forms in your surgery and L&D locker. Right after you dictate your operative or delivery notes, then complete the case list form. Once a week, then enter this data into your case list software. Don’t fret about details of how to enter the data. For now, just use your clinical sense. You’ll change your mind at least a half dozen times before it’s all said and done.
You should now have three binders for each of the three sections, OB, GYN, and Office. For each GYN patient, compile their case list sheet, H&P, operative note, pathology report, and discharge summary. For all OB patients, keep a file of the prenatal form, delivery note, discharge summary, and postpartum note. For the office patients, file the case list sheet, appropriate copies of the office visit(s) and supporting labs, imaging studies, etc. By now, you should have at least half of the 40 office categories collected. Your goal is to have ¾ of the cases collected by March.
If you have been using the ABOG case list software, chances are you are now appreciating why your predecessors grumble they would have never used it. Don’t fret — it was helpful to at least get you familiar with the process. However, if you want to take full control over the optimal construction, we recommend you customize your own software.
Rest assured, this is really pretty easy. Come to one of our one day case list construction workshops scheduled for as early as April and through June. We’ll show you how to raise your case list head and shoulders above the other candidates. For those who are OCD, order your copy of Pass Your Oral Ob/Gyn Board Exam by Dr. Das for a complete step-by-step guide.
If you’re really anal, come to our April 11-15 BOARD review course. The advantage of starting in the spring is that you have a good idea of the topics on your case list. You don’t have to do any heavy duty studying until August, as your only priority from May to August 1 is getting that case list done and to your strategy. However once August 1 hits – egad! — there is precious little time to study if your exam is the first month in November. Thus coming to a review course in the spring greatly facilitates exploding out of the starting blocks.
With you every step…
Case List Construction Tip
A patient can only be counted ONCE on your case list, but how do you enter her if she had more than one surgery or hospitalization in the same year of collections? ABOG does not give you any guidance. We recommend that you list her once, but separate the two cases by a full blank space. For example, let’s say you did an endometrial ablation for menometorrhagia in July. However 9 months later, she is still plagued with AUB and you perform a hysterectomy.
| Pt # | PREOPERATIVE DX | TREATMENT | PATHOLOGY |
| 1 | Menometorrhagia refractory to OCPs, NSAIDs Menometorrhagia, failed |
Hysteroscopic D&C Global endometrial ablation VH |
Endometrium – proliferative Uterus (200gms) |
You can do it…we can help.
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