July 2023 Tip of the Month

For ABOG 2023 Certifying Exam Candidates

Your examination fee of $1125 and case list collections are due by August 1st, 2023. The final deadline to submit your case list and application fee is August 16th. However, this deadline includes an additional late fee of $395. I know that you haven’t even turned in your case list yet, but remember, just because they assign you your exam month does not obligate them to approve your case list. Your main priority is to finish your case list. Raise your right hand and repeat after me, “I promise I will not study at all until I FINISH my case list”. Ideally, try to revise the list at least twice, as the first draft is never satisfactory. The construction of your case list is like the practice of medicine; there is more than one way to do the same thing. Stand back and examine your list as if you were the examiner, not the candidate. What kind of questions would you ask? Do you want that line of questioning? If not, then strategically revise the wording until it begs the questions you want. We realize you haven’t seen many case lists. In fact, often yours is the only one. Make sure you let others review it before you turn it in. We are happy to offer a Comprehensive Case List Review. For more information on getting your case list reviewed contact Melissa Krauss. Please keep in mind that case lists will not be accepted after July 27th for August 1st submission and August 11th for August 16th submission. Begin teeing up your review course options now. We suggest our August 15-20th course, which is primarily designed for those taking their oral exam. We strongly encourage you to register sooner rather than later especially if you plan on attending in person. The course will be held at the MAHEC Education Campus in Asheville, NC.
Case List Construction Tip:
The 80:20 rule applies to your case list, too. The examiner has only 30 minutes to examine you on your case list. They typically can get through only 10-15 cases. Thus, for 80% of your case list, you want to be crystal clear as to why you did what you did. The remaining 20% are strategically worded to beg the line of questioning that you desire.
The most common mistake on constructing your OFFICE case list is column confusion. The Results column is intended to be for the results of your treatment, NOT for the results of your diagnostic procedures. Put the results of your procedures in parenthesis in the Diagnostic Procedures column.
 Problem  
Diagnostic Procedures Results
Treatment  
Results
Painful vulvar lesions  
H&P (ulcerations on vulva)
STD counseling
Resolution of symptoms
Culture (Herpes)
Acylovir   
Analgesics     
      

 

Subspecialty Fellows Planning for their 2023 ABOG General Certifying Oral Board Exam

The cases for your specialty must come from your fellowship. Your office case list must also be collected from your fellowship. You can use your chief resident cases for your off-specialty list, either the GYN or the OB. Refer also to the above tips since you are taking your general oral board exam. Make sure you register for your review course. The subspecialists love our course because it is a no-nonsense, stream-lined, exam-focused review. We strongly encourage you to register sooner rather than later for our August 15-20th Review Course, especially if you plan on attending in person. The course will be held at the MAHEC Education Campus in Asheville, NC

Case List Construction Tip: 
You are required to have exactly 20 patients in your off-specialty list. However, it is much to your advantage to have as many categories as possible. This gives you, rather than the examiner, more control. If you have sparse topics, the examiner has free rein to go in any old direction he pleases. Just say WHOA! Rein him in and unhand him by having a nice depth and breadth of topics. I challenge you to have 20 categories.

For AOBOG 2023 General Oral Exam Candidates

The final deadline to apply is July 20th. Any applications submitted at this point will accrue an additional late fee of $982.50. AOBOG limits the number of candidates who can sit, so apply as soon as possible. ABC’s August 16-20th Board Review Course is perfect to help you prepare for your big day. Make sure you register soon especially if you plan on attending in person as spots are limited. The course will be held at the MAHEC Education Campus in Asheville, NC. Our hybrid virtual option is a great alternative for those not able to attend in person. Another option is our Oral Exam Home Study package which can be completed in the comfort of your home or office. Pair this with our Mock Orals and you will have a solid study plan. For those of you planning for the Spring 2024 exam, I hope it’s obvious that procrastinating is not to your advantage.

Test Taking Tips:
Refer to aobog.org for the topics and conduct for the oral exam. The exam is divided into three seventy-five-minute sections with a 15-minute break between each section. Each segment is three sections, and in each section, there are 2-3 cases (total of 7-9 clinical scenarios) per 75-minute segment. These cases have pictures, video clips of surgeries, ultrasounds, and the possibility of OMT videos in the sections. You must obtain a minimum of 75 out of 100 possible points to pass a scenario and must pass 9 of the 12 scenarios to pass the exam. Our Visual Clinical Scenarios product assures you know exactly what you’re walking into.
With you every step…

For AOBOG 2024 Written Exam Candidates

The exam is scheduled for April 17-19, 2024. What’s the hurry? Time to kick back and soak in the summer rays, right? Right, if you’ve consistently scored > 200 on your CREOG in-service-training exam. If at any time during your residency you scored < 200 on your CREOG in-service-training exam or you failed your board exam, you need to take some time off to recharge your batteries. However, you need to start strategizing on a study plan. Wouldn’t covering those high-yield exam topics make the most sense? Our course syllabus covers 90% of exam topics. If you attend the August 16-20th Board Prep Course, you will walk away with the priceless list. The August course will be held at the MAHEC Education building in Asheville, NC. If you’re not able to attend in person, we will have a virtual option via Webex. For those not able to attend the August course, consider attending virtually to our October 16-20 Board Review Course. Additionally, our Test Taking Skills Online Course can help you identify error patterns and how to fix them!

Test Taking Technique:
The only resource to predict your performance on your board exam is the CREOG in-service training exam. Dig out your past scores. If your standardized scores were > 200, especially during your chief year, you have an excellent chance of passing your board exam ASSUMING you continue to progress your learning at the same pace that you have these last several years. If you score was < 200, you must devise a plan to improve both your content and test-taking skills. So, to put it quite bluntly, you must approach your CREOG in-service-training exam like it’s your board exam. What’s that adage? Trick me once, shame on you; trick me twice, shame on me.

ABOG Maintenance of Certification (MOC)

Part II: Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment:  You should be halfway through with your 2nd quarter articles by now. Of course, you can extend or drag out all the articles all the way up until the December deadline, but WHY?  Part III: Secure Written Exam: If you have averaged > 86% on your article questions, you are exempt from taking the written exam. You can check your status on your homepage. If you are not exempt, and you are in MOC Year 6, you must pass a written exam by December 15. We have a few products to help you prepare for and pass your written exam. For those of you who have always tapped into a review course in preparing for your board-certifying exams, you’ll no doubt benefit greatly by attending one of our five-day review courses being held The August course will be held at the MAHEC Education Campus in Asheville, NC. We suggest that you register as soon as possible if you plan to attend in person as spots are limited. If you’re not able to attend in person, we will have a virtual option via Webex. The October 4-8 course will be held virtually via Zoom.  This is not the same type of review course as in the past. Just as you evolve and practice evidence-based medicine, our course is designed for the adult learner, is exam-focused, and all lectures follow the national ACOG guidelines. Heck, you’ll walk away with loads of everyday practice tips, too. Looking for more questions? Our Written Questions Manuals provide close to 1400 questions, plus a narrative explanation for each answer along with references. You can also purchase individual manuals in print form based on your exam selectives. Check out our online Q Banks that consist of a series of 50 multiple-choice single best answer questions. These are a great addition to help give you more practice.

Test Taking Tip:
The written exam is only 100 questions and you answer two books of fifty questions. Generalists get to choose their books or “selectives” for each exam. Subspecialists must take the first book based upon their designated subspecialty. They then have to choose a second book from the generalist’s selectives. The strategy is in matching the exam selective to your mode of practice. Dr. Das has created a series of videos to help with selectives. 

Generalist: Selective Exam A & B (50 questions)
  1. Obstetrics and Gynecology and Office Practice & Women’s Health 
  2. Obstetrics only
  3. Gynecology only (tends to have more Surgical GYN focus)
  4. Office Practice and Women’s Health only (primary care, office GYN & family planning focus)
Subspecialists: Selective Exam A (50 questions)
  1. Gynecologic Oncology
  2. Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  3. Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility
  4. Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery
We’re getting lots of questions as to how to choose your selectives. VIEW our snippets here. Believe or not, it is the same list for the primary written exam and the oral exam case list categories; although fortunately, the focus is much more clinical. It is well worth going to the Basic Bulletin at abog.org to look through the specific list. The focus for each of the General selectives is as follows:
  1. Obstetrics – Antepartum, Intrapartum, Postpartum.
  2. Gynecology only- Inpatient & Outpatient GYN focus, including REI, Urogyn and Oncology
  3. Office Practice and Women’s Health only - Primary Care, Office GYN, Office Surgery & Family Planning focus
Each Selective can include “Cross Content Areas,” such as
    1. Safety
    2. Anatomy & Physiology, Basic Sciences
    3. Genetics
    4. Ethics & Professionalism 

AOBOG Osteopathic Continuous Certification in Obstetrics & Gynecology (OCC)

The recertification exam has been replaced with the (ARC) aka Advanced Real-time Certification.  The good news is that it is an online assessment system giving you the opportunity to fulfill your OCC Component 3 requirements. Each year you are to complete 24 assessments. Go to the AOBOG website for additional details. 

ABC Tip:
Consider coming to one of our 5-day review courses.  This is not the same type of review course as in the past.  Just as you evolve and practice evidence-based medicine, our course is designed for the adult learner and all lectures follow the national ACOG guidelines. Even better, you’ll walk away with Category I CME hours and with loads of clinical pearls, too.

Royal Canadian College 2024 Exam Candidates 
The OSCE practical exam is scheduled for April 26th, 2024. The written exam is scheduled for September 19-20th, 2024. Make sure you check the Royal College website for more information on deadlines and fees. Consider attending one of our live courses geared specifically to help you pass your exams. The course will be held at the MAHEC Education building in Asheville, NC. If you’re not able to attend in person, we will have a virtual option via Webex. Cannot attend our live August course? Consider attending virtually to our October 4-8 Board Review Course. Make sure to check out
 
 
 

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