October 2015 Tip of the Month

Krishna Das, MD, FACOG
ABC Course Director to provide one on one mock orals in Dallas. 

November Oral exam candidates have now received their exact exam day so ABC is now scheduling Do or Die in Dallas sessions. These private mock orals can be on your case list or structured case portion of the test.  Each one on one 55 minute sessions are limited and are on a first-come first served basis.  Contact Angela Hare in our office for more information.

For ABOG 2015 ORAL Exam Candidates

NOVEMBER Exam Candidates

OK, the exam is next month, so it’s time to pull it all together. You need to come out running with mock oral exams. Plan to meet with those who reviewed your case list earlier and ask them to give you a mock oral. It’s also time to call for reinforcements and recruit other sources, such as local and regional colleagues, academicians, subspecialists, and generalists. After each mock oral, go back for a targeted review of missed topics. Figure out your new game plan and try it out with the next mock oral.

A great way to finish strong, or to salvage what’s left for you procrastinators, is to come to one of ABCs one day Oral Exam Workshops. Don’t want to reinvent the wheel? Our Oral Exam FAQs itemizes those questions most frequently asked for specific topics.

Half of your exam is the case of the day. You can simulate the exam with either our Structured Cases Workshop CD or our Structured Cases CD. These are invaluable study guides that can be used for self-study or more importantly, have others quiz you so you can practice out loud. Speaking of practicing out loud, our Structured Cases Webinar is divided into three one-month sessions, with webinars conducted weekly. Given that you have a November exam, you can participate in two sessions and walk away with 48 cases. It’s a great benchmark to see if you’re ready, since these examiners don’t know you and are skilled in simulating the exam atmosphere. Brrrr, did it just get icy? Warm up by playing back the webinar archives, then jump right back into the hot seat with the next live webinar session.

Did we mention mock oral exams? The number one regret of past candidates is they wished they had taken more mock oral exams. Although we’re a fan of using those familiar resources aforementioned, now’s the time to call in the “A” team, as in the ABC faculty. ABC offers Case List Reviews, Mock Oral Exams, and our signature, one-of-a-kind structured cases by phone. We can take it up a notch by offering eye-to-eye mock oral exams on Skype, but you’ll need to provide the glaring, white light.

The icing on the cake is our Do or Die In Dallas session. Dr. Krishna Das, yeah - the lady who wrote THE book, Pass Your OB/GYN Oral Exam, will be in Dallas November 1^st through 4^th. She’s seen it all and can warm you up for your big day with last minute polishing (or cramming for some) through private sessions on whatever you need … mock orals, structured cases, etc.

DECEMBER Exam Candidates

Your exam is in two months – crunch time and holidays. You WILL and MUST budget time for your family - remember them? Forewarned is forearmed, so don’t set yourself up for that guilt trip of studying vs. family. You can do both if you’re organized.

Half of your test is defending your case list. Send your case list NOW to your following local/regional consultants or colleagues for recommendations in DEFENDING your case list:

Case list component	Reviewer
OB	MFM, generalist
GYN	GYN ONC, Urogyn, generalist
Office	Generalist, REI, FP, IM

Make sure you give them a strict deadline, say two weeks; and set a date now to discuss their recommendations. The ABC faculty can also review your case list one-on-one at the fall course or can provide a Comprehensive Case List Review.

We offer a November 18-22 Review Course, timed perfectly for your exam. Even, or perhaps especially, if you’ve take another review course, this will be so well worth your while. We offer a streamlined exam-focused review in only five days. For the past four years, we’ve covered 99% of the exam topics. There will be no doubt what you need to study with three short weeks remaining before your exam. If you can’t come to us, then let ABC make a house call and you can order the course recorded on DVD or CD.

A great way to finish strong, or salvage what’s left for you procrastinators, is to come to one of our Oral Exam Workshops. Don’t want to reinvent the wheel? Our Oral Exam FAQs itemizes those questions most frequently asked for specific topics.

Half of your exam is the case of the day. You can simulate the exam with our Structured Cases CD. An invaluable study guide that can be used for self-study or more importantly, have others quiz you so you can practice out loud. Speaking of practicing out loud, our Structured Cases Webinar is divided into three one-month sessions, with webinars conducted weekly. All three sessions will end just before your exam, so you will have practiced with 72 cases!  It’s a great benchmark to see if you’re ready, since these examiners don’t know you and are skilled in simulating the exam atmosphere. Brrrr, did it just get icy? Warm up by playing back the webinar archives, then jump right back into the hot seat with the next live webinar session.

The ABC faculty is available to provide specific services in mock oral exams, case list reviews and structured cases - both at the course and later by phone.

Finally, we’ll be there in Dallas with you.  Dr. Diane Evans will host our Do or Die In Dallas December 6^th through 9^th. She can warm you up for your big day with last minute polishing (or cramming for some) through private sessions on whatever you need … mock orals, structured cases, etc.

 JANUARY Exam Candidates

Think you’re coasting, eh? A common regret is to get caught up in the holiday festivities and procrastinate studying until afterwards. Big mistake because – duh - at that point, the test is in three weeks.

Avoid tricks by sending your case list around Halloween to your following local/regional consultants or colleagues for recommendations in DEFENDING your case list:

Case list component	Reviewer
OB	MFM, generalist
GYN	GYN ONC, Urogyn, generalist
Office	Generalist, REI, FP, IM

Make sure you give them a strict deadline, say two weeks; and set a date now to discuss their recommendations. The ABC faculty can also review your case list one-on-one at the fall courses or can provide a Comprehensive Case List Review.

Come to our November 18-22 Review Course to get crackin’. Definitely attend our Oral Exam Workshop the day before (on November 17^th) and our Structured Cases Workshop on November 18^th to best prepare. You can take off the next week for Thanksgiving.

Half of your exam is the case of the day. You are so lucky that your exam is in January, as you can participate in all three months of our weekly Structured Cases Webinar! You’ll end up with 72 cases! It’s a great benchmark to see if you’re ready, since these examiners don’t know you and are skilled in simulating the exam atmosphere. Brrrr, did it just get icy? Warm up by playing back the webinar archives, then jump right back into the hot seat for the next live webinar session.

Ouch! If the webinar was a rude awakening, you can get even more practice with our Structured Cases CD. They are an invaluable study tool that can be used for self-study or more importantly, have others quiz you so you can practice out loud. If you tap into all three Structured Cases products, you’ll walk away with over 150+ unique cases!

 

Subspecialty Fellows Sitting for their 2015 ABOG General Oral Board Exam

By now, you’ve experienced that rude awakening of just how much you forgot in your off-specialty subjects. That’s where they get the expression, “If you don’t use it, you lose it”. Our review course is IDEAL for fellows, as we tell you just what you need to know; then you can joyfully repress it again after your test. Even if your exam is not until January, there is A LOT to relearn, OK, for some of you, to learn.

We strongly recommend you come to our November 18-22 Review Course to gather all the material you will need for 90% of your test. For those of you who attended a previous course, but your exam is not until December or January, we’ll even let you come back to the November course for a day or two just to take mock oral exams. Heck, bring back your syllabus and we’ll let you sit through the lectures for free while you are waiting for your next mock oral exam.

A great way to grab the bull by the horns is to come to one of our one-day Oral Exam Workshops. Don’t want to reinvent the wheel? Our Oral Exam FAQs itemizes those questions frequently asked for specific topics and covers ALL of the case list categories.

Half of your exam is the case of the day. You can simulate the exam with our Structured Cases CD.  They are invaluable study guides, especially for subspecialists so you can challenge yourself with your off-specialty subjects. Our Structured Cases Webinar is ideal for subspecialists, as you can participate specifically in those off-specialty topics - ouch, better to find out now than on your exam!

You can always reach out for a comprehensive case list review on all or just your off-specialty sections of your case list for anticipated questions on your cases. Finally, we encourage you to tap into our Do or Die In Dallas, led by none other than our Course Director, Dr. Krishna Das, who will ready you for last minute polishing or cramming.

 For ABOG 2016 ORAL Exam Candidates

You cannot apply for the 2016 oral exam until February 1, 2016. However, if you wait until this long to enter cases, you’re already EIGHT months behind, since the collections started JULY 1^st. BIG MISTAKE! Call or e-mail ABOG now to get your case list software.  

Don’t fret about details of how to enter the data. You’ll change your mind at least a half dozen times before it’s all said and done. For all GYN patients, start a habit of collecting H&Ps, operative notes, pathology reports, and discharge summaries. For all OB patients, keep a file of the prenatal forms, delivery notes, discharge summaries and postpartum notes. Don’t worry about the office patients yet. Take a stab at entering the data on the case list forms and just use your common sense.

Rest assured, we have Case List Construction Workshops scheduled for as early as April, 2015. Start today in creating a good habit of collecting and entering cases.

For ABOG & AOBOG 2016 WRITTEN Exam Candidates

The exam is in 6 & 8 months respectively. For you ABOG folk, the $1470 application and examination fee is due THIS month by October 17^th. A late fee of $345 kicks in until November 17^th, followed by a really swift kick of an $825 late fee until December 17^th. No applications are accepted after December 17^th. For those of you taking your AOBOG exam, the $1175 examination fee is due by February 23^rd.

Since ABOG no longer reports your objective score on the exam, you have no idea if you sailed through or missed passing by one point. So, unfortunately now the only correlate is the CREOG in-service-training exam. If you’re a chief resident, you must use this as a gauge to predict board performance, so you must/should prepare for this.

For those wanting to score big on their CREOGs or to explode out of the gate for your written board exam, come to our November 18-22, 2015 Review Course. This is an excellent opportunity to gather your exam-focused study material and let us put you on a customized study plan for the next six months.

Knowing the content is only half the strategy; the other is applying it. Our education specialists, Martin and Jane Jolley, will conduct their signature Test Taking Skills Workshop on November 19^th. If you have not scored > 200 on your CREOG in-service training exam, failed your written board exam, or have just wished your score reflected your knowledge, this workshop is a must. In just 2 months you can perfect their method and test drive it on the January CREOG exam. Faithful users typically score one standard deviation or 20 points higher! Just imagine the possibilities for your board exam!

After much ado, finally the CREOG exam is on the computer. This is good news, since the ABOG written exam has been administered on the computer since 2007. This will be great practice, as taking an exam on a computer is very different than with paper and pencil. If too much is at stake and you don’t want to experiment for the first time, take a test drive with our Computerized Diagnostic Tests.

For AOBOG Oral Exam Candidates

For those preparing for their April 29-30, 2016 exam, if you really want to get a head start, come to our November 18-22, 2015 Review Course. Did you know that our syllabus even highlights the core topics? We also have an evening session that puts each core topic under the microscope and painstakingly goes through potential exam topics.

Chief Residents Planning A Subspecialty Fellowship

Subspecialty fellows are permitted to select 20 patients from their Chief resident year for their off-specialty case list. In other words, GYN Oncologists, REI and Urogynecologists will need an OB list and MFMs need a GYN list. Thus, make sure to hold onto that residency log!

 Refer to the ABOG Bulletin as to how those 20 patients are selected. To be on the safe side, we recommend you collect at least 30, so you can strategically select the final 20 later. For those patients, keep a file of the following: for the GYN patients, collect the H&Ps, operative notes, pathology reports, and discharge summaries. For the OB patients, keep a file of the prenatal forms, delivery notes, discharge summaries and postpartum notes. Don’t worry about the office patients at all, as you may compile this only during your fellowship.

Subspecialty Fellows Planning for their 2016 ABOG General Oral Board Exam

You can now sit for your general oral boards anytime during your fellowship. Furthermore, you can only take the general oral boards once during your fellowship. If you somehow neglected to collect cases in your off-specialty from your chief year, begin to piece meal together how to gather those cases from your residency institution. GYN Oncologists, REI and Urogynecologists will need an OB list and MFMs need a GYN list. If you take call for these off services, you can use those cases.

ABOG Maintenance of Certification

Part II Lifelong Learning

ALL 45 articles are due by December 15^th.   I know a rare few of you haven’t even done any. If you’re desperate, you need to pass 80% of 120 questions, so that’s only 30 of the 45 articles; however, you only get 25, rather than 35 Category I CME credits.

Remember also that you must have enrolled in at least one practice module each year. If you have not, that can also be grounds to yank your certification - YIKES!

For those of you in your third year, you should have started the Safety Course. You cannot enter it until you have completed 60 questions from the 1^st or 2^nd quarter articles. The Safety Course is accessed only on-line, so if you’re one who likes to print out the articles and questions, you’re out of luck.

Part III, Secure Written Exam

For those of you in MOC Year 6, you must register by November 15^th and pass a written exam by December 15th. We have three products to help you prepare for and pass your written exam. For those of you who have always tapped into a review course as you prepare for your board certifying exams, you’ll take great comfort in our five day November 18-22 Review Course. This is not the same type of review course as in the past. Just as you’ve evolved 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 every day practice tips, too.

Since 2009, our Annual MOC Manuals summarize each of the articles AND have written questions. Think of them as Cliff notes, as they will save you oodles of time. You are also accountable for Safety and Professionalism. Remember you completed the Safety course in your third year, but you could not print out the articles. Fortunately, ABC had the foresight to create a Safety Course Manual as well.

            Finally the Board has acknowledged that an emphasis will be placed on both the Compendium and the articles. So don’t you think the highest yield will be those MOC articles that overlap with the Compendium? Lucky for you we have a one day MOC Written Exam Workshop on November 17^th in Charlotte, NC. This provides that perfect review of those overlapping MOC articles AND written questions. Although we know you’ll get the most out of it by attending, if you absolutely can’t, then purchasing the MOC Written Exam Workshop Binder is the next best thing.

We must be doing something right, as so far 100% of those attending the MOC Workshop and/or the course have passed!

Oh, just in case you think you’re coasting after you pass your written exam, think again. You still have to read the 2015 articles. No rest for the weary!

AOBOG Recertification Written Exam, Osteopathic Continuous Certification in Obstetrics & Gynecology (OCC)

Everyone has entered into the mandatory OCC cycle. Although the recertification written exam has now been phased out, you must take a formal proctored written exam in either year 5 or 6 of the OCC cycle.

The exam is offered only once a year at the spring ACOOG conference. If you’re a generalist, it’s a walk in the park. If however, you have limited your practice (eg. GYN only, laborist, subspecialist, etc.) then it’s not a walk, but a triathlon. You’re going to need to train, so we suggest our November 18-22, 2015 Review Course for a comprehensive, exam-focused review.

Additionally, you must complete 5 Practice Performance Assessments (PPA) in each 6 year OCC cycle. These 5 PPAs must be completed by September 15^th of the year your certificate expires.