May 2023 Tip of the Month

For ABOG 2023 Qualifying Written Exam Candidates

For those of you finishing your residency, the end-of-year projects and deadlines will compete with your remaining study time. It is your responsibility to schedule a seat with the Pearson VUE testing center. Seat reservations are to be booked no later than April 26th. Seats are limited and are assigned on a “first-come, first-served” basis. You need to do some soul-searching and accept the fact that you simply will not be able to cover all the topics on your study plan. Have you finished the must-know topics? Our Test Topics Manual is a great resource, as it lists high-yield topics and the expected test questions. Revise your study plan weekly and begin to discard those low-yield topics. Plan to finish your entire review between May and June, as July will focus on strengthening your strengths. You must practice with written questions at the end of each study topic. Our Written Question Manuals are designed for exactly this. They are organized by topic so you can beeline right to the questions to cross-check your subject review. For example, if you just reviewed Ovarian cancer, then you need questions on ovarian cancer. Our WQMs are the only ones in the industry that allow you to search at this level. None of the current computer banks, nor even the PROLOGs allow searching to this degree. Included are 1400+ questions, plus a narrative explanation for each answer, along with references. They are in both printed and online versions. We also have 6 Q Banks for the OB/GYN with random topics. These are helpful when you have completed your review and are just looking for volume and variety. Finally, like any big performance, a dress rehearsal is a must. Our Practice Test simulates your exam. It has 250 questions timed for 4 hours.
You can do it, we can help.

Test-Taking Technique:
You probably intuitively knew this, but studies confirm that students usually miss the questions they spent the most time on. Compare this to the lead runner. Turning back to see where the other runners are will just slow him down. Thus, we recommend you proceed methodically, deliberately, and purposefully answer FIRST those questions for which you know the answer. For questions that you cannot determine the answer readily (e.g., within 30 seconds), develop a system of priority for returning to those questions AFTER you finish those for which you easily know the answers. Don’t compromise sure-pass questions by getting bogged down with the tougher questions that you will most likely get wrong anyway. The computer will let you flag the questions, but not by priority. As you go back through, start with those questions that you are certain you can figure out but will need a little bit of time to think through. Next, tackle those questions that you must put more work into. They’re not impossible, but you’re going to have to spend considerable time. Finally, for those questions that you haven’t any idea about (where do they find these?!), use the SAME LETTER for all your WILD GUESSES. Keep on truckin’ and don’t look back. We are not aware of any evidence-based recommendation for which letter to use, but since all questions have at least four options, but some with five, we advise against using the letter “E”. Therefore, choose either “A, B, C, or D” for your wild guesses, but use the SAME letter for all, as you statistically will have a better chance of getting some correct. 

For ABOG 2023 Certifying Exam Candidates

Your examination fee, late fees, and case list are due by August 16th, 2023. Unfortunately, the examination fee is in addition to the application fee that you already forked over. Simply go online to www.abog.org to complete this necessary task. Only three months left to complete your collection of cases. At this point, you must be up to date with all your past OB and GYN entries. The clock is ticking. At this point, you should have three-fourths, if not all, of your office patients selected. Plan to complete all 40 categories by the end of June and try to use as many categories as possible. A well-constructed list makes all the difference in its defense. Since so much is riding on your case list, consider getting the expert’s stamp of approval. The ABC faculty can provide a Comprehensive Case List Review and give construction tips on every single case. Our faculty will assess your lists for content, formatting, and readability. You will receive a voice recording of the faculty’s comments and suggested revisions. Send whatever you have now, as it is on a first-come-first-served basis, and we get overrun starting in mid-June. Before you are all consumed with finishing your case list, be proactive, and register for your fall review course. We suggest our hybrid course on August 15-20, 2023. We’re not just a review course, but a board review course, to provide an exam-focused review. We’ll be offering an in-person option in Asheville, NC, or remote via Webex. Unable to attend our review course? Consider registering for our Oral Exam Workshop scheduled for Tuesday, August 15th. The day is devoted to defending your case list and teaches you how to approach the structured cases portion of your exam. Don’t worry about studying at all this month. Your priority is to finish that case list.

Case List Construction Tip: 
Formatting is the most powerful tool to raise your case list head and shoulders above the others -especially in strategically pulling the examiner to cases YOU want to talk about. The mandatory entry online has presented some new challenges with formatting, but we’ve got it figured out. If you need some help or simply a boost of confidence, let us review your list before submission. We get overrun and it’s first come first served, so send us your list by the end of May or early June. The examiner gets your list before they meet you, so your #1 construction goal is to create a list that’s a pass walking into the exam.

Subspecialist Candidates for the 2023 ABOG General Certifying Exam

If you are retrospectively collecting cases, go with your comfort zone. Dang, how could you have forgotten so much in such a short time? Unfortunately, it’s true if you don’t use it, you lose it. Go with the bread-and-butter cases. Remember, this is your general board. We recommend you choose those cases that reflect high-yield topics. Our August 15-20 Hybrid Board Review Course provides an excellent step-by-step guide for your certifying exam. We’ll be offering an in-person option in Asheville NC, and a virtual option via Webex. Since so much is riding on your case list, consider getting the expert’s stamp of approval. The ABC faculty can provide a Comprehensive Case List Review. Our faculty will assess your lists for content, formatting, and readability. You will receive a voice recording of the faculty’s comments and suggested revisions.

Case List Construction Tip:
Remember you are sitting for your general boards. The least important case list is your specialty. In your “off subject,” you must list 20 applied patients from your chief resident cases. You want these cases to reflect a depth and breadth of care. Choose bread & butter cases and try and use as many categories as possible. I challenge you to use 20 categories!

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. Start collecting those cases now, while you still have easy access to patient records. 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 OB patients, keep a file of the prenatal forms, delivery notes, discharge summaries, and postpartum notes. Don’t worry at all about the office patients, as you may compile these cases only during your fellowship. A word of caution – right now you are at your peak for general OB/GYN knowledge. Believe it or not, two years from now, your knowledge base will regress to that of an intern. Yes, it’s true if you don’t use it, you lose it. So those cool, esoteric, bizarre, once-in-a-career cases now will be a nightmare to defend later. Your greatest allies are your junior residents. If they can’t easily defend that case, cease, and desist and “go fish” for another case.

Test-Taking Technique:
I know you can’t wait to move on to your subspecialty training. However, you’re at your peak in your general OB/GYN knowledge. You will have forgotten so much by the time you take your oral exam. So, collect those “bread and butter” common cases now. Yeah, those boring ones you turn over to the interns. You will be ever so grateful later. Fellows have the option to apply for the accelerated track. I know you’re busy and excited to matriculate into your subspecialty, but truly, if you don’t use it, you lose it! Plan to apply for the fast track just as soon as you get your congratulatory letter notifying you that you passed your written boards. If you begin with the end in mind, then there will be no surprises, as forewarned is forearmed.

For AOBOG 2023 Oral Exam Candidates

The 2023 Fall exam has been scheduled for October 20-21. AOBOG has decreased the number of stations a candidate rotates through from four to three, and the length of each station has increased from 55 minutes to 75 minutes, but the overall time of the exam will remain the same at four hours including breaks. They will incorporate the visual slides, video clips, etc. into the three stations in an oral format. Each of the stations will use a minimum of three scenarios from the following topics.

• General Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Office Based
• Hospital Based
• Outpatient Based
• Gynecologic Oncology
• Neoplasms of the vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and those associated with pregnancy.
• Questions regarding workup and diagnosis of other common neoplasms of the female (breast, colon, or other)
• Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
• Urinary stress incontinence/ genital prolapse.
• Sexual dysfunction/ pain syndromes
• Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility:
• Contraception management
• Ultrasonography of the female pelvis
• Workup and treatment of the infertile couple
• Maternal Fetal Medicine:
• Evaluation of the high-risk pregnancy
• Early screening tests and diagnostic workup
• Interventions available during pregnancy
• Questions Relevant to Professionalism, Communication Skills, and Lifelong Learning:
• Protocols
• Electronic Health Records
• Patient Safety
• Drills

Source: https://certification.osteopathic.org/obstetrics-gynecology/certification-process/obstetrics-gynecology/oral-exam/

Osteopathic Philosophy and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine will be assessed regarding treatment modalities for both the obstetric and the gynecologic patient. Our OMM for the OB/GYN is a great way to get an exam-focused review on OMM. 
We’re a bit biased, as we feel we have the ideal course; however, you should look for certain features. We recommend a board review course, not just a review course, for an exam-focused review. Launch your studying by attending our August 16-20 hybrid course in person in Asheville NC or use our virtual option via Webex. The 5 days will be a mixture of high-yield lectures followed by structured cases in the afternoon. There is precious little time to wade through the volumes of material to figure out what to prioritize. Since 2011, we’re batting a 99% rate for those who have attended our review course.
You can do it, we can help.

ABOG Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Candidates

Part II: Lifelong Learning: ABOG just published the 2^nd quarter articles. Of course, you can extend or drag out those first-quarter articles up until the December 15^th deadline, but why? You need to finish up those first-quarter articles and start working on the 2^nd quarter ones. 
Part III: Secure Written Exam For those of you in MOC Year 6, you must pass a written exam by December 15^th, 2023. 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 in preparing for your board-certifying exams, you’ll take great comfort in our five-day hybrid review course starting August 16-20 in Asheville, North Carolina, or virtually from the comfort of your home via Webex. This is not the same type of review course from the past. Just as you’ve evolved and practiced 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.
You can do it, we can help.

1. Safety
2. Anatomy & Physiology, Basic Sciences 
3. Genetics
4. Ethics & Professionalism

Royal Canadian College 2023 Exam Candidates

The oral examination is right around the corner, on May 9th. There is still some time to get some last-minute practice in. Make sure you check out our products page for the Canadian Royal College. We offer structured cases, mock orals, and comprehensive reviews to help guide you toward passing that oral exam.
For those taking the fall written exam, we recommend greatly enhancing your study time left by attending our live hybrid Board Review Course on August 16-20. We are offering an in-person option in Asheville NC and a virtual option via Webex.