October 2019 Tip of the Month

 For ABOG 2019 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. Make a new game plan and try it out with the next mock oral. 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. It is an invaluable study guides that can be used for self-study or more importantly, have others quiz you so you can practice out loud. If the format, conduct, and strategy of the exam is not crystal clear, then, if you don’t know where you’re going you’ll end up someplace else … as in the examiner’s clutches. Don’t be caught by surprise. 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, structured cases. We’re bringing our best, so you can be at your best. Dr. Megan Carreno will be in Dallas from Sunday, November 3 to Wednesday, November 6. She will do whatever it takes to get you feeling confident just before your test. She can give Mock Oral Exams, test you with our signature Structured Cases, defuse those landmines on your Case List, or even give you a crash lecture on a weak topic. Call today to reserve your space.

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 November course. We offer a November 19-24 Review Course, timed perfectly for your exam. Even, or perhaps especially, if you’ve taken 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  years, we’ve covered 99% of the exam topics. There will be no doubt as to what you need to study with three short weeks remaining before your exam. If you can’t come to us, let ABC make a house call and you can order one of our Home Study packages.

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. This is an invaluable study guide that can be used for self-study or more importantly, have others quiz you so you can practice out loud. 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. The icing on the cake is our Do or Die In Dallas session. Dr. Diane Klivington will be in Dallas December 1st through the 4th. 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.

 

JANUARY & FEBRUARY Exam Candidates Think you’re coasting, eh? A common regret is to get caught up in the holiday festivities and procrastinate studying until afterward. 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 19-24 Review Course to get crackin’. ABCs November 19-24 Interactive BOARD Review Course is the perfect time for you. Our research has consistently shown that your pass rate is higher if you incorporate strategy with content. Therefore, our Oral Exam Workshop, which is devoted to strategy, is now included with the course. You can take off the next week for Thanksgiving. Half of your exam is the case of the. You are so lucky that your exam is in January, as you can pace yourself and get even more practice with our Structured Cases. This is an invaluable study tool that can be used for self-study or more importantly, have others quiz you so you can practice out loud.

Subspecialty Fellows Sitting for their 2019 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 19-24 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. 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.  They are invaluable study guides, especially for subspecialists, so you can challenge yourself with your off-specialty subjects. 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. Our faculty will ready you for last minute polishing or cramming.

 

For ABOG 2020 ORAL Exam Candidates

You cannot apply for the 2020 oral exam until February 15, 2020. However, if you wait 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, begin 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 will offer our Case List Online course for you go-getters. However, regardless, seeing is believing and come live for the workshop during our March 31- April 5, 2020 review course. Start today to create a good habit of collecting and entering cases. 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. Start today to create a good habit of collecting and entering cases.

You can do it … we can help

Chief Residents Planning a Subspecialty Fellowship & ABOG General Oral Board Exam

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 2020 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 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.

For ABOG & AOBOG 2020 WRITTEN Exam Candidates

The exam is in 6 & 8 months respectively. For you ABOG folk, the $1500 application and examination fee is due THIS month - by October 18^th. A late fee of $360 kicks in until November 18^th, followed by a really swift kick of an $840 late fee until December 18^th. No applications are accepted after December 18^th. For those of you taking your AOBOG exam, the $1175 examination fee is due by February 28^th. 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 their written board exam, come to our November 20-24, 2019 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 Test Taking Skills Online Course is perfect 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 course is a must. In just 2 months you can perfect the CQRPE 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!

Test Taking Technique:
Since ABOG no longer reports your score for the written board exam, the only resource to gauge your performance is the CREOG in-service-training exam. Anyone, not just residents, can take the exam, and it is STRONGLY advised for those who are repeating their board exam. Don’t worry - the results come only to you. However, the one page application and $125 examination fee is due by November 8th. Either e-mail Darya Valantsevich at DValantsevich @acog.org or call her at 202-863-2554 to register, but hurry because the deadline is November 8th. 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 Written Questions

For AOBOG Oral Exam Candidates   

For those preparing for their April 24-25, 2020 exam, you really want to get a head start by coming to our November 20-24, 2019 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 potential exam topics.  Our AOBOG Combo Package is specially designed to provide you with the best of both worlds. Attend our November review course, then start the New Year with our Oral Exam Webinar. Our faculty guarantees to get you through the core topics by the April test dates. If you sign up for all 3 series, you will receive a ½ hour telephone mock oral exam! Since its debut in 2011, we’ve been batting a 99% pass rate for webinar attendees. Have you heard about the new 4^th Station with visual images? Talk about striking fear into your heart! Oops, do you have no idea what this is? We have a product cleverly called “4^th Station” that is available for purchase. Don’t be caught by surprise. 

ABOG Maintenance of Certification

Part II Lifelong Learning ALL 45 articles are due by December 16^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! 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 16th. 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 20-24 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 everyday practice tips, too. 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? Oh, just in case you think you’re coasting after you pass your written exam, think again. You still have to read the 2019. No rest for the weary!   

Test Taking Tip:
You must pass the exam by December 16^th, and you get a total of five attempts. SIGN UP FOR THE EXAM NOW for the day after our November review course. The written exam is on the computer. Many of you have never taken an exam on the computer and it’s not the same as a beloved written. Your old friend, the pencil, is obsolete. Do not wait until the day of the exam to discover this.  Go to www.pearsonvue.com/abog ahead of time for a tutorial to familiarize yourself with how to take an exam on the computer. If you’re still not one to be ill-prepared, try out our computerized Q Banks questions. These are 50 multiple choice single best answer questions covering multiple OB/GYN topics.

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

With the written exam being phased out, AOBOG is pilot testing a digital platform that shifts osteopathic continuing certification away from high-stakes tests at long intervals to small batches of questions delivered frequently via a digital platform. This links assessment more closely to CME and practice and emphasizes true continuous learning.

you must take a formal proctored written exam in either year 4 of 6 of the OCC cycle.  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 20-24, 2019 Review Course for a comprehensive, exam-focused review. Additionally, you must complete 2 Practice Performance Assessments (PPA) and/or Quality Improvement (QI) activity attestations in a 6 year OCC cycle. These 2 PPAs and/or QI’s must be completed by September 15^th of the year your certificate expires.

•  6-year cycle: 5 components. Failure to pass all 5 components by Sep 15 of 6^th year results in loss of certification
• Written (computer) exam
• 2 Practice Performance Assessment (PPA) modules
• Active AOA membership
• Satisfactory completion of 120 60 hours CME q 3 years
• Maintain an unrestricted license

 Tip:
You can access the PPA modules through a link on the aobog.org website to the O-CAT website. Since these modules take some time to complete, it is highly recommended that you begin a module in the first or second year of your OCC 6 year cycle. You need 5 per 6 year cycle to maintain your certification.

For 2020 FPMRS ORAL Exam Candidates 

ABC FPMRS Webinar, Thesis Reviews, Case List Reviews, and Mock Orals to begin this fall! Starting in October, potential Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery oral board candidates can get the guidance they need through online webinar sessions with structured cases, have a fresh set of eyes review their thesis and case list materials, and also have phone or in-person mock oral exams.

Case List Tip:
You have time to compile, but it is always a good idea to get your master list of surgical and non-surgical cases pulled. If you have a helpful administrative liaison in the finance department, they can run a report with patient names and the ICD 10 bb codes, which will give you a great organized start to compiling your list. Additionally, you can use that list of diagnoses to identify cases for your office categories very quickly. The ABC FPMRS Live Course Scheduled for Nov 22-24, 2019.  We will also have some great sessions that will discuss templates and tips for creating a list that is in line with ABOG standards, so you won’t have to experience the anxiety-provoking process of submitting a sub-optimal list.

 

 For ABOG 2020 MFM ORAL Exam Candidates

Take a deep breath - you’ve made it past the first big hurdle and got your thesis submitted. Congratulations! Now it’s time to focus on finishing that case list and formulating a study plan. Speaking of that study plan… We’ve done all the hard work for you with our MFM Interactive Board Review Course, which will be held on November 22-24. Dr. Stephanie Martin has created an innovative and integrated program to address those high yield weaknesses common to all. We cannot repeat a 3-year fellowship in 3 days, but we will help you master the topics that are key to success on the oral exam. Each day, we will tackle MFM topics such as critical care, maternal medical complications, genetics, and ultrasound, utilizing a structured case format similar to your oral board exam, but facilitated by the faculty. We will also cover Case List preparation, board exam tips, designing a study workshop and statistics.  The format is carefully designed for the seasoned adult learner preparing for an oral exam and promises to be focused, productive, non-adversarial and fun.

MFM Tip:
The case list isn’t due for another 4 months, but this is also a good time to make sure you are entering the data and checking to make sure you have patients that represent all of the different categories you need to fill for the case list. If you find that you are missing some patient experience types, now is the time to find ways to get more clinical exposure so you can be sure to get those last rare conditions covered

For Royal Canadian 2020 exam candidates

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 20-24 Board 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.  Registrants in the past have said our November course is great timing for their May exam. 

"Excellent cours! La documentation est trēs facīle ā suire et ēnarmēment de sujets. Merci!" ELL