January 2012 Tip of the Month for Those Taking the AOBOG Recertification Written Exam, Osteopathic Continuous Certification in Obstetrics & Gynecology (OCC)

January 26th, 2012

Tip of the Month for Those Taking the AOBOG Recertification Written Exam, Osteopathic Continuous Certification in Obstetrics & Gynecology (OCC)

If you want to take the March 2012 exam, you can register still by February 1, but need to also send your $1200 application and exam fee.

This exam is usually a piece of cake, that is if you are a generalist. If you’re planning to take the October, 2012 exam and are a real gunner, you could take our April 11-15 course. Although probably overkill, it’s fun and refreshing to attend our review course. This is all you need. You can probably get by with simply reviewing the PROLOGs.

You can do it, we can help.

Test Taking Technique

On the AOBOG website, aobog.org, they even give you a list of test topics! They include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Medical conditions complicating pregnancy
  • Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy
  • Diabetes mellitus in pregnancy: screening and management
  • Maternal antenatal screening for aneuploidy
  • HIV in pregnancy
  • Infectious disease in pregnancy: maternal and fetal effects/complications
  • Labor management
  • Preterm labor: diagnosis and management including appropriate usage of fetal fibronectin, cervical lengths, and antenatal steroids
  • HPV: infection, manifestations, vaccine
  • Abnormal cervical cytology and histology: diagnosis & management
  • Gynecologic procedures: indications, complications
  • Menopause management
  • Low bone mass/osteoporosis: screening, prevention, management
  • BRCA 1&2: counseling and implications
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Ectopic pregnancy: diagnosis and management
  • Sexually transmitted infections

Comments, Questions and Feedback are most Welcome!! Leave a Comment Below!

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January 2012 Tip of the Month for Subspecialty Fellows Planning for Their 2012 ABOG General Oral Exam

January 24th, 2012

You cannot sit for your general oral boards until at least your second year of your fellowship. Furthermore, you can only take the general oral boards once during your fellowship.

If you neglected to collect cases in your off specialty from your chief year, begin to piece meal 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 currently have to take call for these off services, you can use those cases.

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 boards. We recommend you chose those cases that reflect high-yield topics. Our Test Topics Manual and Pass Your Oral Ob/Gyn Board Exam by Dr. Das will be an excellent step-by-step guide.

You can do it…we can help.

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January 2012 Tip of the Month for Those Taking the AOBOG 2012 Clinical Oral Exam

January 19th, 2012

The April 27 & 28, 2012 exam is closed, but your $2500 examination fee is due Feb 1. Applications for the Oct 21 and 22, 2011 exam, along with the $750 application fee, are available this month and the deadline is April 1.

For those of you who are taking your exam in April, plan a comprehensive, exhaustive review for each of the ten core topics. Did you know our April 11-15, 2012 BOARD review course syllabus highlights the ten core topics? This will be the perfect exam focused review just before your exam. Additionally don’t be fooled that your exam is limited to ten topics. You won’t believe how many ancillary topics they can sneak in under the umbrella of one core topic. Our course will cover 90% of what’s on your test, including that “surprise topic.”

In 2011, 100%, yep every single one of our board coarse attendees passed their AOBOG oral exam. All agreed our signature Case of the Day CDs closely simulate the exam content and conduct, and were instrumental in their passing.

You can do it; we can help.

Test Taking Technique

Don’t be naïve to think you only have to study ten topics, as you will be sadly disillusioned. We are debuting a webinar January 7 just for those preparing for their April oral exam. Dr. Diane Evans, DO will put you on a regimented study plan GUARANTEED to get through all ten core topics, and the other fifty tucked within, by the end of March. For every month of registration, you will receive a FREE ½ hour telephone mock oral exam!

Call 1-877-222-6249 as she is limiting the number of participants to assure an ideal student: teacher ratio.

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January 2012 Tip of the Month for Those Taking the ABOG Maintenance of Certification

January 18th, 2012

Time to pay to play. Your renewal fee of $245 for Part II or Annual Board Certification is due February 25, 2012. Access to the MOC assignments will not be allowed until your application and fee are received. The list of journal articles for the first quarter should be out mid-January. Make a New Year’s resolution to finish the first quarter just before you file your taxes in April.

Did you pick up that already they’ve changed the rules? For Part 4 MOC, this year they eased up on the number of modules, as a matter of fact, they dropped them in half! Now you only need to complete five modules per 6 year cycle, rather than ten. For you proactive guys, if you’ve already finished five, then you’re done…Yahoo! If you have not, then new also is that one module must be opened each of the first five years of a cycle.

Welcome and congratulations to those who just passed their November and December primary oral exam. Thought you could finally rest? Well think again!! New diplomats must enter and start the MOC process by January 2012.

You can do it…we can help.

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Test Taking Tips

For MOC Years 1,2, and 4, if you want to bump up credit for 35 rather than 25 category I CME credit hours, you need to answer all 180 questions, instead of the minimum of 120 questions. Additionally you will need to pay an additional fee of $50. Yup, for just fifty bucks you get an additional 10 category I CME credit hours. That’s a DEAL!

2012 will be the first year that ABOG debut’s the written MOC exam. This applies to you lucky ones who were the first to enter the MOC cycle in 2008. Now if you do your math, you will say, “Hey, I’m not supposed to be tortured until the 6th year or 2014”. If you read closely, you can take the exam one year before, or 2013. ABOG plans to then provide 2012 as a “trial” run. It’s not clear if this is eligible for anyone who wants a sneak preview or only those lucky initial ones. Stay posted, but we recommend you give it a whirl for kicks and the inside scoop.

ABC will be debuting a one day MOC Written Exam Workshop in the spring. We will cover high yield Compendium articles and associated written questions.

With you every step…

Questions, Comments and Feedback are most Welcome!! Leave a Comment Below!

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January Tip of the Month for ABOG Written Exams

January 12th, 2012

January 2012 Tip of the Month for Those Taking the ABOG Written Exam

The ABOG June 25, 2012 exam is now closed. The exam is in five months, so it’s “over the hump” time. Actually April will be here before you know it.

Also, your free time to study will be usurped by end of year stuff as you finish your residency. So you must take advantage of JANUARY and FEBRUARY to ““kick butt” and crank out a bunch of topics on your study plan.

You must be candid as to what you can/cannot accomplish on your study plan. If you haven’t already finished, then prioritize those MUST KNOW topics. Our Test Topics Manual is a great resource to show you the way; as it will cover 90% of the exam topics. Limit yourself to a clinical review and don’t forget to budget time for written questions on each topic.

We strongly advise taking a review course. Obviously we’re a bit biased, as we feel we have the ideal course; however, you should look for the following features. We recommend a BOARD review course, not just a review course, for an exam focused review; our next course is April 11-15, 2012. There is precious little time to wade through the volumes of material to figure out what to prioritize. You also want a faculty with extensive speaking experience. The fact that they research and publish is irrelevant, as the answer guide to the test and henceforth their lectures should be based on ACOG clinical guidelines. The faculty especially needs to be knowledgeable in the written board exam. Ideally complement the content covered at the review course with a Test Taking Workshop devoted to written test taking tips.

For those who have traditionally struggled with written exams or if you have failed the written board exam, you cannot continue with modus operandi. It didn’t work before, so why set yourself up for the same outcome? We have found that knowledge is rarely the problem. You couldn’t have made it this far is that was the case. It’s typically a processing problem. The Jolley’s have a brilliantly simply and effective PROCESS with proven success, with their Test Taking Skills Workshop at our April course.

With you every step…

Test Taking Technique

ABOG set a precedent in 2010 exam by not relinquishing the score, so candidates received just got a pass or fail grade. This is unfortunate, as one didn’t know if they missed passing by one or twenty points. Obviously this would greatly influence one’s strategy for the next go around.

Thus the only parameter to gauge or predict Board exam performance is the CREOG in-service-training exam. Until now, there has been no incentive to track their correlation, especially since the questions aren’t the most representative in format like those on your board exam.

However you MUST now take them seriously, especially if you are a chief resident. They are at the end of this month. Unfortunately you don’t get your results until March, but they may be the perfect reality check to motivate you to get crackin’.

You can do it…we can help.

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January Tip of the Month for the AOBOG Written Exam

January 10th, 2012

The AOBOG April 27, 2012 exam applications are available this month and due April 1. The exam is in six months, so it’s “over the hump” time. Actually June will be here before you know it.

Also, your free time to study will be usurped by end of year stuff as you finish your residency. So you must take advantage of JANUARY and FEBRUARY to “”kick butt” and crank out a bunch of topics on your study plan.

You must be candid as to what you can/cannot accomplish on your study plan. If you haven’t already finished, then prioritize those MUST KNOW topics. Our Test Topics Manual is a great resource to show you the way; as it will cover 90% of the exam topics. Limit yourself to a clinical review and don’t forget to budget time for written questions on each topic.

We strongly advise taking a review course. Obviously we’re a bit biased, as we feel we have the ideal course; however, you should look for the following features. We recommend a BOARD review course, not just a review course, for an exam focused review; our next course is April 11-15, 2012. There is precious little time to wade through the volumes of material to figure out what to prioritize. You also want a faculty with extensive speaking experience. The fact that they research and publish is irrelevant, as the answer guide to the test and henceforth their lectures should be based on ACOG clinical guidelines. The faculty especially needs to be knowledgeable in the written board exam. Ideally complement the content covered at the review course with a Test Taking Workshop devoted to written test taking tips.

For those who have traditionally struggled with written exams or if you have failed the written board exam, you cannot continue with modus operandi. It didn’t work before, so why set yourself up for the same outcome? We have found that knowledge is rarely the problem. You couldn’t have made it this far is that was the case. It’s typically a processing problem. The Jolley’s have a brilliantly simply and effective PROCESS with proven success, with their Test Taking Skills Workshop at our April course.

With you every step…

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January Tip of the Month for 2012 ABOG Oral Exam Candidates

January 5th, 2012

January 2012 Tip of the Month for ABOG 2012 ORAL Exam Candidates

Happy New Year ! — it’s 2012, the year of your exam (tick, tick, tick), so set your resolution to not procrastinate. You can finally apply for the 2012 oral exam starting February 1 at www.abog.org. Your application and the application fee of $840 is due March 15. If you delay, you will incur stiff late fees.

By now, you should have a system for organizing your data for the case list. For all GYN patients, collect the H&Ps, 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.

Since you’re now halfway into collecting your cases, it’s time to start adding to your office case list. Keep a list of all 40 categories on your desk. Collect no more than 6 names for each category. The bread & butter categories will fill up quickly. Start keeping an eye out for those categories that you want to talk about. It is unlikely, and not necessary, to fill all 40 categories. Remember you can only apply no more than two patients per category.

Also don’t forget you have to provide the overall number of ultrasounds that you personally performed in the office, as well as on hospitalized patients. Just keep a ticker file for OB, GYN, and Office.

Take a stab at entering the data on the case list forms; just use your common sense. Rest assured, we have case list construction workshops scheduled for as early as April 2012. 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. You’ve been collecting cases since the summer. It’s cold outside and nothing better to do, so start today in creating a good habit of collecting and entering cases, at a minimum on a weekly basis.

With you every step…

Case List Construction Tip

One of the most common mistakes is “column confusion” on the Office and Obstetrics case list. On the Obstetrics case list, the columns most confused are “Complications of Antepartum, Complications of Delivery or Postpartum, and Operative Procedures and/or Treatment.” Complications up to and including complete cervical dilation should go in the Antepartum column. This includes disorders of protracted labor, such as arrest, etc. Any complication thereafter, namely instrumented deliveries, shoulder dystocia, etc should go in the Delivery or Postpartum column. You will see later, how this organization too will greatly enhance the readability and flow of thought.

On the Office Practice case list, the columns most confused are the “Diagnostic Procedures, Treatment, and Results” columns. The Results column is intended to be the result of your treatment, NOT the results of your procedures. Put the results of your procedures in parenthesis after the procedure IN the Diagnostic Procedure column.

For example

PROBLEM DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES TREATMENT RESULTS
ASCUS Pap, +HPV Colposcopy (ECC – benign Ectocx – CIN 3) LEEP CIS with clear margins

You can do it…we can help.

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Tip of the Month for ABOG January 2012 Oral Exam Candidates

January 3rd, 2012

January 2012 Tip of the Month for ABOG January 2012 ORAL Exam Candidates

All of our ABC clients should have received the feedback from the November and December 2011 exam. If you have not, then please contact us.

The holidays are finally over. You’ve known you were the last group since July, and you thought January would never get here. Well it’s here! You can sure identify with your patients who go into labor. Be careful what you wish for, right?

The #1 regret of exam takers is that they wished they had done more mock orals. You have all kinds of resources to tap into, local and regional colleagues, as well as academicians, subspecialists, and generalists. An eye-to-eye encounter is the best, but don’t forget you can do them over the telephone too. The ABC faculty are just a dial away for a telephone mock oral exam to get the professional touch. After each mock oral, figure out your new game plan and try it out with the next one.

A great way to pull it all together, or salvage what’s left if you procrastinated, is to take advantage of our Do or Die in Dallas service. When we say, “We’re with you every step,” we mean that literally, for we’ll be right there in Dallas the week of your exam. We will do whatever it takes to get you feeling confident just before your test. We can give mock oral exams, test you with our signature Case of the Days, defuse those landmines on your case list, or even give you a crash lecture on a weak topic.You need to eat, drink, and sleep OB/GYN and set the stage for your big day.

With you every step…

Test Taking Technique

About half of the Structured Cases AKA Case of the Day stem question was immediately followed by three questions:

  • What is your differential diagnosis?

  • How would you work up the patient?
  • How would you manage her?

At the end of each case was “Supplemental Questions by Examiner.”

Everyone did start with the Case of the Day and there is no longer a chime signaling the half way mark to transition to the case list.

If you have time, don’t forget to check out “Pearls of Exxcellence.” This is the only public stance that we’re aware of that ABOG acknowledges the right answer on the most challenging oral exam topics and provides a capsule review.

Just remember 70%. That’s all you need to pass the exam. You do not need, nor will you likely get 100% of the questions correct.

The questions will come at you in rapid fire. Often times the examiner will push you until you finally don’t know the answer. Don’t misinterpret this as failing the question. On the contrary, you probably passed it long before, but the examiner may simply want to explore the depth of your knowledge or at least reassure himself that you will acknowledge your limitations.

Let the last question go and focus on the question at hand. Do not let the worry about whether or not you got the last question correct distract you and thereby compromise you getting a sure pass question correct.

Remember, just 70%.

You can do it; we can help.

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e 2011 Tip of the Month for Chief Residents Planning a Subspecialty Fellowship

June 24th, 2011

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 on how those 20 patients are selected. To be on the safe side, we recommend you collect at least 40, 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 note, pathology report, and discharge summary. For the OB patients, keep a file of the prenatal form, delivery note, discharge summary, and postpartum note. Don’t worry about the office patients at all, as you may compile this 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 really 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, then cease and desist and “go fish” for another.

You can do it, we can help.

Test Taking Technique

DON’T THROW AWAY YOUR CASE LOG! As you gleefully skip out the door at the end of the month, take that case log with you. Otherwise you get to make a special trip back to visit all your good friends in medical records during your fellowship. Don’t expect them to wave their wand and magically make your chief resident log appear out of thin air. You don’t have to frame the darn thing, just stuff it away for safekeeping for later use.

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

June 21st, 2011

Your can download your application for the October 2011 exam beginning on July 1. This exam is usually a walk in the park for generalists practicing both obstetrics & gynecology. The breakdown of the OCC exam is as follows:

General Obstetrics 25%
Maternal Fetal Medicine 10%
Gynecology (office and surgery) 40%
Reproductive Endocrinology 10%
Gynecologic Oncology 10%
Miscellaneous 5%

If you have historically done well with written exams, then you don’t need to actively start intense studying. We recommend you keep up with the 2010 Compendium and target to have read it cover to cover by the end of the summer.

Test Taking Technique

On the AOBOG website, aobog.org, they even give you a list of test topics! They include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Medical conditions complicating pregnancy
  • Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy
  • Diabetes mellitus in pregnancy: screening and management
  • Maternal antenatal screening for aneuploidy
  • HIV in pregnancy
  • Infectious disease in pregnancy: maternal and fetal effects/complications
  • Labor management
  • Preterm labor: diagnosis and management including appropriate usage of fetal fibronectin, cervical lengths, and antenatal steroids
  • HPV: infection, manifestations, vaccine
  • Abnormal cervical cytology and histology: diagnosis & management
  • Gynecologic procedures: indications, complications
  • Menopause management
  • Low bone mass/osteoporosis: screening, prevention, management
  • BRCA 1&2: counseling and implications
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Ectopic pregnancy: diagnosis and management
  • Sexually transmitted infections

We have bolded those that overlap from the 2010 list. Note the overlap also with the core topics from the oral exam; and you thought you were done with those for good — NOT!

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