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Agree with above, standard exam fare. Okay questions, some way out of left field, some with two arguably correct answers, and one of two where I didn’t agree with any of the answers.
, I can tell you no one agrees on whether ACP or RCP is more effective).
Couldn't have said it better myself.This exam? I feel like there was very, very little content that really separates the cardiac anesthesiologists from generalists.
Hmm, WTF does Betel leaves have to do with anesthesia in the US? That’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel.Betel leaves, anyone?!
Amen Amen. You said it all perfectly.One more comment, something I mulled over a bit on the ~90 min drive home from the test center.
I'm operating under the assumption that I passed and will soon have a shiny new board certification to my name. But I feel more and more that this test was just simply unnecessary. In comparison to the other board exams I've taken, at the end of this process I don't feel like I know any more, or that I'm a better doctor.
USMLEs were obvious milestones.
Anesthesia written board - for a while after taking and passing it I really felt like I was at the peak of my (book) knowledge. I was proud to pass.
Anesthesia oral board - as much of an ordeal as it was, all of the practice that went into my preparation actually did make me better at articulating and communicating important things. I was proud to pass.
Advanced PTE exam from NBE - really detailed, comprehensive exam with a deserved reputation for being difficult. I worked hard for a year as a fellow and put in a lot of study and acquired a new, useful skill and accompanying body of knowledge. I was proud to pass.
This exam? I feel like there was very, very little content that really separates the cardiac anesthesiologists from generalists. For example there were a lot of questions on pacemaker and ICD management - stuff that generalists certainly can do, every day. Lots of hemodynamic management questions - answering them, I certainly benefited from my day-to-day experience managing people with sick hearts and bad valves, but nothing really esoteric that generalists can't or don't know.
I feel like all of the non-ACTA-fellowship trained people I know who do basic cardiac anesthesia (CABGs & valves) probably would've done fine on this test, maybe even without any preparation, but especially with a few weeks of focused review of the same materials I used (SCA modules and Kaplan). Maybe they'd have struggled with some of the LVAD or transplant or adult congenital stuff, having rarely/never done it, but maybe not. I don't think passing this exam really sets me apart from them in terms of knowledge or skill set.
But you know what does? TEE does. The NBE certification does. No generalist doing a heart has has ever called me into the room to ask me about pacemakers, or how best to manage a person with mitral stenosis, or how thermodilution cardiac output measurement works. (They wouldn't ask me what some ****ing south Asian herb was, either.) But I do get asked to help with more complex echo assessments.
NBE is the certification I'm proud of. This one ... (assuming I passed and will get it) ... it's akin to the sense of accomplishment I get from mowing the lawn or cleaning the kitchen. Today I completed a chore. And I don't really expect that anyone who knows anything about it will be impressed that I did.
Doubt it.Does anyone know if we can claim cme for the sca university modules? Will it automatically get sent to the aba ?
That would be a no. Typically, if CME is involved there is verification of hours and some kind of feedback to give.Does anyone know if we can claim cme for the sca university modules? Will it automatically get sent to the aba ?
No, but it appears you can get 60 hours of CME credit for passing this exam. See this thread:Does anyone know if we can claim cme for the sca university modules? Will it automatically get sent to the aba ?
Additionally, time spent studying for this can be documented for MOCA part 4 credit (self-directed study), if that's still permitted. I think I claimed 10 hrs for studying for CCM boards several years ago. Combined with some M&M / Process Improvement projects that I already had to do, and I never paid for part 4 hours, or had to do a sim center.
So there's one good thing
Yep, that's the one! I couldn't Geneve what it was called.This would probably count under the following category, right? I guess if I get audited I just tell them I spent time studying, and actually up to 15 hours can be claimed...
"Point-of-care learning – Self-directed knowledge acquired during patient care (i.e.., researching cases and outcomes) "
We have a split camp in our cardiac group. A quarter grandfathered in, a quarter fellowship trained but in the very early echo days and the rest recent grads from high volume centre's.It's funny because 30 years ago you just did your 2 years of residency and went straight into practice doing everything but now with 3 years of residency and a year of fellowship you are still required to jump through multiple hoops, pay thousands of dollars for everything from examinations to state licenses, then you need to spend a lot of time and go through so much heartache just to be able to do your job.
Interesting. Is this PP or academics? Does this actually impact anything?We have a split camp in our cardiac group. A quarter grandfathered in, a quarter fellowship trained but in the very early echo days and the rest recent grads from high volume centre's.
There is absolutely no doubt who is who, no doubt who the surgeons want to do their cases and even less doubt about patient outcomes...
Pp.Interesting. Is this PP or academics? Does this actually impact anything?
This was happening in my group. Fellowship trained ppl were being pulled from their rooms to help the old guys do TEE. Your surgeons need to advocate for you and complain to med staff. It’s a matter of patient safety. Got rid of them granddaddies real quick.Pp.
If anything it impacts us new guys negatively. Our Grandads often get the easier cases, and if they do get a double valve for example call us in to help them do the echo aka basically do the case, while they get paid...
Most of them are good guys and try make it up in other ways but some do use it to their advantage to do as little as possible...
Very rarely we'll have to take over when they're murdering someone...
I can't wait for them to go honestly, I'm done with the situation. It's the only frustrating thing about my otherwise amazing job and group.
It's extraordinarily frustrating to watch a colleague screw up
For example rsi a tamponade deliberately...this was just 10 dsys ago... it worked out OK, as I got them to run the levo peripherally at least but still it wasn't pleasant.
When they cover our csicu, our patients lose days in their recovery. Fluid overload missed, sepsis untreated, generous benzos, sometimes much much worse
There's a paper trail years long at this stage... but nada unfortunately... 2 more years for the worst offender he has hinted until his retirement...This was happening in my group. Fellowship trained ppl were being pulled from their rooms to help the old guys do TEE. Your surgeons need to advocate for you and complain to med staff. It’s a matter of patient safety. Got rid of them granddaddies real quick.
...
It's crazy... we're about 2000 open chest cases per year and at times the surgeon will have to do MVR at night on a sick endocarditis without tee. Just last week. Same night someone had to go on ecmo, again no tee...
And yet, they also get an absolute free pass to be boarded, if they ever bother to learn echo.That's fckin wild, especially for being a tertiary center with volume that high.
Also, I'm annoyed by the fact that old farts like that immediately cast suspicion and doubt on folks like myself who are not fellowship trained but who have put serious, serious effort into mastering echo and cardiac anesthesia.
Two thoughts:We have a split camp in our cardiac group. A quarter grandfathered in, a quarter fellowship trained but in the very early echo days and the rest recent grads from high volume centre's.
There is absolutely no doubt who is who, no doubt who the surgeons want to do their cases and even less doubt about patient outcomes...
Wow the surgeons put up with this? The admin doesn’t know? The cost to the patients and system must be significant to say the least…There's a paper trail years long at this stage... but nada unfortunately... 2 more years for the worst offender he has hinted until his retirement...
Some of the others have been allowed to go part time which unfortunately has given them a whole new lease of life... there might be another 5 years left in them...
It's crazy... we're about 2000 open chest cases per year and at times the surgeon will have to do MVR at night on a sick endocarditis without tee. Just last week. Same night someone had to go on ecmo, again no tee...
Thanks for the update, good luck to everyone. But, honestly scared me for a second.I'm told tomorrow we should get results. Friend called them the other day. Who knows though.
I'm intrigued, as the ABA Portal remains down today.
Yeah, I called as well today and the lady told me "6-8 weeks" despite the fact that the exam at the end said 4-6 weeks and even gave me a printout saying as much (and this Saturday is 6 weeks).ABA says portal not gonna be back up til tomorrow so no result presumably til then either
Looks like the portal is up but results are not out yet… I went ahead and payed to start my MOCA minute questions for the year before they add an extra $100 for another certification.
My thoughts exactly. This was the case for ABA cert.Presumably the hefty exam fee would cover the subspecialty certification fee for the first year?
The stock line is always some nebulous answer about how they have to go over all the test questions again and look at the correct vs. incorrect rate for "quality control" purposes blah blahI’m curious why it’s taking so long to grade, couldn’t be that many people who took it. I mean there are only ten’s of us.
Probably figuring out how to set the curve with the least tokenism.I’m curious why it’s taking so long to grade, couldn’t be that many people who took it. I mean there are only ten’s of us.
I’m curious why it’s taking so long to grade, couldn’t be that many people who took it. I mean there are only ten’s of us.
I spoke with the Aba this am and they confirmed there would be no extra MOCA fee for maintaining cardiac board certification for this year and that the increased fee to maintain the cardiac cert starts next year.Presumably the hefty exam fee would cover the subspecialty certification fee for the first year?
I think more of us need to call the ABA. I mean you tell a group of Type A people 4-6 weeks and we’ll expect 4-6weeks. 6 weeks is this Saturday I believe.The person I spoke to also did not know when the results were supposed to come in. At first she said up to eight weeks but then acknowledged that cardiac was supposed to be 4-6. I guess we find out when we find out
So the phone calls are doing something….that means MOAR phone calls!And now they took that post down from their facebook page... probably getting too many phone calls. 😂
I’m guessing that is what they are doing now, and for efficiency are rolling their work into MOCA for the future as well.Shouldn't the results for any multiple choice exam be able to be released within 1-2 weeks? The exam dates are known well in advance. All the analysis of the results can be done by software that will flag questions for review. The committee just needs to schedule a virtual meeting for the week after the test is done being administered to review the data and set the curve or cut off line for pass/fail. Seems pretty simple.
If anyone has insights into why that isn't the case, please feel free to enlighten me.
This group took 2+ years to put together those 200 questions. A task that I'd bet the users on this thread could collectively accomplish by the end of this weekend, with better questions. It's amateur hour and we may be waiting a while.Shouldn't the results for any multiple choice exam be able to be released within 1-2 weeks? The exam dates are known well in advance. All the analysis of the results can be done by software that will flag questions for review. The committee just needs to schedule a virtual meeting for the week after the test is done being administered to review the data and set the curve or cut off line for pass/fail. Seems pretty simple.
If anyone has insights into why that isn't the case, please feel free to enlighten me.