Written board review courses

[pmichaelmd]

Greetings all...
I have come to the final 6 months of training and Mayo pays for us to take a board review course. I'm wondering if any recent examinees have recommendations? Our recent grads recommended the Cleveland Clinic course, said the Osler course was mediocre, and that the Jensen Big Blue was so-so as well. I've heard also that Rashad isn't very good. Any opinions from you diplomates?

Thanks!

PMMD

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[crockett]

Greetings all...
the Osler course was mediocre,

Thanks!

PMMD

I felt Osler was total waste of time. It had no focus just a bunch of unorganized lecture on Anesthesia. I would compare it to going to the ASA meeting and attending the lectures and thinking that would some how improve your written exam score.

You might accidentally learn something of value but your time would be much better spent memorizing what has been on the test in the last few years. The testament to this lack of focus is the fact that the oral and written courses attend the exact same lecture, just the oral candidates get to do a practice oral exam.


Jensen courses have far more focus on what is on the test and what will increase your score. If it is not on the test in the last few years Jensen does not waste your time talking about it.

 

[Noyac]

I'm surprised that your program (Mayo) would pay for this much less encourage it. I'm not rippin on Mayo. I just find it interesting. Every chair that I have met and talked with about this topic was adamantly against board prep courses. Mostly they felt that the programs should have prepared the grads well enough and that board prep courses were counter intuitive with regards to actually learning anesthesia. You just learn to regurgitate facts and don't actually learn anesthesia. My chairman Steve Abram was concerned that residents would read Big Blue and other prep books instead of the anesthesia texts like Miller and Barash. He felt that this was the only way to study anesthesia and the prep books were for lazy folks that wanted short cuts.

With this being said, I understand the review course mentality, "I want to be sure I pass the first time".

 

[pmichaelmd]

They don't expressly say they will pay for board prep. We get one paid trip per residency and most people use it for a board review. Most of my consultants feel as you do about the review books, ie they're just for regurgitating and not learning anesthesia. I tend to agree, but also think that the board exam is a game, like all standardized tests, that is uniquely suited for the "cram and regurgitate" methodology of review books/courses. They write the rules, we play the game, you know?

Cheers,
PMMD

 

[Noyac]

thanks for clarifying that for me.

 

[pmichaelmd]

thanks for clarifying that for me.

I tend to agree with you, though. Did you do anything special to prepare for the writtens, other than read Miller, Barash, etc? Anything you'd recommend? Chantigian and Hall questions? Retired questions?

Thanks,
PMMD

 

[abords]

Mayo-Rochester will similarly pay for one trip in residency, but does not encourage their residents to use this trip on a board review

 

[pmichaelmd]

Mayo-Rochester will similarly pay for one trip in residency, but does not encourage their residents to use this trip on a board review

Neither do we encourage the use for anthing in particular. Using it for a review course is but one of many options. ASA conference, a different conference, etc.

 

[Noyac]

I tend to agree with you, though. Did you do anything special to prepare for the writtens, other than read Miller, Barash, etc? Anything you'd recommend? Chantigian and Hall questions? Retired questions?

Thanks,
PMMD

I didn't read Miller with the exception of selected chapters which probably amounted to quite a few. I did read the vast majority of Barash however. It just seemed to work better for me. I did very few retired questions. I really don't even remember doing any retired questions. The last month I read Big Blue a few times to focus on high yield crap.

Good Luck

 

[Noyac]

Neither do we encourage the use for anthing in particular. Using it for a review course is but one of many options. ASA conference, a different conference, etc.

UNM paid for a conference as well, so I see what you mean by saying they will pay for the review course. I went to the Whistler conference. I highly recommend it. The snow was off the hook and the conference was, uh, I can't remember the conference.

 

[pmichaelmd]

UNM paid for a conference as well, so I see what you mean by saying they will pay for the review course. I went to the Whistler conference. I highly recommend it. The snow was off the hook and the conference was, uh, I can't remember the conference.

I thought about that. I did the SOAP conference in Palm Desert last year. Mayo paid because I presented a poster on something or other. No skiing, but I did get to play in a grass/clay/hard court tennis tournament

Thanks for the advice!

PMMD

 

[pmichaelmd]

Has anybody attended the the review course given by Mt. Sinai? It is at Disneyworld this year and appears to be more geared toward recert rather than initial certification. Hard to pass up on Disney, though...

Thanks,
PMMD