Cardiac boards [rant]

[Gasbabe21]

It is absolute garbage that we got the results of the echo boards AFTER the early registration date for the cardiac boards have passed.

So now to take this exam (which I was told by my program I have to take it this year) I have to pay 500 extra dollars????

And I can't even figure out how to sign up for it on the ABA portal.

It's a money grab and it's trash.

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But if I can somehow figure out how to register for the exam, has anyone found a question bank?

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[Bertelman]

Not sure why ranting. ACA and NBE are separate boards. Not saying there isn’t beef to be had, but registering for the ACA when it was 1800 has nothing to do with NBE.

Resources:

SCA has online written resources for most of the topics

Kaplan/Augustides has a question book available on Amazon.

 

[GassYous]

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.

 

[DolphinVA]

I think your rant is warranted.

For an important exam that has been in the works for like 2 years, it's been pretty half-a$$ed.

The content outline looks like the most out-of-touch academic guys from a few programs had a Teams conference and wrote down whatever came to mind first. And then didn't spell check (what is "Understing") or use consistent formatting.

How many questions is on this thing? How many sections? I honestly think they are probably still writing and compiling the darn thing and don't even know yet.

I can only hope we in the first round are given extra grace to pass, since we will likely be the only user testing they do!

Don't even get me started on that Kaplan review book. But I guess it's still helpful proving to yourself why many of those questions are wrong or misleading.

 

[abolt18]

It is absolute garbage that we got the results of the echo boards AFTER the early registration date for the cardiac boards have passed.

So now to take this exam (which I was told by my program I have to take it this year) I have to pay 500 extra dollars????

And I can't even figure out how to sign up for it on the ABA portal.

It's a money grab and it's trash.

---------

But if I can somehow figure out how to register for the exam, has anyone found a question bank?

In their defense, their website did say that if you did the early registration, then did not pass the echo board, they would fully refund your registration fee.

Also, no question bank that I'm aware of, but I've just been using the study resource "SCA UNIVERSITY" provided to SCA members. They are pretty decent, though superficial, focusing on things that are likely high yield. I'd suspect that those making the study materials are also writing questions.

P.S. if your program insists on you taking the test, it sounds like they should be paying for it. My employer paid for mine.

 

[Bertelman]

P.S. if your program insists on you taking the test, it sounds like they should be paying for it. My employer paid for mine.

This

 

[PpfSuxTube]

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.

Hmm yes back in the good old days, when the most complex surgery was a hair cut!

 

[pgg]

Kaplan/Augustides has a question book available on Amazon.

The reviews (only two so far) are not positive. Have you used this book? Worth getting? So far all I've looked at is the SCA stuff.

I still haven't decided how much effort to invest into this thing ...

 

[Bertelman]

I’ve peeked at it. It doesn’t seem terribly good. Most of them are comparing outcomes in research trials, which is not typically how our board exams are conducted.

I just figured, at the very least, it will give me an idea of the topics they might ask. And yes, I know, there is a topic list. But this is a $100 book, and I’ve got CME to burn.

 

[Bertelman]

Just spent a few minutes reviewing the book.

A couple thoughts:
Our program doesn't do transplants, mech support, etc. I need to spend extra time reviewing those sections.

Some questions are less worthwhile, but each chapter seems to have some cornerstone topics that it covers quite well. Even if the question itself is poorly worded, like the MOCA questions, often the true pearls are int he explanations. Each question has an explanation that should help you study.

Honestly, I'd recommend this book from what I can tell. If nothing else, it provides some guidance on what to study, and greater detail than the topic outline.

 

[vector2]

The reviews (only two so far) are not positive. Have you used this book? Worth getting? So far all I've looked at is the SCA stuff.

I still haven't decided how much effort to invest into this thing ...

I think buying it is probably worth it. Would give it like 6.5 or 7/10. Bertelman's review is pretty accurate

 

[Gern Blansten]

In their defense, their website did say that if you did the early registration, then did not pass the echo board, they would fully refund your registration fee.

Also, no question bank that I'm aware of, but I've just been using the study resource "SCA UNIVERSITY" provided to SCA members. They are pretty decent, though superficial, focusing on things that are likely high yield. I'd suspect that those making the study materials are also writing questions.

P.S. if your program insists on you taking the test, it sounds like they should be paying for it. My employer paid for mine.

The ABA has a rule that the ones writing or administering exams cannot be involved in review courses that are for profit. So, I believe they can write textbooks and maybe even review books, but I believe that question books, question banks, or faculty for review courses would be off limits, based on my understanding.

If this exam holds true for other new exams from the ABA, the pass rate will be higher with the first administration. Over the following five years, they will likely ratchet up the difficulty of the exam (higher fail rate) and then do a standard setting process and the pass rate will land at around 88-92%. I suspect the pass rate will be closer to 94-95% for the first administration. I’ve seen it as high as 96%. It typically will never be that high again. This typically makes up for the sense of the unknown for the inaugural group.

The standard setting process involves several experienced persons taking the exam and looking at each question and deciding if that is something that someone who is fellowship trained should know and then determining a minimum standard for passing and where that breakpoint should fall. After that standard is set, it is usually redone at least every ten years.

I’m not involved with the ABA but have seen new exams come along and this is the typical process. There is typically a five year “grandfathering” period and then everyone after that will be required to be fellowship trained. If I were taking it, I would go for the first administration.

 

[kidthor]

P.S. if your program insists on you taking the test, it sounds like they should be paying for it. My employer paid for mine.

Agreed. Yet many jobs require you to have a medical license, DEA, board certification with MOCA, etc - and won’t pay for any of it. Which I think is criminal. Employers should pay for all of the nonsense we’re otherwise required or highly-expected to pay for. It adds up to a hugh amount yearly.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

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.

Well, so that’s the question - and it’s the part that still doesn’t make sense to me - do we consider GME training adequate to practice medicine, or not?

If graduating residency/fellowship is adequate, then the rest of this is nothing more than an expensive boondoggle in my opinion.

If it isn’t, then maybe we need to revise how we do training?

Either way, if we think that some type of recurrent testing is necessary, then the initial testing should probably be integrated with GME training and it should be administered by the ACGME…not these half baked greedy little institutions that cook up crappy tests that they charge outrageous sums of money to take. If you look up how much the execs at these groups (ABIM, ABMS, etc) make, it’s freaking absurd.

 

[GassYous]

Agreed. Yet many jobs require you to have a medical license, DEA, board certification with MOCA, etc - and won’t pay for any of it. Which I think is criminal. Employers should pay for all of the nonsense we’re otherwise required or highly-expected to pay for. It adds up to a hugh amount yearly.

At the very least it is tax deductible and you should get at least 30% back

 

[kidthor]

At the very least it is tax deductible and you should get at least 30% back

Only if you aren’t taking the standard deduction…

 

[pgg]

Only if you aren’t taking the standard deduction…

And only if you're 1099

No more work-related deductions permitted on W2 income

 

[Bertelman]

Well, so that’s the question - and it’s the part that still doesn’t make sense to me - do we consider GME training adequate to practice medicine, or not?

If graduating residency/fellowship is adequate, then the rest of this is nothing more than an expensive boondoggle in my opinion.

If it isn’t, then maybe we need to revise how we do training?

Either way, if we think that some type of recurrent testing is necessary, then the initial testing should probably be integrated with GME training and it should be administered by the ACGME…not these half baked greedy little institutions that cook up crappy tests that they charge outrageous sums of money to take. If you look up how much the execs at these groups (ABIM, ABMS, etc) make, it’s freaking absurd.

So then would you argue that any standardized testing is unnecessary? USMLE Boards? ABA boards? If all residencies are capable of "adequately" training residents, why is even specialty certification required? And is the goal of residency programs to graduate "adequate" physicians?

A few points to consider:

1) Why do you think the ACGME is better suited to create and administer these tests that the ABA?

2) The certification exam is just one piece of the subspecialty certification. To maintain the certification, you must take annual CME. Self-learning and continuous improvement is a cornerstone of Western medicine, if you believe in that. Take away certification exams, you might as well take away CME. I'd like you to consider how many physicians will actually continue to learn and stay up to date.

3) It's a bit of a stretch to consider all GME programs equal. It's also a stretch to consider each of these programs actually have resident education as their top priority. The minute you take away the board exam, you take away all resident education activities at most programs. Without an exam for which to prepare, there is no longer incentive for programs to teach residents, beyond the benevolence of teaching the future generation. Residents simply become incredibly cheap CRNAs. `

As mentioned, cost should not be a barrier. Any program demanding you pass should be paying for it. And if anyone on here really believes a one-time $1800 expense is too steep, let's reconsider how well we are paid. That's $35 per week. A fancy coffee per day. I exceed that benefit in the free lunch I get, every single day in the doctor's lounge.

So it comes down to why we should be expected to take the exam. Well, it's material that should be expected knowledge for anyone claiming to be a "Cardiac Anesthesiologist". If you call yourself a Cardiac Anesthesiologist, prove it. That doesn't mean everyone doing hearts. I sometimes do Peds. I don't consider myself a Pediatric Anesthesiologist. If you don't want to jump through the hoops, then don't. Just because we don't like it doesn't mean it's wrong.

 

[GassYous]

And only if you're 1099

No more work-related deductions permitted on W2 income

Do it through your company

 

[james775]

So then would you argue that any standardized testing is unnecessary? USMLE Boards? ABA boards? If all residencies are capable of "adequately" training residents, why is even specialty certification required? And is the goal of residency programs to graduate "adequate" physicians?

A few points to consider:

1) Why do you think the ACGME is better suited to create and administer these tests that the ABA?

2) The certification exam is just one piece of the subspecialty certification. To maintain the certification, you must take annual CME. Self-learning and continuous improvement is a cornerstone of Western medicine, if you believe in that. Take away certification exams, you might as well take away CME. I'd like you to consider how many physicians will actually continue to learn and stay up to date.

3) It's a bit of a stretch to consider all GME programs equal. It's also a stretch to consider each of these programs actually have resident education as their top priority. The minute you take away the board exam, you take away all resident education activities at most programs. Without an exam for which to prepare, there is no longer incentive for programs to teach residents, beyond the benevolence of teaching the future generation. Residents simply become incredibly cheap CRNAs. `

As mentioned, cost should not be a barrier. Any program demanding you pass should be paying for it. And if anyone on here really believes a one-time $1800 expense is too steep, let's reconsider how well we are paid. That's $35 per week. A fancy coffee per day. I exceed that benefit in the free lunch I get, every single day in the doctor's lounge.

So it comes down to why we should be expected to take the exam. Well, it's material that should be expected knowledge for anyone claiming to be a "Cardiac Anesthesiologist". If you call yourself a Cardiac Anesthesiologist, prove it. That doesn't mean everyone doing hearts. I sometimes do Peds. I don't consider myself a Pediatric Anesthesiologist. If you don't want to jump through the hoops, then don't. Just because we don't like it doesn't mean it's wrong.

There is 0 justification for a cardiac specific boards. You are mixing up issues. We already have echo boards. There is already a test that separates cardiac from general. No need for another one.

Also its coat me like 5000 dollars signing up for boards and medical license. Still a fellow and it’s a huge expense. Not to mention I’m gonna have to get a plane ticket and hotel room to take oral boards. 0 reason it can’t be done on zoom. 0 reason to add the osce. These are money grabs and these expenses are out of control. Who cares how much we will make? That’s not relevant to these exams.

 

[GassYous]

There is 0 justification for a cardiac specific boards. You are mixing up issues. We already have echo boards. There is already a test that separates cardiac from general. No need for another one.

Also its coat me like 5000 dollars signing up for boards and medical license. Still a fellow and it’s a huge expense. Not to mention I’m gonna have to get a plane ticket and hotel room to take oral boards. 0 reason it can’t be done on zoom. 0 reason to add the osce. These are money grabs and these expenses are out of control. Who cares how much we will make? That’s not relevant to these exams.

And a day or two of not working

 

[Bertelman]

I just recertified in Adv PTE. There was no Cardiac Anesthesiology on that exam. I wouldn't equate TEE knowledge with skills as a cardiac anesthesiologist. I have seen excellent anesthesiologists with little practical knowledge of TEE, and I have seen excellent echocardiographers with below-average skills in cardiac anesthesiology.

Now, if you want to argue that we should have one exam, and one certification covering both the knowledge in disease and knowledge in imaging, then I would agree. But at this point, for whatever reason, we have what we have. To be honest, it looks like the NBE beat the ABA to the certification. So blame them if you want. If I could have only one, I'd take ACA over AdvPTE.

If I were a fellow staring down three exams in 12 months, I would reconsider. I don't believe anyone should be expected to study and pass orals, take a TEE exam, and take ACA certification in a seven month span. If I were hiring you, I would expect you to take only one in year 1, then the other in year 2. If you have a job under contract, you should be able to successfully negotiate reimbursement for those exams.

If you don't believe there is a purpose for the ACA, I'm guessing you feel the same about Peds and CCM?

 

[Twiggidy]

The rant is well warranted.

I think over the next few years the field of cardiac anesthesiology will figure itself out. As just said above, a graduating fellow needing to take 3 exams in a year span to be fully "certified" is absurd. Imagine there will be some talks to somehow merge PTE and ACA together but that will take some coordinating with the NBE. I personally skipped the initial go around because at this point in my career I'm tired of taking test. I do MOCA, I had to recert PTE last year and I just wanted a year where I dont have my nose stuck in a book. Maybe I could've skated through it since this is the guinea pig year but that's a big $1800 gamble. Come January I'll just slowly review content I'm not strong in and take it next year since it'll still likely be in the grace/figuring out phase.

I think there is room for subspecialty certification, especially if you're practicing in academics. In private practice, it's debatable. Case in point, we have a handful of people in my practice who either didn't do a fellowship or aren't echo certified or both and they still let them do hearts (much to my personaly chagrin).

 

[GassYous]

The rant is well warranted.

I think over the next few years the field of cardiac anesthesiology will figure itself out. As just said above, a graduating fellow needing to take 3 exams in a year span to be fully "certified" is absurd. Imagine there will be some talks to somehow merge PTE and ACA together but that will take some coordinating with the NBE. I personally skipped the initial go around because at this point in my career I'm tired of taking test. I do MOCA, I had to recert PTE last year and I just wanted a year where I dont have my nose stuck in a book. Maybe I could've skated through it since this is the guinea pig year but that's a big $1800 gamble. Come January I'll just slowly review content I'm not strong in and take it next year since it'll still likely be in the grace/figuring out phase.

I think there is room for subspecialty certification, especially if you're practicing in academics. In private practice, it's debatable. Case in point, we have a handful of people in my practice who either didn't do a fellowship or aren't echo certified or both and they still let them do hearts (much to my personaly chagrin).

Yeah but it's not like people who have been doing hearts for thirty years need to go back and do a fellowship year to do hearts...

 

[Twiggidy]

Yeah but it's not like people who have been doing hearts for thirty years need to go back and do a fellowship year to do hearts...

100% agree. Like I said, most private practices probably won't care, at least for a while. I think even the people who've been doing it for maybe 10 years are thinking in the back of their head, "I'm not doing this unless either my practice or billing make me" and even then if they do, some may just stop doing hearts because in private practice it's questionable whether it would be worth it.

 

[Leinie]

100% agree. Like I said, most private practices probably won't care, at least for a while. I think even the people who've been doing it for maybe 10 years are thinking in the back of their head, "I'm not doing this unless either my practice or billing make me" and even then if they do, some may just stop doing hearts because in private practice it's questionable whether it would be worth it.

It seems like most private practices currently don't care about TEE certification, so I can't imagine ACA certification will have any relevance over the next decade, especially for CABG/TAVR surgery. I'm still sitting for the exam, but I don't know of anyone else, fellowship trained or not, in my circle of colleagues who is doing the same.

 

[Leinie]

Just spent a few minutes reviewing the book.

A couple thoughts:
Our program doesn't do transplants, mech support, etc. I need to spend extra time reviewing those sections.

Some questions are less worthwhile, but each chapter seems to have some cornerstone topics that it covers quite well. Even if the question itself is poorly worded, like the MOCA questions, often the true pearls are int he explanations. Each question has an explanation that should help you study.

Honestly, I'd recommend this book from what I can tell. If nothing else, it provides some guidance on what to study, and greater detail than the topic outline.

I would second this. There are some errors, and some of the questions seem too easy, but it is worth $99 for the 1000+ questions and explanations.

 

[abolt18]

It seems like most private practices currently don't care about TEE certification, so I can't imagine ACA certification will have any relevance over the next decade, especially for CABG/TAVR surgery. I'm still sitting for the exam, but I don't know of anyone else, fellowship trained or not, in my circle of colleagues who is doing the same.

Every private practice I talked to required fellowship/certification to do hearts. Hospital-employed job I took did not require it.

 

[vector2]

Every private practice I talked to required fellowship/certification to do hearts. Hospital-employed job I took did not require it.

It seems to be intensely variable. Not even just state to state but even hospital to hospital in the same city. I've talked to private practices in my state that want fellowship trained folks for the most bread and butter cases imaginable and I talked to another private practice recently in another state which lets non-fellowship trained folks do transplant/LVAD/thoracos/DHCA cases as long as they have aPTE testamur and significant experience.

 

[Twiggidy]

It seems like most private practices currently don't care about TEE certification, so I can't imagine ACA certification will have any relevance over the next decade, especially for CABG/TAVR surgery. I'm still sitting for the exam, but I don't know of anyone else, fellowship trained or not, in my circle of colleagues who is doing the same.

agree. Anesthesiology is one of these strange fields where you do all this stuff to become specialized and unless you stay in an academic department, for the most part, no one really cares. sadly our field (mostly private practices) shoot ourselves in the foot to perpetuate this.

 

[Twiggidy]

Every private practice I talked to required fellowship/certification to do hearts. Hospital-employed job I took did not require it.

i'm not sure the ratio but there are certainly "comfortable doing hearts" practices out there and usually there gate keepers are the members of the practice themselves. again, unless it's a billing issue, hospital admin and to an extent some group leaders dont care. they just want the warm body

 

[PpfSuxTube]

i'm not sure the ratio but there are certainly "comfortable doing hearts" practices out there and usually there gate keepers are the members of the practice themselves. again, unless it's a billing issue, hospital admin and to an extent some group leaders dont care. they just want the warm body

For many countries in the world that really is a crazy situation especially for newer grads or attendings... fellowship with tee is absolute minimum to apply for a cardiac job and rightfully so...

You can't pick and choose when something crazy will come in the door in cardiac

 

[Cumberland_Doc]

Has anyone discovered any good study resources. Kaplan and Augustides red book sounds like an intern wrote it.

 

[Remxed]

Has anyone discovered any good study resources. Kaplan and Augustides red book sounds like an intern wrote it.

SCA university

 

[DazedWanderer]

I wouldn't equate TEE knowledge with skills as a cardiac anesthesiologist.

I would. Although not the sole benefit, the advanced TEE skills are by far the main benefit of doing a cardiac fellowship vs just being a generalist who does hearts.

 

[Bertelman]

The main benefit of a fellowship is seeing complex cases, if you intend to work at a center that does more than bread/butter cardiac.

Redos, Asc aortic work, port/mini access, multiple valve/endocarditis, etc.

Frankly, I can train anesthetists to cover simple CABGs. Could teach them the echo if I wanted to sellout my profession.

But all the TEE skills in the world won’t teach you the confidence and expertise to manage complex cases.

Absolutely, TEE is vital. But I would discourage anyone entering fellowship from thinking it’s just a year of being an echo jockey. If you don’t understand the physiology and pathology of cardiac disease, the surgeons will spot that pretty quickly. They may not know whether you are bull****ting with TEE, but they can spot bull**** with pathophysiology. And unless you took the time to study complex path in residency, you need a fellowship to stand up

 

[FatKid]

There is 0 justification for a cardiac specific boards. You are mixing up issues. We already have echo boards. There is already a test that separates cardiac from general. No need for another one.

Also its coat me like 5000 dollars signing up for boards and medical license. Still a fellow and it’s a huge expense. Not to mention I’m gonna have to get a plane ticket and hotel room to take oral boards. 0 reason it can’t be done on zoom. 0 reason to add the osce. These are money grabs and these expenses are out of control. Who cares how much we will make? That’s not relevant to these exams.

It seems like most private practices currently don't care about TEE certification, so I can't imagine ACA certification will have any relevance over the next decade, especially for CABG/TAVR surgery. I'm still sitting for the exam, but I don't know of anyone else, fellowship trained or not, in my circle of colleagues who is doing the same.

TEE "certification" is a myth, even for Cardiologists. The National "Board" of Echocardiography is a fake Board that is NOT sanctioned or overseen by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).

If a "Board" is not sanctioned by the ABMS, its certificate/diploma is not worth the paper it's printed on....

Physicians need to stop legitimizing these phony "Boards" and stick to only legitimate ones through ABMS.

 

[DG51]

TEE "certification" is a myth, even for Cardiologists. The National "Board" of Echocardiography is a fake Board that is NOT sanctioned or overseen by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).

If a "Board" is not sanctioned by the ABMS, its certificate/diploma is not worth the paper it's printed on....

Physicians need to stop legitimizing these phony "Boards" and stick to only legitimate ones through ABMS.

Can an anesthesiolgost bill for a comprehemsive echo if they are not aPTE certified?

 

[nimbus]

Can an anesthesiolgost bill for a comprehemsive echo if they are not aPTE certified?

Yes. I personally billed and collected many echos (93312) before I became a testamur and many more after I became an testamur. I never became certified.

I mentioned earlier in the thread that the director of our echo lab is a cardiologist without any NBE boards. A significant part of his job is reading a bunch of echos.

 

[Twiggidy]

The main benefit of a fellowship is seeing complex cases, if you intend to work at a center that does more than bread/butter cardiac.

Redos, Asc aortic work, port/mini access, multiple valve/endocarditis, etc.

Frankly, I can train anesthetists to cover simple CABGs. Could teach them the echo if I wanted to sellout my profession.

But all the TEE skills in the world won’t teach you the confidence and expertise to manage complex cases.

Absolutely, TEE is vital. But I would discourage anyone entering fellowship from thinking it’s just a year of being an echo jockey. If you don’t understand the physiology and pathology of cardiac disease, the surgeons will spot that pretty quickly. They may not know whether you are bull****ting with TEE, but they can spot bull**** with pathophysiology. And unless you took the time to study complex path in residency, you need a fellowship to stand up

I agree. There’s a difference between the CAD guy who is somewhat healthy and needs a few vessels and they guy that’s falling apart in front of you and also needs a few vessels. I strongly believe the latter is where a cardiac fellowship benefits the patient and when some of the “art” of the field comes into play

 

[2Fast2Des]

I agree. There’s a difference between the CAD guy who is somewhat healthy and needs a few vessels and they guy that’s falling apart in front of you and also needs a few vessels. I strongly believe the latter is where a cardiac fellowship benefits the patient and when some of the “art” of the field comes into play

In residency we submitted a detailed plan the night before articulating all the pharm\physiology and blah blah based on the valves and conditions. However every induction ended up the same, stick of etomidate, fent and roc. Never really got a sense of the art except when coming off pump but the attendings never explained why they chose what so kinda just learned on the go, start levo and epi and sprinkle some other stuff depending on what happened... Decided I liked to wake patients up and not freeze my ass off for hours in those freezer rooms so I sold my soul to private practice instead 😎

The irony is that the ACTA fellow jumps through all these hoops and exams to show competency, but a fresh grad CRNA can be the "cardiac CRNA" with none of that above. What's the utility of all the hoops again?

 

[Radar26]

Kind of a strange time to offer the exam… December? So I guess the expectation is to take the exam after you graduate…So you have to now take 2 exams (and pay 1k for the pleasure of sitting for each exam) during your first year of practice (when your “partners” are gouging you with unwanted rooms, a trash call schedule and a buy in)?

 

[vector2]

Kind of a strange time to offer the exam… December? So I guess the expectation is to take the exam after you graduate…So you have to now take 2 exams (and pay 1k for the pleasure of sitting for each exam) during your first year of practice (when your “partners” are gouging you with unwanted rooms, a trash call schedule and a buy in)?

I assume the intention was to make it as far from the aPTE as possible.

 

[Remxed]

You also need to pass the aPTE to be eligible to take the ABA cardiac. So they need time for the NBE scores to be released which historically takes about 3 months.

The ABA specified in their email that you can apply your exam fee for next year’s exam if you didn’t pass the aPTE.

 

[Iso4ane]

Good Luck to the poor bastards who will be the guinea pigs participating in the first Hunger Games, *ahem* I mean Cardiac Board exams. May the odds be in your favor. (Or May the force me with you for older folks).

 

[jameskimp]

Hopefully the pass rate is high for these boards tomorrow because the resources to study for this exam left a lot to be desired

 

[Iso4ane]

Hopefully the pass rate is high for these boards tomorrow because the resources to study for this exam left a lot to be desired

Yeah it reminds me of that chocolate ice cream swirl emoji.

 

[vector2]

Good Luck to the poor bastards who will be the guinea pigs participating in the first Hunger Games, *ahem* I mean Cardiac Board exams. May the odds be in your favor. (Or May the force me with you for older folks).

Man, I hope the test is easy cause I've really been phoning in my studying

 

[pgg]

Well that was fun.

For a test that wasn't supposed to have any TEE on it, it seems like there was some TEE on it. Not disappointed - thought those were among the easiest questions on the test. But the first time I saw a loop on the screen it sorta threw me.

Also, **** those ivory tower bitches and their obsession with obscure statistics. I calculate my odds of getting those questions correct to be just over 11%.

Even less impressed with Kaplan now than I was 24 hours ago.

Otherwise, seemed like pretty standard board exam fare. A small number of idiotic, truly irrelevant minutiae questions. A few where I couldn't quite figure out what condition/complication the question was leading toward. And a whole lot of straightforward ones. I expect I passed but 4-6 weeks will tell.

Thanks, ABA. You turds.

 

[DolphinVA]

Very bad exam, as predicted.

Not as many typos on it as I expected which was nice.

Several questions that were clearly written by non experts in their field (having worked with two of the foremost aortic experts in a city known for aortic surgery, I can tell you no one agrees on whether ACP or RCP is more effective).

LOTS of questions that had nothing to do specifically with adult cardiac whatsoever. Things like statistics, fetal anatomy, and definitions of niche terms from the diversity/inclusion crowd. Lots of IMPORTANT stuff that we should know were not tested. A bunch of TEE questions as mentioned above, in direct contradiction to the SCA study materials.

So I say again, this is an unnecessary test which was sloppily organized and unnecessarily expensive.