ABA prep and high failure rates?

[sean wilson]

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Why is it that the boards are so hard to pass? Has the rate always hovered in the ~60% range, or did the influx of less-than-desirable residents during the dry spell hurt the pass rate?

Also, I found this link while searching for prep materials.

http://www.boardprep.com/

Has anyone used other material, and, if so, how did it work? This stuff looks pretty pricey, and I'm interested in hearing about alternatives.

 

[UTSouthwestern]

Why is it that the boards are so hard to pass? Has the rate always hovered in the ~60% range, or did the influx of less-than-desirable residents during the dry spell hurt the pass rate?

Also, I found this link while searching for prep materials.

http://www.boardprep.com/

Has anyone used other material, and, if so, how did it work? This stuff looks pretty pricey, and I'm interested in hearing about alternatives.

The Jensen Review is pretty well known, but doesn't provide you with some miracle cure for the testing blues. Its 8 hours of tests for three days and a phone book to read.

However, there are still plenty of mistakes in his material and questions. If a senior resident of yours has the written material, you should look at it and decide if it's worth it for you to spend that much $$$ to go to.

Faust, Morgan & Mikhail, Hall & Jones for questions, etc. probably provide you with as much info as Jensen's material, without all the "Time to go to war! hoopla"

 

[Tenesma]

the board pass rate has been about 78% the last 5 years....

 

[militarymd]

ASA 2003 Newsletter

 

[Justin4563]

Military made a point ,, what to do with people who dont pass the boards??


If you finish a residency shouldnt that make you competent enough to work as an anesthesiologist. What is board certification anyway. a bunch of people who make test questions to validate you? Your residency training validated you..

Its a way to make money... just like every other standardized test in medicine.. its a money maker..

If it were not a money maker and they were truly interested in finding out what you know instead of finding out what you dont know. they would offer the orals more often and give feedback

It costs 2700 dollars to take the board certification test. IF you fail your orals you have to pay an additional 1700 dollars to take it again the next year. Thats in addition to a plane trip to usually the most expensive cities..
a stay at a hotel at the most expensive city.... 2-3000 dollars for a review course..

In this day of cost cutting, hospitals closing, everyone is in a pinch the ABA sure knows how to spend and make money thats for sure.

i say give the oral exam at the same place twice a year to insure the lowest rates at the hotels plane fares etc.. and an inexpensive place like wichita, kansas.. But i think miller and barash are too good go to places like that

 

[militarymd]

Your residency training validated you..

Residency prepares you for the board certification process....you are board eligible after training.

Lawyers cannot practice unless they pass the bar...right?

CRNA's cannot practice unless they pass their test....right?

So...are you saying we shouldn't have to pass a test? Or do you think the test should be changed to allow everyone to pass....or just a higher percentage of passing.

I think an examination process is not worth the paper it is printed on if everyone passes.

 

[militarymd]

Justin..

Why the bitterness? Seems like we're in a pretty good field....for the most part. There are plenty of good jobs out there....just maybe not exactly where you want to live.....so you move...what's the big deal.

At least, you're not in the Navy....like I was....rotting away in desolate godforsake places for months at a time.

 

[Justin4563]

Justin..

Why the bitterness? Seems like we're in a pretty good field....for the most part. There are plenty of good jobs out there....just maybe not exactly where you want to live.....so you move...what's the big deal.

At least, you're not in the Navy....like I was....rotting away in desolate godforsake places for months at a time.

Im not bitter.. well maybe i am.... but im calling a spade a spade... the board certification exam means nothing if you can still practice without it... If you say it is mandatory for you to be board certified to practice then it would mean more.. then it would be required to pass it before you finish residency. But then how would it make money? see where im going with this.. We are licensed physicians thats outrcertification.. Im board certified Ijust cant believe the nonsense we put ourselves through just to say we are better then someone else and its a small minority of people that are controlling things.

military, so what do we do with the people who cant pass the exam? they can pass they are not allowed to pass. do you throw them out of medicine after all that work.. WHat if they dont wanna be board certified.. Do you throw them out of medicine?

 

[Justin4563]

Residency prepares you for the board certification process....you are board eligible after training.

Lawyers cannot practice unless they pass the bar...right?

but lawyers dont take freakin 3 national exams and finish four - five years of training.. thats not enough

 

[militarymd]

I have worked with BC and not BE folks. There is a difference in skill levels...believe it or not... I was surprised myself.

What would you say if there was a rule where if you are not BC, then you have to work under supervision....no independent practice. I think that would be a reasonable option.

 

[Justin4563]

but what if the board eligible anesthesiologist were supervising the crna and the crna was supervising the srna . t here would have to be a lot of lines on the chart so each person can sign come lawsuit time..


who would be responsible? come lawsuit time?

the idea clearly isnt rational..

concede to the idea that he boards are biased and bull****.. I took the orals.. They asked me how much a oxygen tank weighs.. DId I really have to spend 3000 dollars on review course and 1400 on flights to florida for them to ask me that? is that what they really wanted to know.. MY god..

 

[Justin4563]

they dont put in IVs as fast..

 

[Tenesma]

justin... i hate to say it but it appears you don't understand how the boards work... the orals are designed to elucidate your understanding of different topics, while the examiner goes down a pre-set list of questions/topics.

The fact that they asked something as specific as the weight of an oxygen tank suggests to me that you answered a whole lot of questions along one stem and they were just coming to the end of that stem... Trust me, if you had answered with the right weight of the O2 tank, they then would have asked you "who manufactures the green paint on the tank".... and so on...

I think the oral exam is important, primarily because it helps weed out those loosers who made it through residency, and the written exams... If you can't manage a fake patient while sitting down in a hotel, i wouldn't want you to anesthetize my real, sick patient in the OR.

when i say you... i mean the universal you... not you specifically

 

[militarymd]

who would be responsible? come lawsuit time?

Real life answer? The person with the most malpractice insurance.

the idea clearly isnt rational

A Board Eligible doc would not supervise....but would be supervised by someone Board Certified, and the Board Certified doc is responsible....

 

[Justin4563]

justin... i hate to say it but it appears you don't understand how the boards work... the orals are designed to elucidate your understanding of different topics, while the examiner goes down a pre-set list of questions/topics.

The fact that they asked something as specific as the weight of an oxygen tank suggests to me that you answered a whole lot of questions along one stem and they were just coming to the end of that stem... Trust me, if you had answered with the right weight of the O2 tank, they then would have asked you "who manufactures the green paint on the tank".... and so on...

I think the oral exam is important, primarily because it helps weed out those loosers who made it through residency, and the written exams... If you can't manage a fake patient while sitting down in a hotel, i wouldn't want you to anesthetize my real, sick patient in the OR.

when i say you... i mean the universal you... not you specifically

I understand how it works. I took them and i passed them.. Im just saying its a money making scheme.. all that is tested on the orals can easily be tested on the written exam.. If you say its the format then i will say then give a essay type exam.. IF you say its not the same then I will say its because you want to fail foreigners... who in YOUR opinion dont deserve to join your ranks..