Advanced PTeExam (Echo Boards)

[MB Singam]

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Thanks for the reply.I aim doing Advanced PTEeXAM next year.
I plan to use Edelman for Physics, PTE Masters(online programme). I have Sidebotham and Perrino.
Is this sufficient?
I do not have Matthews

 

[G0S2]

Thanks for the reply.I aim doing Advanced PTEeXAM next year.
I plan to use Edelman for Physics, PTE Masters(online programme). I have Sidebotham and Perrino.
Is this sufficient?
I do not have Matthews

Yes. Good plan.

 

[MB Singam]

Is the European Tee exam similar in content and McQ questions in comparison with the PteExam ? I plan to take the European exam in Leipzig , Germany this year. Is there any specific study material for this or can I use the PTE masters study material? Kindly advise please

 

[gasdoc77]

Got my ass handed to me today. Read the Mathew book 3x, the Edelman US Physics book 2x and thousands of Q's. Quite a few WTF? views. Don't feel good about it but I don't know what else I could have done as a resident. Kudos to those of you that passed that beast in previous years.

You may be surprised when you get your results. I felt extremely prepared when I took mine, and walked out wondering if I'd studied the wrong subject altogether. When my results came back, I had actually done quite well. It came as a huge shock.

 

[G0S2]

You may be surprised when you get your results. I felt extremely prepared when I took mine, and walked out wondering if I'd studied the wrong subject altogether. When my results came back, I had actually done quite well. It came as a huge shock.

I passed in 2012. Thanks.

 

[sevoflurane]

Got my ass handed to me today. Read the Mathew book 3x, the Edelman US Physics book 2x and thousands of Q's. Quite a few WTF? views. Don't feel good about it but I don't know what else I could have done as a resident. Kudos to those of you that passed that beast in previous years.

You read Edelman X2? You're a madman...! Did you read this one?

That's 565 pages of physics bro... ugh....

Got me some Mathews on the way and have been enjoying PTEmasters.
Been through Perrino X2.

Burch seems like a cool dude. Love his hamsters smoking crack pipes... hahaha!

How much math did you all have to do on the exam... i.e.. calculating pisa, etc. I'm guessing you don't get a calculator.
Epicardial/3D represented heavily?
I'm guessing congenital and physics are hot topics.
Are there old exam questions out there (published by the NBE) ?

I don't have to take this exam, but I figured it's been long enough since I've tortured myself... but the physics... the horror.

 

[G0S2]

Yes but large font. You can get through it quickly.

Physics roughly every 20 Qs. Not many calculations. A little epicardial and 3D. Far less diastology than I prepared for.

Sound like you are on target.

 

[sleepallday]

Can any anesthesiologist take the Basic PTEeXAM?

 

[nimbus]

Can any anesthesiologist take the Basic PTEeXAM?

Any anesthesiologist can take the basic or advanced exam as long as you pay the $$. However, I don't see any point in taking the basic exam.....that is truly meaningless. Just a moneymaker for NBE.

 

[somedumbDO]

Any anesthesiologist can take the basic or advanced exam as long as you pay the $$. However, I don't see any point in taking the basic exam.....that is truly meaningless. Just a moneymaker for NBE.

A bunch of hospitals are now requiring either basic or advanced PTEeXAM for privileges to use tee intraop. That is the only reason to take it.

 

[sevoflurane]

Yes but large font. You can get through it quickly.

Physics roughly every 20 Qs. Not many calculations. A little epicardial and 3D. Far less diastology than I prepared for.

Sound like you are on target.

Thanks for the tips.

My exam had some serious congenital stuff (adult post repair + little guys), USD physics, epicardial, 3D, bioprosthetic/mechanical valves and artifacts. These were high yield on my exam. I don't know how that compares with other exams, but it's what other people have said are hot topics in the past.

Most echo's were of excellent quality, some were not very good.
I'm feeling pretty good about the test and actually enjoyed the exam as there were some pretty cool echos that were tricky... yet fun to figure out. Brain did feel like mush after 4.5 hours of chugging along in 6th gear.

I took 6 months to study. Did Perrino x2, Mathews x2, PTEmasters, 2000ish questions and Washington University "TEE of the month" series (great stuff for the test or just to test yourself). I'd drop Perrino if I could do it over again- it's too basic for the exam. The Mathew's book is easy and fun to read + has tons of questions + a CD that has 2 tests with lots of vids.

Good luck for those who take it in the future and thanks for the tips on references to use for those who have taken them in the past.

 

[OUAnesthesia]

Thanks for the tips.

My exam had some serious congenital stuff (adult post repair + little guys), USD physics, epicardial, 3D, bioprosthetic/mechanical valves and artifacts. These were high yield on my exam. I don't know how that compares with other exams, but it's what other people have said are hot topics in the past.

Most echo's were of excellent quality, some were not very good.
I'm feeling pretty good about the test and actually enjoyed the exam as there were some pretty cool echos that were tricky... yet fun to figure out. Brain did feel like mush after 4.5 hours of chugging along in 6th gear.

I took 6 months to study. Did Perrino x2, Mathews x2, PTEmasters, 2000ish questions and Washington University "TEE of the month" series (great stuff for the test or just to test yourself). I'd drop Perrino if I could do it over again- it's too basic for the exam. The Mathew's book is easy and fun to read + has tons of questions + a CD that has 2 tests with lots of vids.

Good luck for those who take it in the future and thanks for the tips on references to use for those who have taken them in the past.

Congrats on finishing.

 

[Gimlet]

Sevo, I'm sure you did fine with all that studying. I took the exam this week, too. It wasn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be. I was surprised by the lack of math...I think I only opened the calculator feature once just to doublecheck something. Although there were definitely questions where you needed to have a good understanding of various equations to be able to answer correctly. I was also surprised by the lack of quesions about 3D...out of 200 questions I literally had only two that had any 3D content! I probably overstudied that, as well as tissue doppler stuff, of which the questions were pretty basic. Wish I would have spent more time with congenital and prosthetic valves. PTE Masters was awesome...wish I had done more than just a month subscription so I could have made it further through their question bank (but it's friggin' expensive!)

 

[bigdan]

Gimlet - Congrats on being done with it!

If you think the PTE Masters price was high for the month - don't check the website now - they put that on sale the day of the exam. 1 year goes for $365 for the rest of July only!

Best of luck to all takers - I'll be in your shoes in a year's time, and I'm taking note of your study plans. Thanks for posting!

 

[Gimlet]

Gimlet - Congrats on being done with it!

If you think the PTE Masters price was high for the month - don't check the website now - they put that on sale the day of the exam. 1 year goes for $365 for the rest of July only!

Best of luck to all takers - I'll be in your shoes in a year's time, and I'm taking note of your study plans. Thanks for posting!

I saw that! It's a good deal, and I would get it if I were taking the exam next year. (Hopefully not!)

 

[sevoflurane]

Congrats on finishing.

Thanks.

Sevo, I'm sure you did fine with all that studying. I took the exam this week, too. It wasn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be. I was surprised by the lack of math...I think I only opened the calculator feature once just to doublecheck something. Although there were definitely questions where you needed to have a good understanding of various equations to be able to answer correctly. I was also surprised by the lack of quesions about 3D...out of 200 questions I literally had only two that had any 3D content! I probably overstudied that, as well as tissue doppler stuff, of which the questions were pretty basic. Wish I would have spent more time with congenital and prosthetic valves. PTE Masters was awesome...wish I had done more than just a month subscription so I could have made it further through their question bank (but it's friggin' expensive!)

Yeah I was ready to bust out pressures using VSDs, PDA,s ASDs, etc.
I did have some calculations, but pretty basic stuff.
Anyway... glad it's over. Good luck on the results when they come out.

 

[sevoflurane]

Shabam! Getting certified via practice pathway.

 

[sethco]

Passed. No more tests!!! (Well at least for 9.5 years, anyway)

 

[gclax30]

I want to make this as simple as possible: I want to be able to drop a TEE in a sick patient and see what is going on. Not planning to do hearts in practice. No plan to bill for a 20-view report in the chart but, if I had the time and practice, would be open to learning how to do it.

What kind of certification/exam do I need for this?

Does it even matter if my hospital won't credential me to use the TEE probe in the first place?

 

[nimbus]

I want to make this as simple as possible: I want to be able to drop a TEE in a sick patient and see what is going on. Not planning to do hearts in practice. No plan to bill for a 20-view report in the chart but, if I had the time and practice, would be open to learning how to do it.

What kind of certification/exam do I need for this?

Does it even matter if my hospital won't credential me to use the TEE probe in the first place?

If you are planning to use TEE at all, I recommend you get advanced PTEexam and do hearts in practice. It is VERY difficult to develop and maintain proficiency without hands on probe time. And you won't get probe time if you don't do hearts. You can't make it a meaningful part of your practice of you only do it 3-4 times a year.

 

[gclax30]

Hmmm... sounds like the only pathway to advanced PTEexam is through a dedicated fellowship... yes?

 

[nimbus]

Hmmm... sounds like the only pathway to advanced PTEexam is through a dedicated fellowship... yes?

No, anybody can take the exam. We've had a couple of hires who passed during residency.

For certification you need fellowship if you finished residency after 2009.

 

[sevoflurane]

Passed. No more tests!!! (Well at least for 9.5 years, anyway)

Yeah buddy! Well done.

 

[Gimlet]

Passed. No more tests!!! (Well at least for 9.5 years, anyway)

Did you guys find out by email or snail mail? I just realized that the NBE still has my now-defunct email from residency. Hoping I didn't miss an email with the results because there was nothing in my mailbox yesterday.

 

[G0S2]

Check NBE website for your name and status.

 

[sethco]

Did you guys find out by email or snail mail? I just realized that the NBE still has my now-defunct email from residency. Hoping I didn't miss an email with the results because there was nothing in my mailbox yesterday.

Email notification, but you can check the website also

 

[sevoflurane]

Did you guys find out by email or snail mail? I just realized that the NBE still has my now-defunct email from residency. Hoping I didn't miss an email with the results because there was nothing in my mailbox yesterday.

My name doesn't bring anything up on the nbe website, but I did get an email letter with a raw score and breakdown. If you don't see your name on there, it doesn't mean you didn't pass.

Sounds frustrating.

 

[sevoflurane]

Actually, if you remember your test id, you can log in with the test id and your birth date. Good luck gimlet.

 

[Gimlet]

Actually, if you remember your test id, you can log in with the test id and your birth date. Good luck gimlet.

Passed! Nice to be finally done sweating exam results for once in my life. Between Steps 1-3, ABA boards, and this exam I figure I've averaged one somewhat career-making/breaking exam per year over the last seven years. Will nice to be done taking tests for a while...I can actually read a book for pleasure without feeling guilty about not studying!

 

[sevoflurane]

Passed! Nice to be finally done sweating exam results for once in my life. Between Steps 1-3, ABA boards, and this exam I figure I've averaged one somewhat career-making/breaking exam per year over the last seven years. Will nice to be done taking tests for a while...I can actually read a book for pleasure without feeling guilty about not studying!

Totally pumped for you man... Told you not to sweat it.

 

[G0S2]

Passed! Nice to be finally done sweating exam results for once in my life. Between Steps 1-3, ABA boards, and this exam I figure I've averaged one somewhat career-making/breaking exam per year over the last seven years. Will nice to be done taking tests for a while...I can actually read a book for pleasure without feeling guilty about not studying!

Congrats!!! Nice job.

 

[G0S2]

Passed! Nice to be finally done sweating exam results for once in my life. Between Steps 1-3, ABA boards, and this exam I figure I've averaged one somewhat career-making/breaking exam per year over the last seven years. Will nice to be done taking tests for a while...I can actually read a book for pleasure without feeling guilty about not studying!

Congrats!!! Nice job.

 

[confusingleaf]

Who's taking it this year and wants to commiserate? What are you using for studying?

 

[psychbender]

Yes, I'm taking it in a few weeks. I've been going through PTE Masters lectures and exams for several months, did 2015 SCA Echo Week on Demand, I do the e-Echocardiography Echo of the Day/Week every day, read Perrino a while ago, and Sidebotham now, and working through Edelman (saved for now, because I just don't like these kinds of physics questions). I'm going to try the tests on the Matthew's CD for a change of pace, since the PTE Masters ones seem too easy (or maybe I've exhausted the content, and just get repeats). For topics like TEE, I much prefer the video lecture format of something like PTE Masters to just reading a textbook and looking at static images.

 

[confusingleaf]

Yes, I'm taking it in a few weeks. I've been going through PTE Masters lectures and exams for several months, did 2015 SCA Echo Week on Demand, I do the e-Echocardiography Echo of the Day/Week every day, read Perrino a while ago, and Sidebotham now, and working through Edelman (saved for now, because I just don't like these kinds of physics questions). I'm going to try the tests on the Matthew's CD for a change of pace, since the PTE Masters ones seem too easy (or maybe I've exhausted the content, and just get repeats). For topics like TEE, I much prefer the video lecture format of something like PTE Masters to just reading a textbook and looking at static images.

yes--exactly that. the PTE masters questions repeat A LOT. i am done with my fellowship on friday then on vacation for the next three weeks so going to try to get through sidebotham, edelman. i've read mathew and need to do the CD tests. the E-echocardiography is a good idea, i didn't think of that. thanks!

 

[confusingleaf]

i need to commiserate with someone, my brain feels like mush. i've done the PTE masters questions so many times i'm not sure if i actually know the material or i've just memorized the questions. trying to finish mathew and edelman this week. can't wait to get it over with and have my life back, last board exam!!!!

 

[R-35]

I'm on the same boat, tired of doing questions and reading. PTE masters is extremely repetitive. Pass rate was over 90% last year. Hopefully its the same this year

 

[AdmiralChz]

Anyone know if PTE Masters is having their annual sale this summer - deep discount for a year subscription?

 

[AdmiralChz]

Anyone know if PTE Masters is having their annual sale this summer - deep discount for a year subscription?

Looked at the website, discount starts July 11 and runs through August 1 for anyone interested.

 

[psychbender]

They do it every July, right after the test. Best deal ever. I highly recommend it for anyone starting fellowship, or anyone else who plans on taking the test the following July.

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[psychbender]

Well...that sucked

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[Notorious T.E.E.]

Well...that sucked

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Glad you felt that way. Misery loves company. It was a tough exam as usual....

 

[sevoflurane]

I'm guessing physics and congenital was well represented. I felt surprised how little diastology was on my exam.

Good luck guys. Hope you all passed.
Now start enjoying the summer by whatever means necessary.

 

[deleted171991]

I'm guessing physics and congenital was well represented. I felt surprised how little diastology was on my exam.

Who does (much) diastology intraop?

 

[R-35]

Kinda sucked, fellt it was fair though. Physics and congenital weren't unreasonable.

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[sevoflurane]

Who does (much) diastology intraop?

I do it on just about every case.
Especially valve cases.

 

[psychbender]

I do MVI, Pulm Vein PWD, and tissue doppler on all of mine. It only takes a minute to get the views and measurements. It would have been nice to have more diastology in the exam.

What I really didn't care for were the messed up, non-standard views. Put images that we would actually obtain in real life on the exam.

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[R-35]

I do MVI, Pulm Vein PWD, and tissue doppler on all of mine. It only takes a minute to get the views and measurements. It would have been nice to have more diastology in the exam.

What I really didn't care for were the messed up, non-standard views. Put images that we would actually obtain in real life on the exam.

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Agreed

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[deleted171991]

I do it on just about every case.
Especially valve cases.

Where I worked, I saw most cases being done with just pulmonary vein PWD (mostly for MR), and occasional mitral inflow (not part of the protocol, though). I don't recall any intraop report commenting on diastolic dysfunction, nor any intraop study with TDI (maybe because it was part of the preop TTE). That's why I was asking.

 

[psychbender]

Where I worked, I saw most cases being done with just pulmonary vein PWD (mostly for MR), and occasional mitral inflow (not part of the protocol, though). I don't recall any intraop report commenting on diastolic dysfunction, nor any intraop study with TDI (maybe because it was part of the preop TTE). That's why I was asking.

It's really anesthesiologist-dependent. Of the two other anesthesiologists on the 'cardiac team' where I work, one barely touches the probe other than to bring up a mid pap SAX to give a rough qualitative look at LV systolic function, while the actual CT fellowship trained one does all of the standard views + CFD, MVI, and CWD of the LVOT/AV. I'm the only one that does much in the way of diastology, 3D, atypical views, RV functional assessment, etc. For the number and types of cases that we do here, it very rarely changes management (although, I have used it to convince one surgeon that milrinone and/or nitric oxide is unnecessary several times). I always include my findings on the anesthetic record, and have reviewed my images with the cardiologists post-op, when they have questions about something they found on follow-up TTE (since no one ever reads my report in the anesthetic record).