Basic TEE exam

[B-Bone]

Has anybody out there taken the basic TEE exam? I am taking it in July, and was wondering for a little guidance as to what might be covered. The outline provided on the NBE website is pretty vague ("basic hemodynamic calculations", "basic recognition of cardiac valve abnormalities", etc). I would love some practice questions, but the only books I have seen are for the advanced exam. I attended the SCA Echo course in San Diego this year, and I'm currently using e-echocardiography, the UToronto website, and David Sidebotham's book to prepare, as well as doing at least a few TEE's a week in the OR. I don't know what to expect on the exam, so I may be radically over or understudying; I just don't know. Anyone have any insights?

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[lane]

I took the exam in November and passed. Here's a message I sent someone who had a similar question...

The exam really wasn't that bad at all, from either a length or difficulty standpoint. Something like 85% of the people who took the exam passed. I mostly used A Practical Approach to Transesophageal Echocardiography to study, but I skipped over most of the physics and calculations. Prepping for the advanced exam would be overkill IMHO. Just make sure you know the Bernoulli equation and all of its applications (ie calculating PA pressures from given velocities, etc). Also make sure you understand Doppler fairly well. The main focus is on anatomy, hemodynamic assesments, ischemia, gross valvular abnormalities, and the names of the views. One of my attendings also let me borrow some videos from the 2010 SCA meeting that covered everything youd need to know and more. Honestly, if you get a good month of echoes in at your program you should do fine.

Unless they changed the exam drastically, it shouldn't be too bad. I still don't know why they changed the date to July though, as it makes it much more difficult for residents to take the exam.

 

[B-Bone]

Thanks dude! Good to hear from someone with firsthand knowledge

 

[Big Mac7]

Has anybody out there taken the basic TEE exam? I am taking it in July, and was wondering for a little guidance as to what might be covered. The outline provided on the NBE website is pretty vague ("basic hemodynamic calculations", "basic recognition of cardiac valve abnormalities", etc). I would love some practice questions, but the only books I have seen are for the advanced exam. I attended the SCA Echo course in San Diego this year, and I'm currently using e-echocardiography, the UToronto website, and David Sidebotham's book to prepare, as well as doing at least a few TEE's a week in the OR. I don't know what to expect on the exam, so I may be radically over or understudying; I just don't know. Anyone have any insights?

How many questions are on the Basic TEE exam and overall what book(s) give the best overview and preparation for passing???

 

[vector2]

Does anyone know if it's possible to sit for the test even if you didn't log 50 performed and 100 read? Obviously I wouldn't be able to get certified, but I had a strong echo experience in residency and I wouldn't mind being able to put testamur in basic on my CV.

 

[psychbender]

You can sit for either exam any time. The number of performed and read echoes comes into play when applying for certification. There's a program through ASA for basic TEE education, which is also supposed to count for the echoes you need to read, so you'd just need the echoes performed.

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