BCIDP

[gtg345x]

Has anyone used High Yield Med Reviews to study for the BCIDP exam? How do they compare with ASHP/ACCP?

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[sadface]

I’m curious about this too. It doesn’t look like there’s a review book available like I used for bcps, but that’s all I want..

 

[lv00]

I purchased the accp material. Is this enough to pass bcidp?

 

[sadface]

I purchased the accp material. Is this enough to pass bcidp?

Sorry I haven’t taken it yet. Did the ACCP material come with a workbook similar to bcps? I think it does but just can’t buy it separately? I imagine I will study the IDSA guidelines too.

 

[A101Dal]

I am taking it next week and I used both the ACCP and High Yield Med Reviews. I thought the ACCP was more complete and up to date. Some of the HYMR is pretty dated. I do like their Q bank, though.

I'll try to remember to advise which one was more helpful when I take it, I was actually hoping for some tips and insights here!

The ACCP material comes with a "workbook" but I bought the book in 2019 because I thought I would take it then and I didn't, then COVID hit. Anyway, I liked the 2019 book better. It was an actual book. This is individual handout chapters you have to download and print. It also comes with lectures and audio you can download and a practice exam. You can use the audio lectures in your car or whatever.

High Yield is lectures (they are shorter and less in depth, but do hit the high points) and a test bank. There's no book (which is one thing I really liked about their BCPS material, but apparently they don't give it now. They have an ebook, but it's hard to use) and no way to download the lectures.

 

[A101Dal]

After just having taken it, neither one of them covered even half of what was on it. The older, 2019 ACCP book covered most, but since they omitted a lot, I just figured it was probably not applicable. I also bought Stat Pearls, and from what I did of them, the questions were actually better, but I didn't finish most of them because I thought they were going over stuff that wasn't in ACCP or HYMR, so it was a waste of time.

Or you could watch old epsiodes of House, MD. That's about how it went, lol.

At least I can say that I couldn't have studied harder. I can recite the ACCP lectures pretty much word for word.

 

[gtg345x]

After just having taken it, neither one of them covered even half of what was on it. The older, 2019 ACCP book covered most, but since they omitted a lot, I just figured it was probably not applicable. I also bought Stat Pearls, and from what I did of them, the questions were actually better, but I didn't finish most of them because I thought they were going over stuff that wasn't in ACCP or HYMR, so it was a waste of time.

Or you could watch old epsiodes of House, MD. That's about how it went, lol.

At least I can say that I couldn't have studied harder. I can recite the ACCP lectures pretty much word for word.

Took it last Thursday. So many off the wall questions. I studied so hard and walked out of it wondering what happened. I ended up using the ACCP material - and I have no idea how I could have studied any harder. At least I think I got the stats questions!

 

[A101Dal]

Took it last Thursday. So many off the wall questions. I studied so hard and walked out of it wondering what happened. I ended up using the ACCP material - and I have no idea how I could have studied any harder. At least I think I got the stats questions!

I'm with you. As I said, I practically knew the ACCP material by recall. I've listened to the lectures about a million times (I even know the exact point where Kevin says "****" as he pauses because his wife breaks into the recording) and I've programmed the practice questions from the chapters and the test into Anki and been doing 50 questions a day for months. I didn't use HYMR as much (but I've done those question sets 4 times and made 90% the last time), but that's only because it was all overlap.

The things I missed I would have missed no matter how many times I went over both, because they weren't in anything I studied. Some of them I was vaguely aware of, so who knows. I'll take it again. I've already started making notes on some of the areas I was lacking.

The next exam has a shift in domains though: more domain one(70% I think) and less of the other two. So, the stats won't save us for the next one,if we have to retake.

 

[sadface]

Thank you both for the insight. I’m debating if I want to spend all the money on the materials and the exam since I have bcps anyway. Discouraging if there’s a lot of stuff not even in the prep materials..

 

[gtg345x]

I'm with you. As I said, I practically knew the ACCP material by recall. I've listened to the lectures about a million times (I even know the exact point where Kevin says "****" as he pauses because his wife breaks into the recording) and I've programmed the practice questions from the chapters and the test into Anki and been doing 50 questions a day for months. I didn't use HYMR as much (but I've done those question sets 4 times and made 90% the last time), but that's only because it was all overlap.

The things I missed I would have missed no matter how many times I went over both, because they weren't in anything I studied. Some of them I was vaguely aware of, so who knows. I'll take it again. I've already started making notes on some of the areas I was lacking.

The next exam has a shift in domains though: more domain one(70% I think) and less of the other two. So, the stats won't save us for the next one,if we have to retake.

Let me know if you end up retaking, would be happy to study together. I sent you a message.

 

[PharmDee614]

Joining the BCIDP thread. I took the exam 3 weeks ago and wanted to say hello!

 

[A101Dal]

Thank you both for the insight. I’m debating if I want to spend all the money on the materials and the exam since I have bcps anyway. Discouraging if there’s a lot of stuff not even in the prep materials..

I will say just studying the ACCP material, I learned a whole lot. I actually do feel like I enhanced some areas I'm lacking. I'm in an ICU, so there are some ID aspects that I'm the go to for, but others that I never see. Our ICU is attached to an ER and I do get oddball questions every now and again, and I feel like I will have a much better idea about most of the ID ones now. There are a few things that I've been telling myself I need to study up on for years, but never got around too (like HIV. I don't see a lot of that, but occasionally). I'm ashamed to say that I was also pretty lacking on the lab side of things, and studying for this, I know a lot more about that now. It's actually come in handy to know the lab stuff since I've studied it. Did it come in handy on the test?There was a question or two, but probably not. Ha.

I feel like I learned a lot, even if the $600 was a waste.

 

[sadface]

I will say just studying the ACCP material, I learned a whole lot. I actually do feel like I enhanced some areas I'm lacking. I'm in an ICU, so there are some ID aspects that I'm the go to for, but others that I never see. Our ICU is attached to an ER and I do get oddball questions every now and again, and I feel like I will have a much better idea about most of the ID ones now. There are a few things that I've been telling myself I need to study up on for years, but never got around too (like HIV. I don't see a lot of that, but occasionally). I'm ashamed to say that I was also pretty lacking on the lab side of things, and studying for this, I know a lot more about that now. It's actually come in handy to know the lab stuff since I've studied it. Did it come in handy on the test?There was a question or two, but probably not. Ha.

I feel like I learned a lot, even if the $600 was a waste.

My overall goal is definitely to learn.. but I can’t lie and say the added qualifications aren’t attractive 😉

 

[PharmDBro2017]

How is the study material for BCIDP vs the BCPS ID chapters?

 

[Drakulie]

For those of you that took the exam, did any of you taken both BCIDP and BCCCP ? which one is more difficult to pass ?

 

[ICUPharm]

Hi all. I took the BCIDP exam this May and will echo the sentiments above. The exam was extremely poorly written with numerous random questions not reflective of the "meat and potatoes" of daily practice. To be honest, I was not really prepared as I've been making tons of OT pay working the COVID-19 vaccine clinics in addition to my normal gig in the ICU. Studying took a back seat. I only got through 25% of the material I wanted to, so take that with a grain of salt. However, it seems some of you were very well prepared and it did little good. That is very frustrating. On the flip side, what really matters is the learning process (not letters after your name), and you are already a better pharmacist for just studying and sitting for the exam. Barring some miracle, I fully expect to have to repeat the exam in the Fall and that's fine. They are changing the format. Last year I sat for the BCCCP in the Spring and the BCPS in the Fall and passed them both handily the first time. The BCIDP exam was just way harder then these two exams. In order of difficulty:
1. BCIDP (in a different league)
2. BCCCP
3. BCPS

The BCCCP and BCPS exams were challenging yet fair. The BCIDP exam was just silly. When you think of meaty topics that you encounter in major medical centers, very little of the exam questions covered that. I was shaking my head. Preparation wise, I used the ACCP/ASHP course combined with the Qbank from High Yield and Stat Pearls. Like I wrote above though, I wanted to prepare so much more, but the allure of OT pay was simply to great to resist. : )

 

[luke123]

I have to agree with you all. I studied the ACCP materials and I knew it like the back of my hand. I was disappointed when i saw the questions because they were so off the wall no studying would have really helped. I know of at least 3 questions I got wrong after taking the exam, I have a really good photo memory. I wont say what they were but I'm like, hopefully those didnt fail me. I dont want to take this again, as I said in another post. I am praying to god, jesus, krishna, RA, Yahweh, buddha, joe pesci.. to at least get a 500.

 

[Drakulie]

Hi all. I took the BCIDP exam this May and will echo the sentiments above. The exam was extremely poorly written with numerous random questions not reflective of the "meat and potatoes" of daily practice. To be honest, I was not really prepared as I've been making tons of OT pay working the COVID-19 vaccine clinics in addition to my normal gig in the ICU. Studying took a back seat. I only got through 25% of the material I wanted to, so take that with a grain of salt. However, it seems some of you were very well prepared and it did little good. That is very frustrating. On the flip side, what really matters is the learning process (not letters after your name), and you are already a better pharmacist for just studying and sitting for the exam. Barring some miracle, I fully expect to have to repeat the exam in the Fall and that's fine. They are changing the format. Last year I sat for the BCCCP in the Spring and the BCPS in the Fall and passed them both handily the first time. The BCIDP exam was just way harder then these two exams. In order of difficulty:
1. BCIDP (in a different league)
2. BCCCP
3. BCPS

The BCCCP and BCPS exams were challenging yet fair. The BCIDP exam was just silly. When you think of meaty topics that you encounter in major medical centers, very little of the exam questions covered that. I was shaking my head. Preparation wise, I used the ACCP/ASHP course combined with the Qbank from High Yield and Stat Pearls. Like I wrote above though, I wanted to prepare so much more, but the allure of OT pay was simply to great to resist. : )

I was told pass rate for BCIDP wasn't that bad, similar to BCCCP. if it is so much more difficult, how is this the case ? just wondering

 

[luke123]

I was told pass rate for BCIDP wasn't that bad, similar to BCCCP. if it is so much more difficult, how is this the case ? just wondering

I think he is referring to this years test. I am not sure how previous years exams were, but this one was very rough. Like we have been saying the questions came from left field and not what you would expect from a professional exam. Also, it had very little in terms of actual questions regarding the practice of pharmacy.

 

[ICUPharm]

I have to agree with you all. I studied the ACCP materials and I knew it like the back of my hand. I was disappointed when i saw the questions because they were so off the wall no studying would have really helped. I know of at least 3 questions I got wrong after taking the exam, I have a really good photo memory. I wont say what they were but I'm like, hopefully those didnt fail me. I dont want to take this again, as I said in another post. I am praying to god, jesus, krishna, RA, Yahweh, buddha, joe pesci.. to at least get a 500.

If you only know of 3 questions you got wrong then you did very well my friend. I can probably think of at least 20 I had no clue on......

 

[ICUPharm]

I think he is referring to this years test. I am not sure how previous years exams were, but this one was very rough. Like we have been saying the questions came from left field and not what you would expect from a professional exam. Also, it had very little in terms of actual questions regarding the practice of pharmacy.

Yes agreed. And who knows, maybe we are in the minority here on this thread, but I can't imagine that would be true. We will have to wait and see. One of my colleagues at work thought the exam was difficult too and she was very well prepared. Pretty sure she will pass though. Of all the questions we could remember that were odd, when we looked them up she got them right and I got them wrong. LOL.

 

[ICUPharm]

I was told pass rate for BCIDP wasn't that bad, similar to BCCCP. if it is so much more difficult, how is this the case ? just wondering

If you look at the stats that is pretty much true so I'm curious as to how this recent exams stats pan out. However, it could also be that I'm not really specialized in ID in the sense that I'm more of a critical care guy and just want to strengthen the ID component of my practice. I know that most people who take the ID exam are dedicated ID pharmacists. While I participate in daily ID stewardship rounds, my practice is critical care so ID is just one piece of the pie for me.

 

[Drakulie]

I think he is referring to this years test. I am not sure how previous years exams were, but this one was very rough. Like we have been saying the questions came from left field and not what you would expect from a professional exam. Also, it had very little in terms of actual questions regarding the practice of pharmacy.

i will bet you this year some Crazy anal retentive, BCPS, AQ ID people got together and tried to make sure they get their revenge on folks trying to get this by Exam.....

 

[Drakulie]

Hi all. I took the BCIDP exam this May and will echo the sentiments above. The exam was extremely poorly written with numerous random questions not reflective of the "meat and potatoes" of daily practice. To be honest, I was not really prepared as I've been making tons of OT pay working the COVID-19 vaccine clinics in addition to my normal gig in the ICU. Studying took a back seat. I only got through 25% of the material I wanted to, so take that with a grain of salt. However, it seems some of you were very well prepared and it did little good. That is very frustrating. On the flip side, what really matters is the learning process (not letters after your name), and you are already a better pharmacist for just studying and sitting for the exam. Barring some miracle, I fully expect to have to repeat the exam in the Fall and that's fine. They are changing the format. Last year I sat for the BCCCP in the Spring and the BCPS in the Fall and passed them both handily the first time. The BCIDP exam was just way harder then these two exams. In order of difficulty:
1. BCIDP (in a different league)
2. BCCCP
3. BCPS

The BCCCP and BCPS exams were challenging yet fair. The BCIDP exam was just silly. When you think of meaty topics that you encounter in major medical centers, very little of the exam questions covered that. I was shaking my head. Preparation wise, I used the ACCP/ASHP course combined with the Qbank from High Yield and Stat Pearls. Like I wrote above though, I wanted to prepare so much more, but the allure of OT pay was simply to great to resist. : )

Just one other question,, How long did you study for the BCCCP exam ? and did you pass?

 

[ICUPharm]

Just one other question,, How long did you study for the BCCCP exam ? and did you pass?

Yes I passed both the BCCCP and BCPS exam in 2020 and did very well on both. Studied about 6 months for the BCCCP exam with an average of 15 hours a week I'd say. I sputtered when COVID hit but then picked it up again. I studied much less for the BCPS. Probably 2 months. I didn't even get through everything I wanted but did fine based on my experience. I covered the stuff I was weak at.... (Pretty sure I got every single stats question correct on the BCPS exam). BCIDP was a rude awakening.

 

[Drakulie]

Yes I passed both the BCCCP and BCPS exam in 2020 and did very well on both. Studied about 6 months for the BCCCP exam with an average of 15 hours a week I'd say. I sputtered when COVID hit but then picked it up again. I studied much less for the BCPS. Probably 2 months. I didn't even get through everything I wanted but did fine based on my experience. I covered the stuff I was weak at.... (Pretty sure I got every single stats question correct on the BCPS exam). BCIDP was a rude awakening.

if you passed all 3 then you couldn't be certified in all 3, right. you can only be certified in 2. so it took 6 month of studying for BCCCP, that is alot, 2 hours of studying every single day. Do you usually work in ICU or had lots of ICU experience already ??

 

[PharmDBro2017]

if you passed all 3 then you couldn't be certified in all 3, right. you can only be certified in 2. so it took 6 month of studying for BCCCP, that is alot, 2 hours of studying every single day. Do you usually work in ICU or had lots of ICU experience already ??

There's a limit to how many active BPS certs one can have?

 

[Drakulie]

There's a limit to how many active BPS certs one can have?

Yes, only 2

 

[ICUPharm]

Yes, only 2

No. I know plenty of people triple board certified and some are even quad board certified. There is no limit but at a certain point it self corrects, because you simply aren't going to be practicing in psych when working ICU if you know what I mean.

 

[ICUPharm]

There's a limit to how many active BPS certs one can have?

No limit. But speaking for myself, even having two is a ton of work to keep up with.

 

[ICUPharm]

if you passed all 3 then you couldn't be certified in all 3, right. you can only be certified in 2. so it took 6 month of studying for BCCCP, that is alot, 2 hours of studying every single day. Do you usually work in ICU or had lots of ICU experience already ??

Yes, I can and will be certified in all three. They all complement my practice nicely. I've been a critical care pharmacist off/on for 19 years and most recently full time for 5 years (was part time prior to that and also did med surg, progressive care, oncology, NICU, etc.)

 

[Drakulie]

Yes I passed both the BCCCP and BCPS exam in 2020 and did very well on both. Studied about 6 months for the BCCCP exam with an average of 15 hours a week I'd say. I sputtered when COVID hit but then picked it up again. I studied much less for the BCPS. Probably 2 months. I didn't even get through everything I wanted but did fine based on my experience. I covered the stuff I was weak at.... (Pretty sure I got every single stats question correct on the BCPS exam). BCIDP was a rude awakening.

Can i ask you for big favor ? i really need to add BCCCP to my BCPS because i work in ICU alot. What is the best way to pass the BCCCP test ? and did you pass it by pretty good margin ? did you think it was really tough ? Can you help me ? Thank you so much in advance

 

[ICUPharm]

Can i ask you for big favor ? i really need to add BCCCP to my BCPS because i work in ICU alot. What is the best way to pass the BCCCP test ? and did you pass it by pretty good margin ? did you think it was really tough ? Can you help me ? Thank you so much in advance

The test was challenging yet fair. I did "ok" (score in the 690s). If you do both thec ACCP and ASHP review course you will be in good shape. Add the Qbanks from High Yield and Stat Pearls and you'll really be in good shape. Know your biostats/drug information inside and out (strive for a perfect score on that). The dedicated stats course by ACCP (5 hours) is FANTASTIC. If you do all this and study for 6 - 12 months you will pass no problem. Plus you will be a better pharmacist which is even more important. Start now and sit for the exam in Spring. You could also take it in the Fall. You might get lucky and you'll at least get a crack at it if you don't mind spending the money.

 

[PharmDee614]

I passed BCIDP and I am thrilled!!

 

[Drakulie]

I passed BCIDP and I am thrilled!!

did you think it was difficult ?

 

[ICUPharm]

I passed BCIDP and I am thrilled!!

Ditto. I was super happy.

 

[PharmDee614]

Ditto. I was super happy.

It's an awesome accomplishment! Congrats!!!

 

[PharmDee614]

did you think it was difficult ?

I found the exam random like what the others have said. I had my moments when I thought I may have not passed and other times I was certain that I had passed. I studied IDSA guidelines, CDC guidelines and Cancer guidelines for the transplant stuff. I honestly think my experience pulled me through, though. I have been an ID pharmacist since 2005. Back when I got my ID position right out of a pharmacy practice residency, BCIDP did not exist. I passed the BCPS exam in 2005 and passing the BCIDP was the icing on the cake...I wanted to make it publicly official that I am the ID/Antimicrobial Stewardship pharmacist at the hospital I work at =)

 

[Drakulie]

I found the exam random like what the others have said. I had my moments when I thought I may have not passed and other times I was certain that I had passed. I studied IDSA guidelines, CDC guidelines and Cancer guidelines for the transplant stuff. I honestly think my experience pulled me through, though. I have been an ID pharmacist since 2005. Back when I got my ID position right out of a pharmacy practice residency, BCIDP did not exist. I passed the BCPS exam in 2005 and passing the BCIDP was the icing on the cake...I wanted to make it publicly official that I am the ID/Antimicrobial Stewardship pharmacist at the hospital I work at =)

Why didn't you have the BCPS--AQ ID before ? Most of the ID specialists have this from my experience if they have been working in ID field for a long time. I also work in ID field but i am not a ID specialist per se. and i have alot of ID experience including stewardship experience. But i am bit worried about the Stats part of the exam. I am not sure if it is similar to BCPS exam or totally different speicific to ID ?? What is the best way to do extremely well in Statistics part ?? from what i know of the BCPS exam, doing really well in Stat area just makes it that much more easier to pass.

 

[ICUPharm]

Why didn't you have the BCPS--AQ ID before ? Most of the ID specialists have this from my experience if they have been working in ID field for a long time. I also work in ID field but i am not a ID specialist per se. and i have alot of ID experience including stewardship experience. But i am bit worried about the Stats part of the exam. I am not sure if it is similar to BCPS exam or totally different speicific to ID ?? What is the best way to do extremely well in Statistics part ?? from what i know of the BCPS exam, doing really well in Stat area just makes it that much more easier to pass.

Take the 5 hour stats class from ACCP. You'll be ready to handle anything after that.

 

[PharmDee614]

Why didn't you have the BCPS--AQ ID before ? Most of the ID specialists have this from my experience if they have been working in ID field for a long time. I also work in ID field but i am not a ID specialist per se. and i have alot of ID experience including stewardship experience. But i am bit worried about the Stats part of the exam. I am not sure if it is similar to BCPS exam or totally different speicific to ID ?? What is the best way to do extremely well in Statistics part ?? from what i know of the BCPS exam, doing really well in Stat area just makes it that much more easier to pass.

Good question. I had thought about taking the BCPS--AQ ID but life happens. I had a baby and as a new single mom, balancing my home life, work schedule, and my child's school schedule was enough for me at the time. I saw that the BCPS-AQ ID was on the way to phasing out when BCIDP was introduced in 2018 (? not 100% sure of the date) and I am at a point in my life when I had the time and resources to go for the BCIDP. I saw most ID/Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacists were BCIDP. With 15+ years of experience as an ID/AMS pharmacist, I wanted to solidify myself as an ID/AMS pharmacist.

 

[ICUPharm]

Take the 5 hour stats class from ACCP. You'll be ready to handle anything after that.

Also, read the book from ACCP. Then you are really ready! : )

 

[Beaver123]

Also, read the book from ACCP. Then you are really ready! : )

I have just ordered the book. Is that sufficient? Do you suggest getting both the lecture and the book?
How is the ACCP biostatistics lecture compared to the HYMR one? I felt that HYMR didn’t cover enough based on my BCCCP exam experience this Spring. I have to take it again in Fall.

 

[ICUPharm]

I have just ordered the book. Is that sufficient? Do you suggest getting both the lecture and the book?
How is the ACCP biostatistics lecture compared to the HYMR one? I felt that HYMR didn’t cover enough based on my BCCCP exam experience this Spring. I have to take it again in Fall.

The ACCP one is superior, but the HYMR lecture and Qbank is also solid. I do recommend the ACCP lecture in addition to the book because Larry Segars is the best professor I've ever encountered in my life and I'm 18 years out of school. He is simply an incredible teacher in so many ways.

 

[Beaver123]

The ACCP one is superior, but the HYMR lecture and Qbank is also solid. I do recommend the ACCP lecture in addition to the book because Larry Segars is the best professor I've ever encountered in my life and I'm 18 years out of school. He is simply an incredible teacher in so many ways.

Thank you!

 

[Drakulie]

I have just ordered the book. Is that sufficient? Do you suggest getting both the lecture and the book?
How is the ACCP biostatistics lecture compared to the HYMR one? I felt that HYMR didn’t cover enough based on my BCCCP exam experience this Spring. I have to take it again in Fall.

Which book did you order ? and also from my BCPS exam experience, what really helped in stats was practicing as many questions on Stats as possible, like stat questions related to journal articles, just practicing questions all day on stats help more than reading every paragraph in stats book and trying to memorize the terms and so on...

 

[ICUPharm]

ACCP - Store - Clinical Pharmacist's Guide to Biostatistics and Literature Evaluation, Second Edition

American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) - an international association of clinical pharmacists dedicated to optimizing drug therapy outcomes in patients by promoting excellence and innovation in clinical pharmacy practice, research, and education. ACCP information; membership application...

www.accp.com

Agreed about doing questions. FYI, click box above for book.

 

[Beaver123]

Are there a lot more questions in the QBank for BCIDP compared to the ID sections in BCCCP and BCPS in HYMR?

 

[ASP Pharm]

Hi! I know this is an old thread, but hoping someone that's taken the BCIDP can give some advice on the ACCP questions vs. real test. I found the accp questions confusing and honestly, could justify with literature more than one answer. So, I am wondering if the actual BCIDP exam is formatted this way too. Any tips from seasoned experts out there? Thx!