Board Eligibility Expired, Plan for Supervised Practice?

[solutely4]

Hi all,
I know that there have been similar threads (most of them are a few years old) and I don't want to beat this to the ground but here goes....
I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't had much luck with the Peds Boards. Yup, I studied, studied a LOT, went through coaching, group study, seminars, therapy (I thought something was really wrong with me and maybe there is but they just put up their hands)...anyway, each time I thought I got it, I finished on time, weeded out the distractors (I thought I did). I felt ok (never super confident). Yes, each time, I said just maybe I passed but I didn't. Heart breaking, embarrassing and depressing to say the least. No, didn't have issues with the USMLEs.
Been trying to get into supervised practice and I kind of have my foot in the door to do the supervised practice. They require you to find and pay for your own malpractice (I think it's about 20-30k). Yes, I could use that money to pay my medical school loans but will need to pay for malpractice instead. The supervised practice, Yes, it's like being a resident again as they want you to do resident work. The ABP clearly states that there can be a part-time accommodation for personal needs, but this fissure of a door seems to frown upon the 'personal needs' or 'part-time' that I've humbly requested (for personal needs, I don't want to bore you with details).
Been looking for jobs that hire non-boarded physicians (Pediatricians), not very successful. I love being a Pediatrician, love the job I have right now but they will have to let me go in the next few months if I don't do the supervised practice. But I will have to dish out money for malpractice and take time off. Not impossible but very difficult!
I'm no spring chicken and have thought about all the alternatives. I just can't let this go. What if with the supervised practice (7 more years of eligibility), I still don't pass? I've met someone who took the boards for about 10X and was still unsuccessful. He was brilliant but somehow didn't pass. Weird, huh? Does this happen in other specialties? 7 years later, I'm older and I need to start residency all over again? What? How?
Things don't seem to get easier (why would they?). I want to be Board Certified. The web has become the magnifying glass for many to check if your **** is in order. You can find anything you want. On another note, there are articles on the web writing "Why I would never go to a Non-Certified Physician" yet you have other articles stating that the difference between Non vs. Certified isn't that different (I think it was US News). I know that it has a lot to do with malpractice and insurance reimbursement.
Yet, there are jobs for EM Physicians that will hire even if they are non-boarded. Call me crazy but isn't that bizarre? How can that be?
I'm not complaining and it's not like 'boo hoo, poor me' (I hope it doesn't sound like it) but there's a lot at stake and I'm trying but feel that even if that crevice opens, it doesn't mean everything will be all right.
My question to you all is what would you do? Do any of you know of any jobs out there for non-boarded pediatricians? Would you go into research and take about 1/2 cut in salary?
I figured I needed to write this even if I don't get a response before my head fires up like the kid in the incredibles.
Lastly, I'm glad there's this Student Doctor Network. Some of the forums/blogs are great. Thanks for reading this and if you respond, Thanks for taking the time to do so!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[MEN2C]

I don’t have any specific advice but I’m sorry this is happening to you. I wish you all the best. Keep your chin up.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Hi all,
I know that there have been similar threads (most of them are a few years old) and I don't want to beat this to the ground but here goes....
I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't had much luck with the Peds Boards. Yup, I studied, studied a LOT, went through coaching, group study, seminars, therapy (I thought something was really wrong with me and maybe there is but they just put up their hands)...anyway, each time I thought I got it, I finished on time, weeded out the distractors (I thought I did). I felt ok (never super confident). Yes, each time, I said just maybe I passed but I didn't. Heart breaking, embarrassing and depressing to say the least. No, didn't have issues with the USMLEs.
Been trying to get into supervised practice and I kind of have my foot in the door to do the supervised practice. They require you to find and pay for your own malpractice (I think it's about 20-30k). Yes, I could use that money to pay my medical school loans but will need to pay for malpractice instead. The supervised practice, Yes, it's like being a resident again as they want you to do resident work. The ABP clearly states that there can be a part-time accommodation for personal needs, but this fissure of a door seems to frown upon the 'personal needs' or 'part-time' that I've humbly requested (for personal needs, I don't want to bore you with details).
Been looking for jobs that hire non-boarded physicians (Pediatricians), not very successful. I love being a Pediatrician, love the job I have right now but they will have to let me go in the next few months if I don't do the supervised practice. But I will have to dish out money for malpractice and take time off. Not impossible but very difficult!
I'm no spring chicken and have thought about all the alternatives. I just can't let this go. What if with the supervised practice (7 more years of eligibility), I still don't pass? I've met someone who took the boards for about 10X and was still unsuccessful. He was brilliant but somehow didn't pass. Weird, huh? Does this happen in other specialties? 7 years later, I'm older and I need to start residency all over again? What? How?
Things don't seem to get easier (why would they?). I want to be Board Certified. The web has become the magnifying glass for many to check if your **** is in order. You can find anything you want. On another note, there are articles on the web writing "Why I would never go to a Non-Certified Physician" yet you have other articles stating that the difference between Non vs. Certified isn't that different (I think it was US News). I know that it has a lot to do with malpractice and insurance reimbursement.
Yet, there are jobs for EM Physicians that will hire even if they are non-boarded. Call me crazy but isn't that bizarre? How can that be?
I'm not complaining and it's not like 'boo hoo, poor me' (I hope it doesn't sound like it) but there's a lot at stake and I'm trying but feel that even if that crevice opens, it doesn't mean everything will be all right.
My question to you all is what would you do? Do any of you know of any jobs out there for non-boarded pediatricians? Would you go into research and take about 1/2 cut in salary?
I figured I needed to write this even if I don't get a response before my head fires up like the kid in the incredibles.
Lastly, I'm glad there's this Student Doctor Network. Some of the forums/blogs are great. Thanks for reading this and if you respond, Thanks for taking the time to do so!

I don't know what you mean by "go into research and take about 1/2 cut in salary". You can't use research as a backup to anything. Now, that being said, what about industry? Many pharmaceutical companies will hire MDs without board certification (or even residency) and hire them in a medical capacity. Not seeing patients of course, but medical writing specifically and networking.

On the other hand, if being a Pediatrician is all you want, then I think their is little option but to go threw the ropes and do the supervised practiced and make yourself re-eligible. Saying this though, there seems to be something specific about the boards that is difficult for you. It is a certain subset of questions? Is it the test taking ability? I don't know, but what I can say is despite the ABPs false belief that supervised practiced will teach you something (maybe, maybe not), the one thing it won't teach you is how to take a test.

Other options that you could look into and I won't claim to know the answer but have you looked into jobs through Doctors without Borders or USAjobs.gov. Also, it may not be of your taking, but I don't know what the board requirements are in the military. Maybe these options aren't interesting or palatable, but maybe worth looking into.

 

[Dr. Wexler]

My question to you all is what would you do? Do any of you know of any jobs out there for non-boarded pediatricians?

Sorry you are in this situation.

I would not do the supervised practice. Unless your current job is willing to take you back/keep you on when you're done it.

You'll be board-eligible but without much hope of becoming BC (if you've failed multiple times, no reason to think you'll pass the next time you take it). You will not be treated as equals with people who are BE merely because they have not taken the exam.

I would:
-find a job that does not require you to be BC/BE...this would be an undesirable job(possibly doing ged med not peds)...think IHS, prison medicine, very rural, insurance physicals. Basically a job where they cannot find a BE doc.
-do another residency (FM, psych, path, prev med) assuming you have reason to think you could pass the boards in one of those specialties

The pass rate for the ABP exam is not 100%. (If it was the test would mean nothing.) So you are not alone.

 

[MEN2C]

The pass rate for the ABP exam is not 100%. (If it was the test would mean nothing.) So you are not alone.

I don't know about that. Maybe residency is really good at preparing people to be pediatricians. I don't think keeping a pass rate at 70% or 80% or 95% means anything - if the test is supposed to figure out if you're a competent pediatrician, then that's what it should test. Even if it means a 100% of people pass (or if only 25% of people pass). Of course, in reality, that's not true and we all cram for things on exams like this which we all know we will promptly forget, and which have absolutely no bearing on the care we provide to our patients.

 

[Dr. Wexler]

I don't know about that. Maybe residency is really good at preparing people to be pediatricians. I don't think keeping a pass rate at 70% or 80% or 95% means anything - if the test is supposed to figure out if you're a competent pediatrician, then that's what it should test. Even if it means a 100% of people pass (or if only 25% of people pass). Of course, in reality, that's not true and we all cram for things on exams like this which we all know we will promptly forget, and which have absolutely no bearing on the care we provide to our patients.

Don't get me wrong, I think the board cert and moc processes in pediatrics are broken.

However, I stand by my statement that a test with a 100% pass rate is meaningless. There are also meaningless tests that have less than a 100% pass rate. However, in the Venn Diagrams of (1)Tests with 100% Pass Rates and (2)Tests that Mean Something...there is no overlap.

ABP would have a much harder time taking your $ for the exam if everyone passed.

 

[MEN2C]

I am not arguing with you on a practical manner. I agree with you that in reality if a test existed where virtually everyone passed, it would be a difficult justification (*cough* Step 2 CS for US grads).

I am just saying that the purpose of a board exam shouldn't be to make sure
100% pass (or that less than 100% pass). It should be whether you are competent enough to practice medicine in that specialty.

 

[mvenus929]

I am not arguing with you on a practical manner. I agree with you that in reality if a test existed where virtually everyone passed, it would be a difficult justification (*cough* Step 2 CS for US grads).

I am just saying that the purpose of a board exam shouldn't be to make sure less than 100% pass (or that less than 100% pass). It should be whether you are competent enough to practice medicine in that specialty.

FWIW, ABP used to be a curved exam with like a 80% pass rate. They changed it about 6 years ago to be a more standardized test where, in theory, 100% of people could pass it. The pass rate still hovers around 80-85%.

Now, do I think that all the questions they ask are necessary for a general pediatrician to know? No. Does passing boards make you a good general pediatrician? No.

 

[shepardsun]

I haven't practiced peds in a year now and it's crazy how much I've forgotten- to the point where I think it would be almost dangerous for me to pick up some urgent care or hospitalist shifts or something without serious refresher study, and that's less than a year after passing boards. I also seem to remember the exam containing little practical stuff and tons of abstract/developmental minutiae that nobody really needs for general practice anyway, so I am solidly on the side of "money grubbing hoop to jump through with little real world relevance."