Bombed ASCO ITE - should I board in onc?

[WanderingBlast]

I’m a year 3 heme/onc fellow, headed into a BMT attending position next year. I have never been good at solid oncology. Nor have I particularly liked it. But I was told it can limit future job options to board in heme only. So I always planned to take both boards.

I recently got my ASCO ITE back and scored badly (7th percentile for my fellowship year). This is in part due to the fact that I haven’t started studying, and haven’t done any solid oncology clinics in over a year and a half. I also never seem to have gotten the hang of solid oncology in that way I did with heme malignancies. The majority of my clinical experience in fellowship has been in malignant and classical hematology and BMT.

I’m trying to decide if:
1) I should just single board in heme. My career path is presently academic BMT. If I end up tiring of academics I always thought I could move to a community-based/academic affiliated large practice that would allow me to focus on heme/BMT. I realize those jobs are rare, but I have seen that they do exist. I don’t know if not being onc boarded would limit my chances at such a position though.

2) Study hard and take onc boards this year (Nov), and heme boards next year (2024). The upside of this is I can use the minute breast/lung knowledge I’ve managed to hold on to. The downside is that I don’t know that 6 months of board studying before Nov will be enough to get me a passing onc score.

3) Take heme boards this year, onc boards next year. This approach will allow me to study for boards in a field actually applicable to my immediate practice. Which I suspect will be helpful for the initial adjustment to attendinghood. The downside is that I will need to specifically carve out time to study onc during this next year, and I might forget some of what I learned in solid onc clinics during fellowship.

I’m leaning towards #3 right now. But part of me also just wants to get onc over with. I’d appreciate any advice you all may have.

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[Beacopp665]

I am double board eligible, but pursued a career in academic classical hematology. Like you didn’t see any solid Onc in fellowship outside of a few months during my first year. I took Heme boards only, with the understanding that if academics doesn’t work out will need to scramble and take Onc to actually land a job somewhere. If academics is a good fit, perhaps I’ll never need it. Time will tell. Single boarded heme folks exist, but you have to weigh if you’re willing to accept the risk (and it is a risk).

Option 3 might be what I’d do in your situation too fwiw

 

[osprey099]

I would just study for ASCO and take the onc boards. You've completed a 3 year fellowship, why not just take what you deserve and get double-boarded? At this point in your life, you've taken enough high-stakes standardized tests (SAT, MCAT, Steps, shelf exams, ABIM, etc) to be a professional multiple choice test taker. You just set aside the time for several months and study enough to pass it, and then you're good for the next 10 years.

 

[gutonc]

I would do #2 in your case, but #3 isn't the wrong answer either. You bombed a test you didn't study for and haven't paid any attention to the material about in a year and a half. Not a real surprise there. 3-6 months of focused studying (you know how you study well for these tests so do that) and you should be fine.

 

[RainerMaria]

ITE is BS.
#2
Do Ravin Garg's Q bank two, maybe three times over. You'll know you've done it enough when you close your eyelids and you hallucinate answering questions about drug drug interactions and testicular cancer.

 

[HemeOncHopeful19]

I agree OP should just get it over with and take both.

I also think OP is the first person I've ever heard of who thought the ASCO ITE was worse than the ASH ITE

 

[CatFactorial]

I’m a year 3 heme/onc fellow, headed into a BMT attending position next year. I have never been good at solid oncology. Nor have I particularly liked it. But I was told it can limit future job options to board in heme only. So I always planned to take both boards.

I recently got my ASCO ITE back and scored badly (7th percentile for my fellowship year). This is in part due to the fact that I haven’t started studying, and haven’t done any solid oncology clinics in over a year and a half. I also never seem to have gotten the hang of solid oncology in that way I did with heme malignancies. The majority of my clinical experience in fellowship has been in malignant and classical hematology and BMT.

I’m trying to decide if:
1) I should just single board in heme. My career path is presently academic BMT. If I end up tiring of academics I always thought I could move to a community-based/academic affiliated large practice that would allow me to focus on heme/BMT. I realize those jobs are rare, but I have seen that they do exist. I don’t know if not being onc boarded would limit my chances at such a position though.

2) Study hard and take onc boards this year (Nov), and heme boards next year (2024). The upside of this is I can use the minute breast/lung knowledge I’ve managed to hold on to. The downside is that I don’t know that 6 months of board studying before Nov will be enough to get me a passing onc score.

3) Take heme boards this year, onc boards next year. This approach will allow me to study for boards in a field actually applicable to my immediate practice. Which I suspect will be helpful for the initial adjustment to attendinghood. The downside is that I will need to specifically carve out time to study onc during this next year, and I might forget some of what I learned in solid onc clinics during fellowship.

I’m leaning towards #3 right now. But part of me also just wants to get onc over with. I’d appreciate any advice you all may have.

I’m a BMT attending double boarded and did really poorly on my onc ITEs (Due to not studying at all). I watched the MDACC videos and did the hem onc qbank and passed.

If you’re doing BMT next year you’re not going to be doing benign heme, which you will need to study for because it’s not a small part of the heme boards.

Get the onc boards, you will be limited heme only

 

[Duke1K]

Similar situation as you - 10th percentile ASCO ITE versus 90th on ASH, but I haven't thought about solid onc in two years. I'm going with plan #3; I know I won't fail if I make time to study, and personally the period between ending my job search and starting as a new attending seems the best time for catching up on oncology. My primary mentor also keeps discouraging me from double boarding (he's single boarded heme), so I figure it's not a big deal as a BMT attending if you don't board in onc at all.