Hematology boards: to take or not to take?

[Meridian32]

I'm a 3rd year heme/onc fellow graduating this summer and am struggling with whether and when to take the hematology board exam. I've accepted an academic oncology-only job after graduation, so I won't need to be heme boarded for work. I also just took the ASH in-training exam, which reinforced how little I know about heme (it's crazy that I'll be considered heme fellowship trained in just a few months) and how much I'll need to study to pass the heme boards. Because of this, I'm struggling with whether to take the heme boards at all, and if so whether to take it in 2023 or delay to 2024 so I only need to take one board exam this year. I'm not sure I want to do academics long term, though, and if academic onc doesn't work out, it's possible that in 3-5 years I'll be looking for a community or hybrid heme/onc job. If that happens, I assume it would be helpful to be board certified in both heme and onc.

Am I correct in assuming that heme board certification would help if looking for a community or hybrid heme/onc job, or is it sufficient to be heme board eligible? If helpful to be heme board certified, is it better to take the heme boards in 2023 vs. fine to delay to 2024?

Thanks for your thoughts!

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[gutonc]

I've been hired for 2 community jobs being only Onc boarded (and only onc trained too). If you want to take the heme exam, that's fine, but it's also OK not to. Take it now, take it in 5 years if you really want to. The timing doesn't matter as long as you get at least one board cert in the timeline your job requires (for my current and future jobs, it's 3y from date of hire).

 

[caulfield830]

I'm a 3rd year heme/onc fellow graduating this summer and am struggling with whether and when to take the hematology board exam. I've accepted an academic oncology-only job after graduation, so I won't need to be heme boarded for work. I also just took the ASH in-training exam, which reinforced how little I know about heme (it's crazy that I'll be considered heme fellowship trained in just a few months) and how much I'll need to study to pass the heme boards. Because of this, I'm struggling with whether to take the heme boards at all, and if so whether to take it in 2023 or delay to 2024 so I only need to take one board exam this year. I'm not sure I want to do academics long term, though, and if academic onc doesn't work out, it's possible that in 3-5 years I'll be looking for a community or hybrid heme/onc job. If that happens, I assume it would be helpful to be board certified in both heme and onc.

Am I correct in assuming that heme board certification would help if looking for a community or hybrid heme/onc job, or is it sufficient to be heme board eligible? If helpful to be heme board certified, is it better to take the heme boards in 2023 vs. fine to delay to 2024?

Thanks for your thoughts!

JUST DO IT.
I think the cost of taking the test is quite minimal if you think about it, especially when you have done all the hem rotations.
Set a limited number of hours you are willing to commit (let's say 30-40 hours) right before the exam. So basically, cram for it. You're this far into this multiple-choice picking profession; you should be pro at cramming/test taking even though you are not aware that you are. Should you not pass it, so be it. Ask your employer to pay for the test. You could have wasted those 30 hours, but the upside is that you probably are a better solid onc doc who has more hem knowledge. You can easily waste 30 hours watching Netflix.

 

[QuizzicalApe]

A good proportion of my practice is only boarded in Onc. They still see basic heme stuff, just no delicate coagulopathy or similarly complex things. It is doable to be onc-only boarded in general practice, though some places would probably prefer you be dual boarded. It isn't really feasible to do general practice with heme boards alone.