Hospital Medicine MOC

[zeloc]

How does it work? For some reason on ABIM drop-down list of specialties, it is not listed as an option :Certification Exam Information | ABIM.org

However it seems there is an option to do a 10 yr exam: Hospital Medicine MOC Exam Dates | ABIM.org

I am looking at taking one of them for 10 yr recertification, are they 2 separate exams and presumably either one would qualify me to work inpatient for places where board certification is required?
What percentage of the regular IM exam is hospital medicine?

I practice both outpt and inpt.

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[zeloc]

So I guess it is an either/or choice: Official ABIM Exam/study tools thread!
Also found that it is not as simple as just signing up for the HM test, you have to be approved first which entails a certain number of patient encounters within the past 3 years plus getting a director or CMO to sign off on it. Which doesn't really make much sense. It sounds more like a way to advocate for and increase clout of hospitalists at the expense of other specialties.

 

[jm192]

You can do ABIM and that covers your board certification for everything. And if you continue to do outpatient, you'll need that. And then there's no point in doing the hospital medicine exam.

If you're doing inpatient only, i.e. full-time hospitalist, passing the exam will count you as board certified in internal medicine (with a designated focus in inpatient medicine).

The approval thing reads to me like it's black and white. You meet xyz criterial and they'll let you sit for it.

I don't think it's to give hospitalist more clout and I don't think it's taking away from other specialties. I think the goal is to let hospitalists take an exam on hospital medicine without a bunch of outpatient material.

 

[zeloc]

You can do ABIM and that covers your board certification for everything. And if you continue to do outpatient, you'll need that. And then there's no point in doing the hospital medicine exam.

If you're doing inpatient only, i.e. full-time hospitalist, passing the exam will count you as board certified in internal medicine (with a designated focus in inpatient medicine).

The approval thing reads to me like it's black and white. You meet xyz criterial and they'll let you sit for it.

I don't think it's to give hospitalist more clout and I don't think it's taking away from other specialties. I think the goal is to let hospitalists take an exam on hospital medicine without a bunch of outpatient material.

It discriminates against a lot of physicians. Many subspecialists practice as hospitalists. In addition, there are outpt providers, or combination outpt/inpt, that might also want to get a hospital medicine certification. Imagine an outpt provider who would score higher than the vast majority of full-time hospitalists on a hospital medicine exam. Now he is not eligible to sit for it, but the hospitalists can get a credential to put after their name and mislead everyone into thinking that they are more qualified.

 

[tantacles]

It discriminates against a lot of physicians. Many subspecialists practice as hospitalists. In addition, there are outpt providers, or combination outpt/inpt, that might also want to get a hospital medicine certification. Imagine an outpt provider who would score higher than the vast majority of full-time hospitalists on a hospital medicine exam. Now he is not eligible to sit for it, but the hospitalists can get a credential to put after their name and mislead everyone into thinking that they are more qualified.

But... presumably, aren’t the people who meet the criteria, I.e. people with a certain number of inpatient encounters, more qualified?

 

[jm192]

It discriminates against a lot of physicians. Many subspecialists practice as hospitalists. In addition, there are outpt providers, or combination outpt/inpt, that might also want to get a hospital medicine certification. Imagine an outpt provider who would score higher than the vast majority of full-time hospitalists on a hospital medicine exam. Now he is not eligible to sit for it, but the hospitalists can get a credential to put after their name and mislead everyone into thinking that they are more qualified.

I'm not sure what you're arguing.

I don't think the exam makes you any more qualified. I don't think people are flashing their "I passed a test credentials. I'm FM trained. I'm eligible for the test now, but won't take it. Unlike ABIM, it currently doesn't allow for me to take this exam in lieu of my ABFM boards. I don't feel that people will know I passed the test and think I'm smarter or pay me more money.

I actually think Fellow of SHM is probably more of a feather in the cap than this. This is an alternative to the ABIM exam if you're a hospitalist that doesn't do outpatient.

If you're an outpatient provider that does inpt as well--you should do the full scope ABIM exam. I don't know how you can argue that they should take it for board certification and still practice as outpatient. Doesn't matter if you get 100% on the test--you should still take the full ABIM exam.

 

[zeloc]

But... presumably, aren’t the people who meet the criteria, I.e. people with a certain number of inpatient encounters, more qualified?

Only in general, with plenty of exceptions in either direction.

If you're an outpatient provider that does inpt as well--you should do the full scope ABIM exam. I don't know how you can argue that they should take it for board certification and still practice as outpatient. Doesn't matter if you get 100% on the test--you should still take the full ABIM exam.

Well I don't believe one should be required to take a board exam at all - there are plenty of threads about that point and another senior member/moderator I believe, who has argued strenuously in favor of that point. But that is a separate discussion. My point here is that not that an outpt provider should be able to take the hospital medicine exam and not the full ABIM exam, the point is that they should be eligible to take the hospital medicine exam in addition, or in other words, anyone should be able to take whichever exams they want.

To the previous point, no one has shown that passing any of these exams makes one more qualified or is connected to any clinically relevant outcome. So one's practice is one's practice, whether outpt, inpt, or combination, and whatever their competence is. An exam is separate and measures whatever it is measuring. The only reason one would exclude a group from taking one of the exams is because it is meant to be a feather in one's cap.

 

[tantacles]

Only in general, with plenty of exceptions in either direction.

Well I don't believe one should be required to take a board exam at all - there are plenty of threads about that point and another senior member/moderator I believe, who has argued strenuously in favor of that point. But that is a separate discussion. My point here is that not that an outpt provider should be able to take the hospital medicine exam and not the full ABIM exam, the point is that they should be eligible to take the hospital medicine exam in addition, or in other words, anyone should be able to take whichever exams they want.

To the previous point, no one has shown that passing any of these exams makes one more qualified or is connected to any clinically relevant outcome. So one's practice is one's practice, whether outpt, inpt, or combination, and whatever their competence is. An exam is separate and measures whatever it is measuring. The only reason one would exclude a group from taking one of the exams is because it is meant to be a feather in one's cap.

Holy necrobump, batman.