LLSA

[Pinner Doc]

Did a search, and this topic hasn't come up in a couple of years, so....

How exactly is this done? You pay a company (there are multiple?) for the reading materials and the tests? Or the tests are only through ABEM? Can anyone recommend a company they go through?

My "cohort" has to pass 4 LLSA tests before 2017. Does that mean I can take 2014-2017? (As in, those tests should be available to me?)

Thanks for helping a floundering newbie attending.

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[Daiphon]

Did a search, and this topic hasn't come up in a couple of years, so....

How exactly is this done? You pay a company (there are multiple?) for the reading materials and the tests? Or the tests are only through ABEM? Can anyone recommend a company they go through?

My "cohort" has to pass 4 LLSA tests before 2017. Does that mean I can take 2014-2017? (As in, those tests should be available to me?)

Thanks for helping a floundering newbie attending.

It's done through ABEM; don't pay anyone else.

After you're board certified, you'll have a link to the MoC page on your personal ABEM page.

You log in, pay the tithe, then take the test.

They will provide PDFs of the articles so that you don't have to hunt them down (and run the risk of your employer not having access to a particular journal).

And yes, if your cohort only needs 4 before you recert, then you can take whatever 4 you want.

Cheers!
-d

 

[Pinner Doc]

Thanks, @Daiphon . I was confused because old threads talked about different services that provided CME, etc.

 

[WilcoWorld]

Thanks, @Daiphon . I was confused because old threads talked about different services that provided CME, etc.

You can pay people to spoon feed you the stuff. It'll save you a little time, but it's far from necessary, and that's not even where the CME comes in. ABEM will give you CME for your efforts for an extra fee.

 

[dchristismi]

You can pay a fee (it's about $30) to ABEM when you register for the LLSA and get 15 or so CMEs directly from ABEM. Don't bother with a "course." ACEP also has all the articles for members, and it's open book, so you just look things up as you go. The tests don't really take that much time. I basically download all the articles, and flip through the PDFs while taking the test. It isn't as bad as it sounds, and is more annoying than anything. And sometimes, you might learn something. But not much, IME.

 

[Venko]

I have done the last set with two friends. It was quick and less painful than otherwise. I agree no need to pay for any review materials etc...

 

[MasterintuBater]

Agree. I bought the EBMedicine "spoon feed" version and they weren't needed. Wouldn't buy them again but CME account paid for them and got plenty of CME for using them.

 

[RustedFox]

Forgive me if this sounds dense, but:

Where do we get these .PDF files of the required articles? I'm looking on the "reading list" page, and nothing seems to be hyperlinked (or at least discernably so).

 

[emergentmd]

ABEM and their requirements are a huge scam. Adding all of these PI, LLSA, etc is just a money grab. One more Recert and I am through doing any more tests with them

 

[RustedFox]

ABEM and their requirements are a huge scam. Adding all of these PI, LLSA, etc is just a money grab. One more Recert and I am through doing any more tests with them

I agree; but that doesn't help me find these articles with any real facility. Anybody got the 2016/2017 set ?

 

[emergentmd]

I agree; but that doesn't help me find these articles with any real facility. Anybody got the 2016/2017 set ?

You actually read the articles? Google is your friend. Type in the question and most of the answers will pop up.

I don't think I have ever changed my practice from doing an LLSA article.

 

[brk81144]

The tests themselves aren’t hard at all. The fact that they charge you $100 dollars is the hard part. I cranked through 2016-2018 on a slow night shift without too much effort

 

[deleted109597]

I agree; but that doesn't help me find these articles with any real facility. Anybody got the 2016/2017 set ?

Scihub should have everything you need. Researchgate might also. Or as others mention, google.

 

[GeneralVeers]

Hypothetically if one wanted to do so, the answers to all the tests are easily found in slide summaries on the internet for free. That is purely hypothetical of course.

 

[Angry Birds]

More highway robbery is what this is.

 

[arandazzo88]

Go to the source. ABEM all the way.

 

[Old_Mil]

Did a search, and this topic hasn't come up in a couple of years, so....

How exactly is this done? You pay a company (there are multiple?) for the reading materials and the tests? Or the tests are only through ABEM? Can anyone recommend a company they go through?

My "cohort" has to pass 4 LLSA tests before 2017. Does that mean I can take 2014-2017? (As in, those tests should be available to me?

You should be able to go back a year or two max. There are a few ways to do the LLSA.

1. The hard way: actually download all the articles in question, go over them with two different color highlighters in exquisite detail, hope you pick up on the testable points, take the test.

2. The vegas way: log in, take the test, see what you miss, read the articles focusing on what was asked, and take the test again.

3. The smart way: EM:Prep - Center for Medical Education - let's you learn what you need to know, then take the test.

I actually like the LLSAs because they do a pretty good job of keeping you up to date on what's going on in the field and I think annual testing is a fair burden to maintain board certification.

There's also the "practice improvement project", which is getting to be an increasingly onerous burden in a field where your corporate masters want you to show up, shut up, move the meat, and go home without trying to fiddle with the system they have set up.

The ten year retest, I'm not a fan of.

My recommendation is that everyone who is currently ABEM boarded also get boarded through the NBPAS

https://nbpas.org/

It's a valuable check and balance on ABMS in much the same way that AAEM is on ACEP (and hopefully given the latest developments, a replacement for ACEP).