My experience with Anesthesiology consultants

[TeslaCoil]

Ho demystifies the process. Before taking the exam I had no idea what to expect and thats how the ABA wants it.

Enter Dr. Ho.

I promise UBP does a very very good job of telling you exactly what to expect test day. Videos included. Their OSCE prep section was SPOT on.

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[GassYous]

Ho demystifies the process. Before taking the exam I had no idea what to expect and thats how the ABA wants it.

Enter Dr. Ho.

The ABA gives you a written outline of what the osce is exactly and the oral exam format isn't exactly a secret either.

 

[Gern Blansten]

The ABA gives you a written outline of what the osce is exactly and the oral exam format isn't exactly a secret either.

In addition, most residency programs spend a lot of time on prep for this exam. Board certification rate is a big part of how programs are “graded” so it behooves them to prepare their residents well. You have to try pretty hard to not know what to expect. However, even knowing the exact format and most of the content, it’s still the most difficult exam you’ll likely ever have.

 

[vector2]

In addition, most residency programs spend a lot of time on prep for this exam. Board certification rate is a big part of how programs are “graded” so it behooves them to prepare their residents well. You have to try pretty hard to not know what to expect. However, even knowing the exact format and most of the content, it’s still the most difficult exam you’ll likely ever have.

A bunch of people are making binary proclamations about whether one or one doesn't need to do an expensive course, but before making a decision people really do just need to read what you wrote.

Before plopping down thousands of dollars, ask yourself: Were you a good resident and/or fellow? Did you get a great variety of cases during your training at a true tertiary/quaternary center? Were your ITE scores good? Do you or did you do a lot of practice exams with strong academic faculty, particularly those who are board examiners? Do you have access to board certified anesthesiologists with whom you can practice? Are you a good speaker? Did you immediately sprout flop sweat and almost sht your pants every time you had to give an M&M in front of a big room?

If you look at those questions and you have the non-reassuring answer to a majority of them...then yeah, maybe doing the expensive ubp, job, or ho course may be for you. If not, just get the UBP books, memorize the answers but know that they are a guide and not verbatim as they are too long and detailed, do 6-10 full practice exams (preferably with BC faculty or examiners), and you'll be golden.

 

[OptionOffense]

I don't care how good of a resident you think you are or how great your cases were the fact of the matter is if you do not know how to take the exam or dont understand the objectives of the exam you may or may not do well. Now some people are ok with that chance. I was not. Residency programs are notoriously BAD at preparing people for this exam. They themselves do not understand the exam. SO sadly this is why the oral board exam courses are in business. Are there people who pass the exam going in cold w/o any prep? Sure. That stategy is ill-advised from my vantage point.

 

[rakotomazoto]

Residency programs are notoriously BAD at preparing people for this exam. They themselves do not understand the exam.

This varies widely based on where you went for residency. We had multiple current oral board examiners and they liberally administered mock orals and spent a lot of time working with the residents to prepare them. My experiences with them left me feeling confident that I would pass and I did. Walked out of the test center feeling better than on any other standardized test along the medical training journey.

Sorry that your experience was so negative, just wanted to throw out a different perspective. I honestly thought this was the easiest and most straightforward of the exams, rather than playing the multiple-choice trivia game that comprised most of the other exams. But as I said, I had good built-in prep along the way. Do whatever you need to do to pass, no one wants to have to go through the experience multiple times.

I actually also think I had the advantage of going straight into private practice, doing my own cases. It is legit much harder to pivot from pain fellowship and try to defend how you would manage a cardiac bypass case.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

My residency did a pretty good job preparing us. I took the Ho course anyway.

 

[Gern Blansten]

Are there people who pass the exam going in cold w/o any prep? Sure. That stategy is ill-advised from my vantage point.

The counter argument is not going in cold with no prep. The counter argument is preparing in residency and organizing your own board prep. As stated by others, many do a darn good job on their own.
It’s a calculated risk on your self assessment. Do you gamble that you’re set on your own (many are) or do you buy an expensive “partial” insurance policy (because no course has a 100% pass rate for attendees)? That is the real question. You don’t get a do over…or you might…you hope you don’t get a do over.

 

[OptionOffense]

. The counter argument is preparing in residency and organizing your own board prep. As stated by others, many do a darn good job on their own.
It’s a calculated risk on your self assessment. Do you gamble that you’re set on your own (many are) or do you buy an expensive “partial” insurance policy (because no course has a 100% pass rate for attendees)? That is the real question. You don’t get a do over…or you might…you hope you don’t get a do over.

Again, whilst the residencies have good intentions, they are not equipped for some reason and the ABA by design does not do a good job in giving details on how to study for the oral exam. I think it is more than partially due to the fact that the emphasis is on the written and the written exam is not given until after you graduate so most people are out of residency almost a year sometimes 2 before having to worry about the orals.

 

[nimbus]

The counter argument is not going in cold with no prep. The counter argument is preparing in residency and organizing your own board prep. As stated by others, many do a darn good job on their own.
It’s a calculated risk on your self assessment. Do you gamble that you’re set on your own (many are) or do you buy an expensive “partial” insurance policy (because no course has a 100% pass rate for attendees)? That is the real question. You don’t get a do over…or you might…you hope you don’t get a do over.

I saw the course as insurance because I didn’t want to do it twice. And my speaking skills were not the greatest at that time. They’re still not 😂

 

[neutro]

A bunch of people are making binary proclamations about whether one or one doesn't need to do an expensive course, but before making a decision people really do just need to read what you wrote.

Before plopping down thousands of dollars, ask yourself: Were you a good resident and/or fellow? Did you get a great variety of cases during your training at a true tertiary/quaternary center? Were your ITE scores good? Do you or did you do a lot of practice exams with strong academic faculty, particularly those who are board examiners? Do you have access to board certified anesthesiologists with whom you can practice? Are you a good speaker? Did you immediately sprout flop sweat and almost sht your pants every time you had to give an M&M in front of a big room?

If you look at those questions and you have the non-reassuring answer to a majority of them...then yeah, maybe doing the expensive ubp, job, or ho course may be for you. If not, just get the UBP books, memorize the answers but know that they are a guide and not verbatim as they are too long and detailed, do 6-10 full practice exams (preferably with BC faculty or examiners), and you'll be golden.

disagree...with only 6-10 practice exams, the chances of passing this are extremely low.

 

[vector2]

disagree...with only 6-10 practice exams, the chances of passing this are extremely low.

Me and about 15 of my former resident and fellow colleagues who passed with a similar amount of practice disagree with your disagreement.

 

[neutro]

Me and about 15 of my former resident and fellow colleagues who passed with a similar amount of practice disagree with your disagreement.

you know thats not a true statement yourself. lol.

 

[GassYous]

disagree...with only 6-10 practice exams, the chances of passing this are extremely low.

I practiced about that many times

 

[vector2]

you know thats not a true statement yourself. lol.

Of course it is. You're generalizing your experience to every other anesthesiologist which is pretty damned silly.

 

[neutro]

Of course it is. You're generalizing your experience to every other anesthesiologist which is pretty damned silly.

No I'm not generalizing.
I also worked for an oral board company for a few years and examined candidates - what you're saying is simply not true. 6-10 exams wont even cover all the common tested topics.

 

[vector2]

No I'm not generalizing.
I also worked for an oral board company for a few years and examined candidates - what you're saying is simply not true. 6-10 exams wont even cover all the common tested topics.

You don't need a full mock oral for every single conceivable topic that could be tested. You need to do enough mocks to be familiar with the format and be comfortable speaking and responding.

And what I'm saying obviously is true because I've witnessed myself and literally a dozen other people pass after doing that much practice.

 

[OptionOffense]

You don't need a full mock oral for every single conceivable topic that could be tested. You need to do enough mocks to be familiar with the format and be comfortable speaking and responding.

And what I'm saying obviously is true because I've witnessed myself and literally a dozen other people pass after doing that much practice.

I can confirm that 6-10 is not enough practice. Sorry!

 

[jjm285]

I read the UBP books, Rapid Review, and did exactly one mock exam with one of my partners, who is not an oral board examiner. Felt good walking out and passed. And I was very average on ITEs, Basic, etc throughout training. Just another data point.

 

[OptionOffense]

I read the UBP books, Rapid Review, and did exactly one mock exam with one of my partners, who is not an oral board examiner. Felt good walking out and passed. And I was very average on ITEs, Basic, etc throughout training. Just another data point.

Standards are low nowadays

 

[JiPo]

No I'm not generalizing.
I also worked for an oral board company for a few years and examined candidates - what you're saying is simply not true. 6-10 exams wont even cover all the common tested topics.

So you are saying you can only pass the exam if you've done a run through of the exam before you take the exam? That's like saying you can't be an anesthesiologist without having seen every single pathology/case during residency.

Covering all the topics should not be the point of the mock orals. Would it work? Sure. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. The stems are literally the cases you will see in real life practice. Just answer how you would actually approach the case, but in a succinct manner that is appropriate for the exam. The phrasing of your answer is really what you need to learn from the mocks, and it does not take that many mocks to figure it out.

 

[OptionOffense]

So you are saying you can only pass the exam if you've done a run through of the exam before you take the exam?

Youre not really prepared. You can pass the exam, they pass anybody nowadays

 

[vector2]

Youre not really prepared. You can pass the exam, they pass anybody nowadays

Lol, gtfo. You and the other guy are shills or former shills for review courses. Doesn't change the fact that not everyone needs a course to pass.

 

[jjm285]

Standards are low nowadays

So if they pass anyone these days, including schmucks like me, why should anyone take a course? Isn't the ability to pass the exam the definition of being prepared for it?

 

[Gern Blansten]

Youre not really prepared. You can pass the exam, they pass anybody nowadays

You’re contradicting yourself. First, you say it’s impossible to pass without a prescribed number of mock exams. Now you say standards are low and anyone can pass.
You’re not exhibiting an understanding of the exam or the differences in candidates and their need for preparation to be ready to pass the exam. I know plenty who could walk into the exam and pass it with no mock exams because they are bright, confident, well-spoken, and know the subject matter well. There is absolutely no “one size fits all” for this exam. You’re trying to imply that there is and I think everyone knows that to be false.

 

[nimbus]

I think we can acknowledge that all the courses are pretty good. Some people don’t need them. Some people think they need them but don’t. Some people need them. I count myself in the 2nd or 3rd category. I might have passed without the course but felt like the course helped me. I knew the material but I would not describe myself as “confident and well spoken” at the time I took the exam.

 

[Beeftenderloin]

No I'm not generalizing.
I also worked for an oral board company for a few years and examined candidates - what you're saying is simply not true. 6-10 exams wont even cover all the common tested topics.

Your exuberant position on the issue makes a lot more sense now. I would have guessed you had stock in Ho’s course. But keep in mind, your experience is heavily biased toward people that for one reason or another, determined they needed extra help (poor ITEs, poor evals in training, poor public speaker, faculty straight up telling them they need to because their practice orals were ****). Lots of rockstars that you never saw because they determined they didn’t need it, and were right.

 

[OptionOffense]

You’re contradicting yourself. First, you say it’s impossible to pass without a prescribed number of mock exams. Now you say standards are low and anyone can pass.
You’re not exhibiting an understanding of the exam or the differences in candidates and their need for preparation to be ready to pass the exam. I know plenty who could walk into the exam and pass it with no mock exams because they are bright, confident, well-spoken, and know the subject matter well. There is absolutely no “one size fits all” for this exam. You’re trying to imply that there is and I think everyone knows that to be false.

If you do 6-10 exams and still pass doesn't mean you're prepared. You took a chance and passed. Good for you, I am happy for you. I know these courses and I know how they prepare candidates. I really dont care if anybody takes the course but what I do know is many people who do not take the course will be re-appearing again next year at a tremendous cost and on top of that they will be taking the course this time. Not to mention the delay on their coveted partnership spot.

 

[DocVapor]

I think we can acknowledge that all the courses are pretty good. Some people don’t need them. Some people think they need them but don’t. Some people need them. I count myself in the 2nd or 3rd category. I might have passed without the course but felt like the course helped me. I knew the material but I would not describe myself as “confident and well spoken” at the time I took the exam.

Should be /thread with this.

Agree with every word. Courses are good, because you have to work with the material, because you already paid for it. This is an advantage, because you gain experience and some knowledge. What else are these courses for?

Welcome!

 

[GASPER20]

I took the Ho course and passed. He was 100x harder than the real exam. I knew I was golden when he said he would pass me. His course is lecture based, which I liked, and filled in a lot of knowledge gaps in an organized fashion. It was definitely overkill but I didn't want to risk it. I went to a residency that had poor didactics and pretty much no mock orals. If you scored >50% on all your ITEs and did a good amount of mock orals during residency then you probably don't need Ho or a prep course. I would recommend at least doing mock orals with a real board examiner/Ho/etc to see where you stand

 

[MirrorTodd]

I think we can acknowledge that all the courses are pretty good. Some people don’t need them. Some people think they need them but don’t. Some people need them. I count myself in the 2nd or 3rd category. I might have passed without the course but felt like the course helped me. I knew the material but I would not describe myself as “confident and well spoken” at the time I took the exam.

Me to a T.

 

[Malyck]

So is the 2300 dollar 4 day crash course sufficient? Or is it necessary to get the 3800 dollar multimodal course?

 

[MirrorTodd]

So is the 2300 dollar 4 day crash course sufficient? Or is it necessary to get the 3800 dollar multimodal course?

I'd say it is sufficient if you are doing other things too like practice orals with board examiners. Personally, I would not gamble on JUST the 4 day crash course. I did find it very helpful, especially in my panicked, energy drink addled brain 3 weeks before the test.

 

[lvtwampanoag]

Hello,
I am a Regional Anesthesiology & Acute Pain fellow and took my Anesthesia oral board exam and passed.
I used Anesthesiology consultants to prepare for it and I can confidently say that it is such an amazing course, the videos were very helpful and the materials covered are very relevant and high yield.

Yes it’s not cheap but it’s worth every penny, it definitely played a big role in helping me pass the exam. I felt like it was a lot more like the real exam compared to the other courses out there.

Thank you to Dr. Ho who by the way personally contacted me by text and was available to answer any questions I had!
Highly recommend.

Please note that I’m not receiving any compensation for the review, I’m simply sharing my experience.

Agreed! BtwI’m super late posting, like a year but here we go:

Applied SOE course. Expensive course but worth it. I Recommend at least the 6 day course guarantee if you have social anxiety or public speaking problems; 3 day course and lower if you are solid but need to be humbled a bit (you will find out you are not that good). Do what Ho tells you and early, at least 6mo ahead of time. DO NOT READ THE TEXTBOOK sent to you ….only course videos. Your first videos and note cards should begin with critical events boot camp (extra $$ but worth it) then move to cam club then so on. Do at least one MOPS session; study buddy is hit or miss. Practice practice practice and more practice mocks will be the key even if extra $$$. Most examiners are pretty great. Now If you are looking for a life coach, Ho is not it. He’s not your best friend nor soft when he gives you feedback. All he cares about is you passing the exam and you being a good consultant. That’s the only thing you should care about when seeking a prep course.

 

[coffeebythelake]

disagree...with only 6-10 practice exams, the chances of passing this are extremely low.

eh, the test is about articulating ideas and having a reasonable rationale
some people are better at this than others
irrespective of their underlying knowledge base

 

[deleted1147063]

Me and about 15 of my former resident and fellow colleagues who passed with a similar amount of practice disagree with your disagreement.

You must have had a very good residency education. And I would never underestimate an anesthesiologist who's done a critical care fellowship (it takes certain qualities, including logic, good knowledge of medicine, and a good understanding of pathophysiology).

So I too would advise people to aim for 20+ mock orals, at least 5 with oral board examiners.

 

[Silo004]

You must have had a very good residency education. And I would never underestimate an anesthesiologist who's done a critical care fellowship (it takes certain qualities, including logic, good knowledge of medicine, and a good understanding of pathophysiology).

So I too would advise people to aim for 20+ mock orals, at least 5 with oral board examiners.

I think 10 is a good number, especially if you are doing them with former, current board examiners and working your way through the entirety of UBP. The exam is not meant to fail people. If you are prepared, you win

 

[neutro]

I can confirm that 6-10 is not enough practice. Sorry!

yea...it isn't. Nor do I believe that statement...it defies logic and it sets a dangerous precedent. It has nothing to do with articulation etc, as many excellent anesthesiologists I have worked with did not pass this exam due to its unique format.

Its like saying just because i did 6-10 arterial lines, i will absolutely nail every single one in the future.

FYI, based on my work with AC, there are a minimum of 15-20 topics that are very high yield for the oral exam that are tested throughout. You wont even cover it unless you do a whole lot.

Also, it is not possible for any resident to only do "6-10" oral mocks during residency as most residency programs have oral mocks built into their program throughout CA-1-CA-3 years with different expectations. If you're doing one every month for 3 years, thats already 30+...you should be somewhat prepared.

 

[neutro]

Your exuberant position on the issue makes a lot more sense now. I would have guessed you had stock in Ho’s course. But keep in mind, your experience is heavily biased toward people that for one reason or another, determined they needed extra help (poor ITEs, poor evals in training, poor public speaker, faculty straight up telling them they need to because their practice orals were ****). Lots of rockstars that you never saw because they determined they didn’t need it, and were right.

I don't have any "exuberant" positions, rather factual.
I have no stock in Dr. Ho's company - but he has been doing this for 25 years and in my opinion a sincere person and very experienced when it comes to boards.
I would follow his advice over any Tom, Dick and Harry. His material is very good. His textoids all well written and full of useful knowledge. Its a good immersion of knowledge.
Secondly, you are acting like anesthesiologists are some God's given gift to earth. No. I will contend that during hospital credentialing committee reviews they are the weirdest and typically have a history that needs investigation. Anesthesiologists require the most sorting out interestingly.
Yeah...definite "rockstars". You have "specialty bias" written all over your posts.
Please stop glorifying yourself and your colleagues just because you did or happen to do well in one exam. It could be a fluke. It does not mean anything.
Being an anesthesiologist is far more than passing the oral boards but it's an important professional checkmark in our careers.
No one is selling the program, rather reviewing whats out there. You don't need it - great, ignore the post and move on. If you think it may be helpful, go ahead compare all three and pick the one you like and good luck to you.

 

[coffeebythelake]

I don't have any "exuberant" positions, rather factual.
I have no stock in Dr. Ho's company - but he has been doing this for 25 years and in my opinion a sincere person and very experienced when it comes to boards.
I would follow his advice over any Tom, Dick and Harry. His material is very good. His textoids all well written and full of useful knowledge. Its a good immersion of knowledge.
Secondly, you are acting like anesthesiologists are some God's given gift to earth. No. I will contend that during hospital credentialing committee reviews they are the weirdest and typically have a history that needs investigation. Anesthesiologists require the most sorting out interestingly.
Yeah...definite "rockstars". You have "specialty bias" written all over your posts.
Please stop glorifying yourself and your colleagues just because you did or happen to do well in one exam. It could be a fluke. It does not mean anything.
Being an anesthesiologist is far more than passing the oral boards but it's an important professional checkmark in our careers.
No one is selling the program, rather reviewing whats out there. You don't need it - great, ignore the post and move on. If you think it may be helpful, go ahead compare all three and pick the one you like and good luck to you.

To further elaborate my previous post,

I think it helps to think about what they are actually trying to test on the oral boards. Knowledge, yes but that isn't really the emphasis. More importantly it is the ability to make a decision decisively and to thoughtfully articulate the reason why. I believe some people are naturally better at this than others. But this is a skill we are meant to learn during our residency training. After all we need to be able to make these decisions "when seconds matter". I also believe that a solid residency training should provide solid ground to approach these difficult oral boards scenarios. We've heard time and time again, those people who struggle with the oral boards are those who just can't make up their minds or can't concisely elucidate their thoughts. Or are too taken in by the high pressure stakes of the examination and blank out. Or make a silly judgement error and then spend the rest of their exam worrying about it when they should just move on. And then there are those people who think they can just "wing it" without understanding the specific format of oral boards.

For some people the oral boards prep course helps give them the focus or perhaps an experienced individual to practice talking through mock orals with. Not everyone works at a place where they have a study partner or a board examiner to practice with. Not everyone who takes the oral boards is fresh out from residency training and the variety of cases that might be presented. I agree that exposure is important. To "get a feel" for the format and the potential pitfalls. I did not feel I needed a prep course. I recognized the oral boards as a "psychological game". I spent about 3 weeks studying for this exam and did about 5 mock orals with fellow new grads in my class. I felt reasonably OK going into this. I knew when one of the board examiners looked disinterested and wouldn't make eye contact that it was meant to "throw me off". I steered myself into a CICV scenario to demonstrate my knowledge of the algorithm. I said "I don't know" more times that I would like but they were questions I doubt very many people would know. Still I passed.