Oral Boards 2023

[2010CalBear]

Good luck!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Malyck]

Good luck to everyone

 

[IDKwhattodoyet]

PASS!!!!!!!!!!

Gonna go celebrate and write my study plan later!

Good luck everyone!

 

[ucladoc2b]

They are up. Good luck!

Edit: phew.

 

[SelinaS]

Passed!!!

 

[Tularemia-bunny]

All I can say is whewwww. So glad I passed and it’s over forever. Hallelujah

Also: UBP was so good. Doing those cases with a classmate really carried me through. Worth every penny!!

 

[Malyck]

Passssss

 

[Mehd School]

Passed. Feel numb. So incredibly thankful that the nightmare is over

 

[ucladoc2b]

Passed. Feel numb. So incredibly thankful that the nightmare is over

My blood pressure is certainly better.

My official ABA provided water bottle had a cartoon kitten on it insisting I was “purrfect.” I didn’t believe it. But I had to take whatever optimism I could find at that point.

I filled out the survey from the Hilton after the exam (I had no complaints). They sent me a thank you email saying they “looked forward to seeing (me) real soon.” I almost cried.

 

[easeofmind]

Today was in fact the day. Results came out at 9am

 

[DFARZ]

Hi has anyone asked for a rescore of the OSCE and been successful? I passed the SOE today and failed the OSCE. I studied for weeks for the OSCE, felt like i did very well on it and still got a failing score. Thanks in advance

 

[deleted875186]

Hi has anyone asked for a rescore of the OSCE and been successful? I passed the SOE today and failed the OSCE. I studied for weeks for the OSCE, felt like i did very well on it and still got a failing score. Thanks in advance

Haven’t heard of anyone requesting rescore. I have known people that didn’t pass OSCE and all pass the second time, it is an inconvenience though.

 

[DLorNoBalls]

I passed both portions by some miracle, I left that exam feeling like I was gonna have to pay the ABA to be tortured again. Almost regretted not using a course.

I felt I did very poorly on all the echo stuff and including both hands on and interpretation. I was blind sided by the second stem asking about stuff I hadn't studied very well, so I felt like I was pulling stuff out of my ass for the 2nd SOE stem.

Congrats to all, I'm SO glad it's over.

 

[2010CalBear]

I studied 6 weeks before test date and I felt I peaked after 3 weeks of exclusive UBP studying. I averaged maybe 2hrs daily. Last three weeks of studying felt more like maintenance than anything and lack of more improvement. I ended up going through UBP 3x and had every point nailed down. I obviously did not answer UBP style. Definitely answer categorical questions within the first five seconds and have an organized UBP style answer to follow as a backup in case they don’t move on to the next point and want more. I definitely filled the empty space with a comprehensive approach and felt I got through the exam with reasonable amount of time to spare, so much so that I felt they were asking zebras toward the end. I definitely felt UBP goes through enough zebras with a heavy emphasis on the high yield to either not stand out in a negative way or excel in the exam. The red book is also a great supplement for high yield (verbatim style) answers but is nowhere near the completeness of UBP.

My recommendation (minimum) is content review for 2 weeks using UBP followed by two weeks of grilling with board style scenarios. OSCE was an afterthought and I studied a pdf handed down through my residency program the day before. (I have an ultrasound heavy practice and so take the OSCE suggestion with a grain of salt)

Overall felt meh coming out of the test. Wasn’t a slam dunk pass (designed this way I feel) but also felt that there were maybe 1-2 questions that could’ve easily failed me had I not caught an error mid answer. In reality it’s tough to say how many errors one can make since the grading criteria includes more than the content of your answer. I’m glad it’s over. Sorry for those who have to retake this whole process. I get the merits of the test and I feel like a better consultant at the end, but damn this is the most useless accomplishment one can have **after you pass.

 

[Tularemia-bunny]

[QUOTE="2010Ca

Overall felt meh coming out of the test. Wasn’t a slam dunk pass (designed this way I feel) but also felt that there were maybe 1-2 questions that co I feel like a better consultant at the end, but damn this is the most useless accomplishment one can have **after you pass.[/QUOTE]

I feel the same way, it made me better for having done it. I had some knowledge gaps that it helped to clean up. I will say I went way way harder on the osce prep than it sounds like you did. I heard of a lot of people failing that last year. To me it’s a lot like step 2cs was. It’s not enough to know what they’re asking for the scenarios, a lot of it is how you play the game. I think any of us can ace the ultrasound station (aside from maybe the TTE if you don’t do a lot of those) but knowing the right keywords to win the game are important. Soooo glad I never have to do it again.

 

[Malyck]

I’m curious what the performance report will say

 

[ucladoc2b]

I guess I can get on board with the study planning.

I took several months. Really didn’t want to repeat this process. Turned out to be fortuitous because in the five weeks before my exam, I managed to injure my back in the gym, get food poisoning, get rear ended on my way to work, and finally got a bad cold, laryngitis, and sinusitis the week before. Luckily it cleared up two days prior and I got my voice back.

SOE: UBP (over and over again) with Up to Date reading. Almost all solo practice (or with my dog) out loud as much as possible. I’m sure some people thought I probably had lost my mind (well…maybe I slightly did). Did 5 formal exams with UBP, which were helpful. Also chased down the retired ABA stems and did those like real exams.

OSCE: UBP and ABA content outline. UBP was right on for the monitors section. Used U Utah Echo site as I didn’t have great training in TEE or TTE during residency. UBP OSCE content was also very helpful. Had a phased array probe at work, which I used to learn the POCUS stuff.

 

[Mehd School]

I ended up utilizing the UBP online course and recommend it highly. The answers, as everyone knows, are too long winded and detailed but the course gives great guidance and I feel gives you a good template to give succinct but thorough answers quickly. It was expensive but being one-and-done for this test is priceless. Ended up going through UBP twice. Also highly, highly recommend Yao and artusio if you have time. Like 6 months before the test. Not necessarily cover to cover, but to brush up on obvious weak points. And cannot emphasize enough the importance of verbalizing and practicing with a partner out loud.

 

[Malyck]

I’ll chime in:

Studied off and on for about 3-4 months was during the holidays so more off than on. Did some Ho email questions with a friend and some ABA stems. I signed up for UBP and did about 1/3 of the questions. I used Rapid Review oral boards and did like 75% of the book (highly recommended). I used some old Ho materials from a friend for content review (big textbook). I probably did about 40-50 practice cases with colleagues, wife, friends and UBP examiners (one of colleagues was former examiner).

OSCE was all UBP which was perfect.

If I could have done it over again I would have probably went with Ho (answers seemed more terse). UBP is comprehensive but the answers are too long and you won’t get time to spit it out. It was great for OSCE though. I also would have done more practice with some curveball questions like non content related rabbit hole questions to test adaptability.

 

[Tularemia-bunny]

I’ll chime in:

Studied off and on for about 3-4 months was during the holidays so more off than on. Did some Ho email questions with a friend and some ABA stems. I signed up for UBP and did about 1/3 of the questions. I used Rapid Review oral boards and did like 75% of the book (highly recommended). I used some old Ho materials from a friend for content review (big textbook). I probably did about 40-50 practice cases with colleagues, wife, friends and UBP examiners (one of colleagues was former examiner).

OSCE was all UBP which was perfect.

If I could have done it over again I would have probably went with Ho (answers seemed more terse). UBP is comprehensive but the answers are too long and you won’t get time to spit it out. It was great for OSCE though. I also would have done more practice with some curveball questions like non content related rabbit hole questions to test adaptability.

I agree about the UBP being too long, but I just kept the real deal short and sweet. Does anyone know if Dr. Ho's course has the same comprehensive OSCE stuff with the sample monitors? That was pretty key for my comfort level.

 

[ButterButter]

Took it this week and feel like garbage. The OSCE felt fair, and I think UBP was thorough in preparing for the patient scenarios and monitoring section. For the SOE, I felt good about one of the stems and felt that the questions and my examiners were pretty straight forward.

The second stem was a total disaster. A few topics out of left field that they just kept digging into (despite me saying I didn’t know after like the 3rd question). One of the examiners was pretty aggressive and really did a great job of highlighting every one of my content weaknesses, asking several follow up questions about a topic when it was obvious I didn’t know what I was taking about or was outright fumbling. I felt pretty good about the additional topics for both stems, for whatever that’s worth. I know everyone feels awful coming out of this exam, but it seems nearly impossible that I could have passed the SOE.

 

[ucladoc2b]

Took it this week and feel like garbage. The OSCE felt fair, and I think UBP was thorough in preparing for the patient scenarios and monitoring section. For the SOE, I felt good about one of the stems and felt that the questions and my examiners were pretty straight forward.

The second stem was a total disaster. A few topics out of left field that they just kept digging into (despite me saying I didn’t know after like the 3rd question). One of the examiners was pretty aggressive and really did a great job of highlighting every one of my content weaknesses, asking several follow up questions about a topic when it was obvious I didn’t know what I was taking about or was outright fumbling. I felt pretty good about the additional topics for both stems, for whatever that’s worth. I know everyone feels awful coming out of this exam, but it seems nearly impossible that I could have passed the SOE.

Pretty sure everyone feels like that. It’s the nature of the exam. I certainly felt horrible after mine. Everyone on that bus leaving the center was pretty shellshocked.

 

[easeofmind]

I’m curious what the performance report will say

We get a performance report? Or do you mean percentage of people that pass/fail overall at the end of the year.

 

[Reveler]

Anyone know if the SOE stem scores are averaged? Let’s say you do great on one and meh on the other, do they balance out? So much voodoo about how these things are graded.

 

[jon stewart]

for the POCUS part, do we have to lung POCUS, and if trying to find a pneumo are we supposed to like at multiple sites like some sources suggest? We have only like 2 mins or something?

 

[Reveler]

for the POCUS part, do we have to lung POCUS, and if trying to find a pneumo are we supposed to like at multiple sites like some sources suggest? We have only like 2 mins or something?

For the ultrasound station, you’re only acquiring images of what’s normal since they use standardized patients. I don’t know if anyone has had to acquire lung images (no one in my session/day had to), but lung images can show up in the monitoring section where they show TEE/TTE/lung ultrasound together with a case stem and ask what your diagnosis/management would be.

 

[2010CalBear]

Looks like this score report is only a congratulation letter.

 

[ucladoc2b]

Looks like this score report is only a congratulation letter.

I’m down to maintain my blissful ignorance

 

[jon stewart]

i feel like the more i prep for this thing the less i know, and i cant just pick a answer choice from some options...

 

[2010CalBear]

i feel like the more i prep for this thing the less i know, and i cant just pick a answer choice from some options...

i took a break when I felt I plateaued and picked up studying again the 7-10d before. I felt more ready to soak in new info again.

 

[IMGASMD]

i feel like the more i prep for this thing the less i know, and i cant just pick a answer choice from some options...

When I was studying for it…. One of the mock examiner did say, “anything” is fair game.
You wanna put the patient on bypass, go ahead. ECMO, sure why not? Factor VII…. Who cares about the cost….
The possibility is endless….

 

[anaesthetic]

When I was studying for it…. One of the mock examiner did say, “anything” is fair game.
You wanna put the patient on bypass, go ahead. ECMO, sure why not? Factor VII…. Who cares about the cost….
The possibility is endless….

If you put the patient on bypass or ECMO for a case, you better be prepared for the onslaught of cardiac-specific questions (weaning criteria, cannulation strategy, troubleshooting issues, etc.). I think my examiners picked up on my cardiac fellowship training, but I was surprised how much detail they wanted (in hindsight, probably because they were out of questions to ask).

 

[IMGASMD]

This is bad advice. Technically anything is fair game, but the examiners have a scenario and set questions they must get through for every candidate, so they’re not going to go too obscure unless Yoj specifically mention something obscure and ridiculous in your response. The bulk of your answers just need to be conservative and hit all the major anesthetic concerns.

Of course it is.
But no matter what you say or what my mock examiner says, when I was
studying that was always a fear, since there are no defined answers.

Just echoing what Jon said up there.

Just like some of these prep courses would say “anything” is fair game. The more you know the more you know. Really?!

 

[IMGASMD]

If you put the patient on bypass or ECMO for a case, you better be prepared for the onslaught of cardiac-specific questions (weaning criteria, cannulation strategy, troubleshooting issues, etc.). I think my examiners picked up on my cardiac fellowship training, but I was surprised how much detail they wanted (in hindsight, probably because they were out of questions to ask).

I was just glad there were no “real” pedi or heart on my exams

 

[popnull]

How long does it take to get results?

 

[stormn12]

How long does it take to get results?

First round of results came back the third Tuesday after at 9am EDT. So next results should be 4/18.

 

[mattoprolol]

First round of results came back the third Tuesday after at 9am EDT. So next results should be 4/18.

The countdown is on! Ready but not-ready...

 

[popnull]

First round of results came back the third Tuesday after at 9am EDT. So next results should be 4/18.

Do the entire week's results come at the same time?

 

[easeofmind]

Do the entire week's results come at the same time?

Yes, or at least that was true the first week of boards

 

[mquinif]

Now that the national covid 19 national emergency has been lifted, will the ABA follow the science and rescind their vaccine requirement? When will they stop segregating applicants into vaccinated and incapable unvaccinated groups?

 

[teacher2md]

Now that the national covid 19 national emergency has been lifted, will the ABA follow the science and rescind their vaccine requirement? When will they stop segregating applicants into vaccinated and incapable unvaccinated groups?

Did you really create a new account just to derail the Oral Boards thread?

 

[mquinif]

Did you really create a new account just to derail the Oral Boards thread?

This is not a new account, and it's a pertinent question

 

[Arch Guillotti]

This is not a new account, and it's a pertinent question

not really for this thread at least

 

[jon stewart]

for the TTE, do they give you a decent patient to do this on? I have been practicing in the ICU on patients and needless to say its not as easy for straightforward as it looks. One pt had copd so it was hard with all the air in the lungs blocking the view, but i had another patient who was normal and still was not easy. Maybe one time i have gotten a long axis view thats somewhat textbook, many times im getting non textbook views. I have also practiced on myself. Maybe i dont know what im doing, i have watched the utah vids and such and dont quite the views as nicely.

I am placing the probe at the right levels and directions n things etc....is it just me? We have only what two mins to get the view and answer their questions?

 

[Remxed]

There is a standardized patient (actor). Practice on a normal sized person with normal physiology like yourself or any of your colleagues if they're comfortable.

You have the entire station time to identify vascular access, show how you would do a nerve block, and then obtain a POCUS view. Don't spend too much time on one because you may run out of time to do the rest. You'll obtain a view and the proctor will ask you to identify a structure on the screen.

 

[jon stewart]

There is a standardized patient (actor). Practice on a normal sized person with normal physiology like yourself or any of your colleagues if they're comfortable.

You have the entire station time to identify vascular access, show how you would do a nerve block, and then obtain a POCUS view. Don't spend too much time on one because you may run out of time to do the rest. You'll obtain a view and the proctor will ask you to identify a structure on the screen.

ohhh so its one entire station that has all three tasks? I thought it was just a station dedicated. to just TTE.

I have practiced on myself as-well. Does anyone know if you will fail the osci if you cant get a TTE view?

 

[Reveler]

ohhh so its one entire station that has all three tasks? I thought it was just a station dedicated. to just TTE.

I have practiced on myself as-well. Does anyone know if you will fail the osci if you cant get a TTE view?

It’s a single station with all three tasks (TTE, venous/arterial access & nerve block). You know the views you need to acquire before you walk in the room so you’re mentally prepared once the clock starts. My standardized patient was normal sized but I know that’s not always the case. You find the view and tell the examiner to freeze the image. There’s a computer screen that the image pops up on and you use the mouse to place the cursor over the structure the examiner asks you to ID.

You won’t fail if you can’t acquire the view. I know a few people that either didnt have time to do the TTE (it’s the last of the three you will do) or they technically couldn’t acquire it and they still passed.

 

[ucladoc2b]

Anyone know when the physical certificates are sent out?

 

[deleted875186]

ohhh so its one entire station that has all three tasks? I thought it was just a station dedicated. to just TTE.

I have practiced on myself as-well. Does anyone know if you will fail the osci if you cant get a TTE view?

Yes you will get multiple US views and a question about each image.

 

[mattoprolol]

gotcha, so if you get done with one of the views quickly you can use that time for the other views?
also, i guess they wont ask you whats this valve or something if you get a crap view of say apical 4 chamber if you cant even see the valves, they would maybe just ask move the curser to the left atrium or something?

like they would give you a female and ask for a apical 4 chamber?

When you arrive at the station you'll already have your list of what you are supposed to find. So they'll say parasternal LAX, please identify the LV and Aortic Valve. You'll know that before you get in the room. I have heard of female SPs and parasternal/apical views being required.