Pediatric Anesthesia Boards

[gasdoc1]

Having practiced anesthesia for the past 10 years with pediatric cases making up about 40% of my practice, I decided to take the Peds Boards this year. I try to keep up with the pediatric literature, so most of what I am studying comes naturally. With that in mind, I am finding that a lot of the review material involves embryonic development, which is an area that I feel deficient. I am just wondering from people that took the exam last year if there was a lot of embryonic development on the exam. I feel like this is taking up a great deal of my study time to re-learn and I would hate to skimp out on other areas of study if this is not going to be high yield. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[somedumbDO]

Having practiced anesthesia for the past 10 years with pediatric cases making up about 40% of my practice, I decided to take the Peds Boards this year. I try to keep up with the pediatric literature, so most of what I am studying comes naturally. With that in mind, I am finding that a lot of the review material involves embryonic development, which is an area that I feel deficient. I am just wondering from people that took the exam last year if there was a lot of embryonic development on the exam. I feel like this is taking up a great deal of my study time to re-learn and I would hate to skimp out on other areas of study if this is not going to be high yield. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

So if you read the grandfather criteria

"An anesthesiologist’s clinical practice has been devoted primarily to pediatric anesthesiology for the last 2 years, or at least 30% of an anesthesiologist’s clinical practice, averaged over the last 5 years, has been devoted to pediatric anesthesiology. The anesthesiologist’s practice must include neonates and children under the age of 2 years and procedures considered high-risk."
Do you do neonates and high risk procedures on kids less than age 2 ( Do you preform CVL, thoracic epidurals, peds regional, do you routinely do Cranis, craniofacial stuff, NICU cases, CDH, ect, ect.. and the like?)

If you do all these cases you will pass the test without having to study whatsoever. If not you routinely do these procedures/case you DO NOT meet the criteria and are really false advertising your self to hospitals as well as to your peers.

 

[imfrankie]

So if you read the grandfather criteria

"An anesthesiologist’s clinical practice has been devoted primarily to pediatric anesthesiology for the last 2 years, or at least 30% of an anesthesiologist’s clinical practice, averaged over the last 5 years, has been devoted to pediatric anesthesiology. The anesthesiologist’s practice must include neonates and children under the age of 2 years and procedures considered high-risk."
Do you do neonates and high risk procedures on kids less than age 2 ( Do you preform CVL, thoracic epidurals, peds regional, do you routinely do Cranis, craniofacial stuff, NICU cases, CDH, ect, ect.. and the like?)

If you do all these cases you will pass the test without having to study whatsoever. If not you routinely do these procedures/case you DO NOT meet the criteria and are really false advertising your self to hospitals as well as to your peers.

The poster asked a simple question--didn't invite comment on his/her appropriateness for sitting the exam.

I took the exam and don't recall there was much in the way of embryology. Read a basic book and you'll do well.

 

[gasdoc1]

The poster asked a simple question--didn't invite comment on his/her appropriateness for sitting the exam.

I took the exam and don't recall there was much in the way of embryology. Read a basic book and you'll do well.

Thanks. Thats what I was thinking. I bought a review course and I was taken back by how much embryology there was, now I'm thinking I may have wasted my money on the course.

 

[IlDestriero]

Which one?

 

[gasdoc1]

Which one?

Pass Machine. The questions seem ok and mostly stick to clinical info, but the lectures and lecture notes start off each system with the prenatal development of the system. There is some good stuff in there too, but while some of the lecturers are good, others seem like they don't know what they are talking about.

 

[IlDestriero]

Lecturer choices can be shady and incestious. One prominent non cardiac anesthesiologist lectured last year on peds cardiac... Really lady? I was like... ... WTF? I paid for this.

 

[nap$ter]

Having practiced anesthesia for the past 10 years with pediatric cases making up about 40% of my practice, I decided to take the Peds Boards this year. I try to keep up with the pediatric literature, so most of what I am studying comes naturally. With that in mind, I am finding that a lot of the review material involves embryonic development, which is an area that I feel deficient. I am just wondering from people that took the exam last year if there was a lot of embryonic development on the exam. I feel like this is taking up a great deal of my study time to re-learn and I would hate to skimp out on other areas of study if this is not going to be high yield. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

the test was easy. really. very little studying required if you do peds. i remember very little embryology on the exam (although understanding peds cardiac requires a bit of background)

i bought the "condensed review of pediatric anesthesthesia" by chris estrada etc from amazon - kindle edition, $57. i read about half of it and skimmed the rest, and felt i studied way too much.

you definitely don't need a review course (but i felt that way about all the board exams)

 

[Guy Caballero]

So if you read the grandfather criteria

"An anesthesiologist’s clinical practice has been devoted primarily to pediatric anesthesiology for the last 2 years, or at least 30% of an anesthesiologist’s clinical practice, averaged over the last 5 years, has been devoted to pediatric anesthesiology. The anesthesiologist’s practice must include neonates and children under the age of 2 years and procedures considered high-risk."
Do you do neonates and high risk procedures on kids less than age 2 ( Do you preform CVL, thoracic epidurals, peds regional, do you routinely do Cranis, craniofacial stuff, NICU cases, CDH, ect, ect.. and the like?)

If you do all these cases you will pass the test without having to study whatsoever. If not you routinely do these procedures/case you DO NOT meet the criteria and are really false advertising your self to hospitals as well as to your peers.

 

[Precedex]

According to the last ABA bulletin, the exam had a 96% pass rate. Granted that may change but my impressions are similar to napster.

 

[gasdoc1]

the test was easy. really. very little studying required if you do peds. i remember very little embryology on the exam (although understanding peds cardiac requires a bit of background)

i bought the "condensed review of pediatric anesthesthesia" by chris estrada etc from amazon - kindle edition, $57. i read about half of it and skimmed the rest, and felt i studied way too much.

you definitely don't need a review course (but i felt that way about all the board exams)

Thank you. I definitely over-studied for the MOCA exam last year too, and I am probably doing the same this time. That said, I would rather feel confident instead of nervous, wondering the whole time whether I put enough study time in.

 

[somedumbDO]

Falsely mis representing your qualifications is very much a big deal

 

[Guy Caballero]

Falsely mis representing your qualifications is very much a big deal

The original poster asked a simple question. You did not answer it, but instead insinuated that he is not worthy of pediatric anesthesia certification. The poster stated that his current practice is 40% pediatrics for the past 10 years. He qualifies to take the exam. The ABA and ABMS make the rules. I don't think he was asking if you thought he was worthy of sitting for the exam. The ABA thinks he is, and that is what matters.

 

[deleted171991]

According to the last ABA bulletin, the exam had a 96% pass rate.

This satisfies the definition of a diploma mill. Shame on the ABA, both for the exam and the loose grandfathering criteria!

 

[deleted171991]

Lecturer choices can be shady and incestious. One prominent non cardiac anesthesiologist lectured last year on peds cardiac... Really lady? I was like... ... WTF? I paid for this.

One of the pediatric anesthesiologists I know wrote the chapter on ambulatory anesthesia in a major textbook. He practices pedi only, and even that not solo.

You paid for that one, too, I'm sure.

 

[Guy Caballero]

This satisfies the definition of a diploma mill. Shame on the ABA, both for the exam and the loose grandfathering criteria!

I think we need to wait and see what it is over the next few administrations. I suspect that the first time takers were mostly the most motivated of the group and likely skewed the results. The ABA has previously done a pretty good job of making the exams pretty difficult to separate out the candidates. This pass rate seems to be an anomaly. I suspect they will correct this and I also suspect that the candidate pool for the next one will not be quite as qualified (you will have the 50-60 who failed it last time, plus the less motivated group who may not have taken an exam in 20 years). I bet the pass rate will drop quite a bit with the next administration of the exam for a variety of reasons. I suspect the first group taking it included most of the academic pedi anesthesiologists plus many new fellowship grads. Overall, probably a motivated and bright group who studied a lot to prepare for an exam that had no history. Now that there is history of it being an "easy" exam, many will likely "under study."

 

[deleted126335]

Based on the admittedly very limited attention that I have paid to such things, the pass rates for new certification exams tend to be very high initially. Be it ABA CDQ, primary recertification, pain, critical care, the current peds board, echo, etc. are very high the first 1-3 years. After that they tend to drop off sharply.
As for the reason for this, I suspect that you will find lots of opinions.

 

[deleted171991]

We all know the reason.

 

[deleted126335]

We all know the reason.

Well, at least strongly suspect.

 

[gasdoc1]

Falsely mis representing your qualifications is very much a big deal

Do you automatically go under the assumption that anyone who takes the board exam is not qualified, or is it just me? I mean, you really don't know anything at all about me or my qualifications, yet this is the second time you have insinuated that I might not be qualified. You are acting like a child, and that is why you have gotten the negative responses in this thread. Perhaps you should assume someone sitting for the exam IS qualified until proven otherwise. At that point you are free to lecture them on "misrepresenting their qualifications".

This thread has nothing to do with the qualifying criteria. As other posters have said, I asked a simple question and it has been answered. Thank you.

 

[michigangirl]

I think we need to wait and see what it is over the next few administrations. I suspect that the first time takers were mostly the most motivated of the group and likely skewed the results. The ABA has previously done a pretty good job of making the exams pretty difficult to separate out the candidates. This pass rate seems to be an anomaly. I suspect they will correct this and I also suspect that the candidate pool for the next one will not be quite as qualified (you will have the 50-60 who failed it last time, plus the less motivated group who may not have taken an exam in 20 years). I bet the pass rate will drop quite a bit with the next administration of the exam for a variety of reasons. I suspect the first group taking it included most of the academic pedi anesthesiologists plus many new fellowship grads. Overall, probably a motivated and bright group who studied a lot to prepare for an exam that had no history. Now that there is history of it being an "easy" exam, many will likely "under study."

Completely agree with this. At our center the majority of our pedi-only anesthesiologist division took the exam-- they felt they overstudied. The only reason I didn't take it is cause I needed a break from boards, but I'm in the pool for this year! So here's hoping that the exam doesn't get harder-- I'm planning on reading through a review book and doing some questions.

 

[imfrankie]

Completely agree with this. At our center the majority of our pedi-only anesthesiologist division took the exam-- they felt they overstudied. The only reason I didn't take it is cause I needed a break from boards, but I'm in the pool for this year! So here's hoping that the exam doesn't get harder-- I'm planning on reading through a review book and doing some questions.

You could probably skip every third question and pass it Mg