Sleep medicine boards 2013

[sleepmeddoc]

Anyone preparing for the sleep boards this year, any suggestions on what to use beside the questions on the AASM site?

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[GalenWoman]

I am a sleep fellow taking the boards this year, I did a neuro residency and a one year EEG fellowship before the sleep fellowship. My husband is also a neurologist, did not do a sleep fellowship but read PSGs for 3 years and so was grandfathered for the boards in 2011. Unfortunately he did not pass and so he will take them again this year.
We were a little surprised that he did not pass, he is a test taker and passed the neurology boards with flying colors, also because he took the AASM board review (spent a lot of $$ for that), and had religiously done the 150 AASM questions they have online and the ACCP questions.


Anyway, we put together some comments and thoughts on the material we know.

-AASM scoring manual and ICSD - a must to know

-Practice parameters from website - also a must-- go to the website and download them all

-sleep medicine board review course (called Sleep Medicine Syllabus 2008 by CHEST) – honestly overall not needed for the boards.

- Avidan- Review of Sleep medicine—very good but we need only the first 2 chapters.

-ACCP SEEK questions – OK questions, but my husband thought qs on the boards were more difficult.

-Lee-Chiong book – Somnology 2 – probably the BEST book for review!!

-Richard Berry's book (Sleep Medicine Pearls) –would not suggest (perhaps good only if you did not do a sleep fellowship)

-520 question bank at www.sleepboards.com – according to my husband the questions are similar to the qs on 2011 boards

Anyone else has anything to add?? Please share!

 

[danielmd06]

I am a sleep fellow taking the boards this year, I did a neuro residency and a one year EEG fellowship before the sleep fellowship. My husband is also a neurologist, did not do a sleep fellowship but read PSGs for 3 years and so was grandfathered for the boards in 2011. Unfortunately he did not pass and so he will take them again this year.
We were a little surprised that he did not pass, he is a test taker and passed the neurology boards with flying colors, also because he took the AASM board review (spent a lot of $$ for that), and had religiously done the 150 AASM questions they have online and the ACCP questions.

You and your husband may want to double check his eligibility for board certification. The grandfathering process ended with the board exam in 2011. Only individuals who have completed a fellowship in sleep medicine are able to re-take the test if they failed it, or be eligible for board certification from here on. You should check with the AASM, because you don't want to wind up paying for an expensive test just to be told you cannot become board certified in sleep medicine.

To the OP, for board review, I found the Avidan/Barkoukis "Review of Sleep Medicine" to be exceptional. It contains solid chapters, and large numbers of review questions with explanations. I didn't use anything else to study and did fine, but I did complete a fellowship.

 

[michaelrack]

You and your husband may want to double check his eligibility for board certification. The grandfathering process ended with the board exam in 2011. Only individuals who have completed a fellowship in sleep medicine are able to re-take the test if they failed it, or be eligible for board certification from here on. You should check with the AASM, because you don't want to wind up paying for an expensive test just to be told you cannot become board certified in sleep medicine.

My understanding of the process is that once you are accepted to take the boards, you can keep on retaking them. I believe the husband is eligible to retake the boards (I think the confusion is that he is no longer eligible to serve the function of the medical director/sleep specialist at an AASM-certified lab, until he passes the boards).

The AASM has nothing to do with board certification in sleep medicine. Any questions on board eligibility should be directed at the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (or whatever your primary board is).

 

[danielmd06]

My understanding of the process is that once you are accepted to take the boards, you can keep on retaking them. I believe the husband is eligible to retake the boards (I think the confusion is that he is no longer eligible to serve the function of the medical director/sleep specialist at an AASM-certified lab, until he passes the boards).

The AASM has nothing to do with board certification in sleep medicine. Any questions on board eligibility should be directed at the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (or whatever your primary board is).

Thanks, Mike. Sorry for creating confusion.

 

[watto]

To the OP, for board review, I found the Avidan/Barkoukis "Review of Sleep Medicine" to be exceptional. It contains solid chapters, and large numbers of review questions with explanations. I didn't use anything else to study and did fine, but I did complete a fellowship.

I also recommend this book, because I wrote the insomnia questions! Funnily, I still have to buy the book for board review.

 

[sleepmeddoc]

I am a sleep fellow taking the boards this year, I did a neuro residency and a one year EEG fellowship before the sleep fellowship. My husband is also a neurologist, did not do a sleep fellowship but read PSGs for 3 years and so was grandfathered for the boards in 2011. Unfortunately he did not pass and so he will take them again this year.
We were a little surprised that he did not pass, he is a test taker and passed the neurology boards with flying colors, also because he took the AASM board review (spent a lot of $$ for that), and had religiously done the 150 AASM questions they have online and the ACCP questions.


Anyway, we put together some comments and thoughts on the material we know.

-AASM scoring manual and ICSD - a must to know

-Practice parameters from website - also a must-- go to the website and download them all

-sleep medicine board review course (called Sleep Medicine Syllabus 2008 by CHEST) – honestly overall not needed for the boards.

- Avidan- Review of Sleep medicine—very good but we need only the first 2 chapters.

-ACCP SEEK questions – OK questions, but my husband thought qs on the boards were more difficult.

-Lee-Chiong book – Somnology 2 – probably the BEST book for review!!

-Richard Berry's book (Sleep Medicine Pearls) –would not suggest (perhaps good only if you did not do a sleep fellowship)

-520 question bank at www.sleepboards.com – according to my husband the questions are similar to the qs on 2011 boards

Anyone else has anything to add?? Please share!

I also recommend this book, because I wrote the insomnia questions! Funnily, I still have to buy the book for board review.

Thank you all for the suggestions on how to prepare. The Avidan book seems to be a must. I was also told that only the initial chapters are needed. Any other suggestions are very welcome, thanks again.

 

[GalenWoman]

Thank you both regarding sleep boards eligibility for 2013- yes he can retake them, but it is the last chance

 

[GalenWoman]

I also recommend this book, because I wrote the insomnia questions! Funnily, I still have to buy the book for board review.

Agree on the Avidan, but I have the impression that you need only the first few chapters.

 

[danielmd06]

Thank you both regarding sleep boards eligibility for 2013- yes he can retake them, but it is the last chance

Glad to hear it!

 

[sleepmeddoc]

Thank you all for the suggestions on how to prepare. The Avidan book seems to be a must. I was also told that only the initial chapters are needed. Any other suggestions are very welcome, thanks again.

I have been using the Teofilo Lee-Chiong review and questions on sleepboards.com. I think the Teofilo Lee-Chiong may not be enough, for my standpoint a little too schematic, can anyone suggest anything else, a review book, not too short, not too long (not the Kryger..). Also, I have heard you should know well all the practice parameters and the ICSD book. Questions online on the sleepboards site seem good, they review well the practice parameters and all major diagnosis, also they have a bunch of actigraphy samples. ...Just think I am missing a good review book.. anyone?