when to take boards

[WnderWmn10]

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Moving this post to this forum...

I'm a first year FP resident trying to plan out my schedule for the rest of the year. I was wondering when was a good time to take boards to ensure I pass in time to be licensed by R-2 year (and can moonlight). I'd also like to wait as long as possible because I don't have inpatient medicine months until December and March. When is it a popular time for most to take boards? How much effort does the average FP intern put in to studying?

Thanks!

 

[Winged Scapula]

Are you asking about Step 3 or about the FM board exam (which can't be taken until you complete residency AFAIK)? The "boards", at least here, generally refers to the actual exam for Board Certification.

Step 3 is very easy, and I would imagine especially so for an FM resident. Take it as early as you can. There is little to no reason to delay it. If I could pass it without a single inpatient medicine month as a PGY3 surgery resident (eg, years away from doing IM, FM, Ob-Gyn, Peds, etc.) I'm sure you can pass it as a FM intern.

Schedule it when you have a lighter month with no call so you can spend a weekend reviewing (Swanson's was the best review book at the time I took it).

 

[UserNameNeeded]

I thought the licensing exams are called "board exams" because they're administered by the National "Board" of (Osteopathic) Medical Examiners. All of the older doctors (from the age prior to board certification mandates) call them that, too, and that's probably why the term gets passed on and used for licensing exams.

 

[Law2Doc]

I thought the licensing exams are called "board exams" because they're administered by the National "Board" of (Osteopathic) Medical Examiners. All of the older doctors (from the age prior to board certification mandates) call them that, too, and that's probably why the term gets passed on and used for licensing exams.

Depends on the audience. You can call Steps 1-3 the boards, and that makes total sense when talking to med students and folks not already in a specialty. Once you are in a specialty (as most of the people on the Residency boards are), then a board exam tends to be the specialty specific oral or written boards used to become boarded in a field. So on this board it's reasonable to think the OP means the FP board, rather than Step 3. If the question is about Step 3, a better place to ask (or actually just read/search since the questions is already addressed there 1000 times) is the USMLE Step 3 board.