Put your passion to the test with the American Board of Internal Medicine.
So you’re finally a chief resident, diving into your medical specialty and reaping all the fruits of all your labor in medical school. Yet, even with the USMLE and COMLEX exams behind you and the PTSD from Step 2 and 3 subsiding, something’s looming in the future—the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Though many of you doubt any amount of pressure could compete with the USMLE, nothing is like taking the Boards for your primary medical specialty. The American Board of (insert your medical specialty here) is the equivalent to the climax of a film, the boss at the end of a video game, the series finale of Breaking Bad. It is simply one of the biggest milestones in your life and career—no pressure!
But as the months leading up to the exam became fewer and fewer, I began to notice a slight change in my outlook and appreciation of the review I was doing. I suddenly became less anxiety-ridden and stopped putting off studying like we all normally do for other tests.
Then it hit me, I actually was enjoying the daily or weekly reviews of the subject matter because this is all directly related to my medical specialty. And to be given an only protected time to review that material was dare I say…fun?
Yes—it was fun! I even found myself at times saying I want to do more questions from MKSAP just to see if I had truly been prepared by residency. Whoever thought that fun and exam could be in the same sentence?
So here are a few things I learned while reviewing for the exam that might help you enjoy the process as well:
- Start early. The ABIM is taken every August after your PGY 3 year. For many people, they are either in fellowship, chief residency, or just starting their new jobs at that time. Therefore, it is not easy to find study time. I would recommend beginning in February of your PGY 3 so you have enough lead-time to get started.
- Questions still rule. The ABIM is like any other national standardized board exam. Do as many questions as possible and learn from them. Learn to master the boards just like you would with any of the USMLE or COMLEX.
- 10-year certification. Yes, you are certified for 10 years, but now the ABIM is requiring physicians to choose from education at intervals of 2 and 5 years to maintain their certification (MOCS). This great because it allows you stay even more up to date and make your recertification less difficult. Plus, and most importantly, it improves patient care, and that is really the end all be all.
- Find a study buddy. It is very easy to find someone to work with. In fact, they are probably sitting next to you. I worked with my co-chief residents and we would quiz each other daily for an hour or two to “pump mental iron”.
- Keep the goal in mind. Remember the purpose of the ABIM is not getting into residency (like the USMLE) but to become boarded. The whole mindset is different and so should your energy and attitude be towards the exam.
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The post The American Board of Internal Medicine Review—Put Your Passion to the Test appeared first on Residency Secrets.