The American Board of Family Medicine, sponsor of the Maintenance of Certification Program for Family Physicians, or MC-FP, is offering tips for completing the program's self-assessment modules, known as SAMs, in the summer 2006 issue of The Phoenix.
ABFM Gives Tips on Taking Self-Assessment Modules
By Jane Stoever
Some diplomates approached their first SAM in 2004 or 2005 much as they did the traditional ABFM examination, with extensive study before beginning the SAM, said Michael Hagen, M.D., professor in the family and community medicine department at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, and ABFM vice president for assessment methods development.
"That adds a lot of time to the process that you don't need to apply," said Hagen. Instead, ABFM now advises its diplomates to take the first component of the SAM, a 60-item set of questions, in a trial run, without studying beforehand. Doing so will give diplomates a true self-assessment of their current knowledge about the topic they have selected, and it also will provide the best opportunity to target their self-directed learning to areas with which they are least familiar, said ABFM staff.
"What people have found is that if they just go through the questions cold and answer them without doing any prior study or looking at references, they will get critiques about the items they've missed that will help them get through the second time much more quickly," said Hagen.
ABFM published suggestions like that in "Quick Tips for Completing Your SAM." Diplomates can return to their incorrect answers, read the rationale for the correct answer and access the reference to read the source for the item, says the article.
The article also offers tips for the clinical simulation section of each SAM. "The ClinSim system was never intended to reproduce the nuance and richness of a clinical interview," the article explains. "Rather, these simulations focus on the strategies that diplomates use in managing the various clinical domains."
Reminder: Diplomates eligible to begin MC-FP in 2004 still may enter the program and opt for a 10-year MC-FP cycle instead of a seven-year cycle, but they must complete all of the requirements for their first three-year stage to remain in the 10-year cycle. The requirement of completing one module a year has been discontinued; now diplomates need to complete three modules at any time within each three-year stage. Those who do not complete the modules on time shift automatically from a 10-year cycle to a seven-year cycle. For diplomates in the third year of MC-FP (diplomates who certified or recertified in 2003), the modules that must be completed by late this year to remain in the 10-year cycle would be two SAMs and a performance-in-practice module or three SAMs. In addition, all diplomates in MC-FP may substitute a module from AAFP's METRIC program (Measuring, Evaluating and Translating Research Into Care) for a performance-in-practice module.
Got questions? Call the ABFM Support Center at (877) 223-7437.
"That adds a lot of time to the process that you don't need to apply," said Hagen. Instead, ABFM now advises its diplomates to take the first component of the SAM, a 60-item set of questions, in a trial run, without studying beforehand. Doing so will give diplomates a true self-assessment of their current knowledge about the topic they have selected, and it also will provide the best opportunity to target their self-directed learning to areas with which they are least familiar, said ABFM staff.
"What people have found is that if they just go through the questions cold and answer them without doing any prior study or looking at references, they will get critiques about the items they've missed that will help them get through the second time much more quickly," said Hagen.
ABFM published suggestions like that in "Quick Tips for Completing Your SAM." Diplomates can return to their incorrect answers, read the rationale for the correct answer and access the reference to read the source for the item, says the article.
The article also offers tips for the clinical simulation section of each SAM. "The ClinSim system was never intended to reproduce the nuance and richness of a clinical interview," the article explains. "Rather, these simulations focus on the strategies that diplomates use in managing the various clinical domains."
Reminder: Diplomates eligible to begin MC-FP in 2004 still may enter the program and opt for a 10-year MC-FP cycle instead of a seven-year cycle, but they must complete all of the requirements for their first three-year stage to remain in the 10-year cycle. The requirement of completing one module a year has been discontinued; now diplomates need to complete three modules at any time within each three-year stage. Those who do not complete the modules on time shift automatically from a 10-year cycle to a seven-year cycle. For diplomates in the third year of MC-FP (diplomates who certified or recertified in 2003), the modules that must be completed by late this year to remain in the 10-year cycle would be two SAMs and a performance-in-practice module or three SAMs. In addition, all diplomates in MC-FP may substitute a module from AAFP's METRIC program (Measuring, Evaluating and Translating Research Into Care) for a performance-in-practice module.
Got questions? Call the ABFM Support Center at (877) 223-7437.
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