Take Advantage of AAFP's New Online Board Prep Resource

Come on, admit it: Taking the American Board of Family Medicine's cognitive exam -- Part III of the Maintenance of Certification Program for Family Physicians, or MC-FP -- is probably not No. 1 on your list of "Favorite Ways to Spend an Entire Day." The Academy knows this and has, over the years, devised a number of resources to help you prepare for the exam. AAFP staff members launched the latest such tool -- dubbed AAFP's Online Board Review -- just last month.

This board prep tool is a collection of practice questions organized into short quizzes by topic areas that correspond to the categories included in the exam. Although most of the quizzes focus on topics pertaining to a single organ system, such as cardiovascular or respiratory topics, the collection also includes 10 so-called mixed review quizzes that include questions from a variety of topic areas.

The questions are in a multiple-choice format with a single correct answer. After completing each 10-question quiz, participants can click on the "Score Quiz" button at the bottom of the page to check their answers. An explanation of the answer and supporting references are provided for each question.

For FP Karen Evans, M.D., of Fort Wayne, Ind., who's recertifying this year, the new online quizzes are proving "very useful" as she prepares for the July 18 cognitive exam. This will be her fourth time through the certification/recertification process, Evans notes, and she appreciates the extra margin of comfort that the board prep questions offer.

"They are giving me hope that I do have a reasonable knowledge base about the things that matter," says Evans. "They are also stimulating me to review the things I miss."

The questions' use of brief case histories adds a realistic dimension that augments the clinical value of the learning experience. "I can see the relevance of knowing the information for my patients' benefit," Evans notes.

Available at no charge to AAFP members, as well as to nonmembers who've registered for one of AAFP's Family Medicine Board Review Courses, the online quizzes offer physicians an opportunity to earn CME credit while they prep for the exam. Each quiz is eligible for 0.25 Prescribed CME credit. After all of the quizzes have been posted -- 66 are available so far -- FPs will be able to earn as many as 36.75 Prescribed credits for completing this entire CME activity.

Members: To log in, you'll need your AAFP member ID number and password. Nonmember course registrants: Use the registration number shown on the acknowledgment letter you received as your ID number; your last name in all-capitals is your password.

The quizzes, which will be updated each year, supplement the many board review resources the Academy already offers to help members fulfill their MC-FP requirements. Among them: