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Home Research Research Library How Physicians Prepare for Maintenance of Certification Exams: A Qualitative Study How Physicians Prepare for Maintenance of Certification Exams: A Qualitative Study 2019 Author(s) Chesluk, Benjamin J, Eden, Aimee R, Hansen, Elizabeth Rose, Johnson, Michele L, Reddy, Siddharta G, Bernabeo, Elizabeth C, and Gray, Bradley M Topic(s) Family Medicine Certification, Achieving Health System Goals, and What Family Physicians Do Keyword(s) Cognitive Expertise, Physician Experience (Burnout / Satisfaction), and Qualitative Volume Academic Medicine Source Academic Medicine PURPOSE: Little is known about how board-certified physicians prepare for their periodic maintenance of certification (MOC) examinations. This qualitative study explores how physicians experience MOC exam preparation: how they prepare for the exams and decide what to study and how exam preparation compares with what they normally do to keep their medical knowledge current. METHOD: Between September 2016 and March 2017, the authors interviewed 80 primary care physicians who had recently taken either the American Board of Family Medicine or American Board of Internal Medicine MOC exam. They analyzed transcripts and notes from these interviews looking for patterns and emergent themes, using the constant comparative method and a social practice theory perspective. RESULTS: Most interviewees studied for their MOC exams by varying from their routines for staying current with medical knowledge, both by engaging with a different scope of information and by adopting different study methods. Physicians described exam preparation as returning to a student/testing mindset, which some welcomed and others experienced negatively or with ambivalence. CONCLUSIONS: What physicians choose to study bounds what they can learn from the MOC exam process and, therefore, also bounds potential improvements to their patient care. Knowing how physicians actually prepare, and how these activities compare with what they do when not preparing for an exam, can inform debates over the value of requiring such exams, as well as conversations about how certification boards and other key stakeholders in physicians’ continuing professional development could improve the MOC process. ABFM Research Read all 2014 Spending patterns in region of residency training and subsequent expenditures for care provided by practicing physicians for Medicare beneficiaries Go to Spending patterns in region of residency training and subsequent expenditures for care provided by practicing physicians for Medicare beneficiaries 2013 Historic Growth Rates Vary Widely Across the Primary Care Physician Disciplines Go to Historic Growth Rates Vary Widely Across the Primary Care Physician Disciplines 2019 “That Was Pretty Powerful”: a Qualitative Study of What Physicians Learn When Preparing for Their Maintenance-of-Certification Exams Go to “That Was Pretty Powerful”: a Qualitative Study of What Physicians Learn When Preparing for Their Maintenance-of-Certification Exams 2022 Physician versus Practice-Level Primary Care Continuity and Association with Outcomes in Medicare Beneficiaries Go to Physician versus Practice-Level Primary Care Continuity and Association with Outcomes in Medicare Beneficiaries
Author(s) Chesluk, Benjamin J, Eden, Aimee R, Hansen, Elizabeth Rose, Johnson, Michele L, Reddy, Siddharta G, Bernabeo, Elizabeth C, and Gray, Bradley M Topic(s) Family Medicine Certification, Achieving Health System Goals, and What Family Physicians Do Keyword(s) Cognitive Expertise, Physician Experience (Burnout / Satisfaction), and Qualitative Volume Academic Medicine Source Academic Medicine
ABFM Research Read all 2014 Spending patterns in region of residency training and subsequent expenditures for care provided by practicing physicians for Medicare beneficiaries Go to Spending patterns in region of residency training and subsequent expenditures for care provided by practicing physicians for Medicare beneficiaries 2013 Historic Growth Rates Vary Widely Across the Primary Care Physician Disciplines Go to Historic Growth Rates Vary Widely Across the Primary Care Physician Disciplines 2019 “That Was Pretty Powerful”: a Qualitative Study of What Physicians Learn When Preparing for Their Maintenance-of-Certification Exams Go to “That Was Pretty Powerful”: a Qualitative Study of What Physicians Learn When Preparing for Their Maintenance-of-Certification Exams 2022 Physician versus Practice-Level Primary Care Continuity and Association with Outcomes in Medicare Beneficiaries Go to Physician versus Practice-Level Primary Care Continuity and Association with Outcomes in Medicare Beneficiaries
2014 Spending patterns in region of residency training and subsequent expenditures for care provided by practicing physicians for Medicare beneficiaries Go to Spending patterns in region of residency training and subsequent expenditures for care provided by practicing physicians for Medicare beneficiaries
2013 Historic Growth Rates Vary Widely Across the Primary Care Physician Disciplines Go to Historic Growth Rates Vary Widely Across the Primary Care Physician Disciplines
2019 “That Was Pretty Powerful”: a Qualitative Study of What Physicians Learn When Preparing for Their Maintenance-of-Certification Exams Go to “That Was Pretty Powerful”: a Qualitative Study of What Physicians Learn When Preparing for Their Maintenance-of-Certification Exams
2022 Physician versus Practice-Level Primary Care Continuity and Association with Outcomes in Medicare Beneficiaries Go to Physician versus Practice-Level Primary Care Continuity and Association with Outcomes in Medicare Beneficiaries
