Beyond the Clinic Family Medicine on a Mission Part 1: How Air Force Physicians Achieve Humanitarian Goals Read Family Medicine on a Mission Part 1: How Air Force Physicians Achieve Humanitarian Goals
Phoenix Newsletter - March 2025 President’s Message: ABFM’s Unwavering Commitment to Diplomates and the Specialty Read President’s Message: ABFM’s Unwavering Commitment to Diplomates and the Specialty
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. Read More ABFM Research Read all 2020 Helping Family Physicians Keep Up to Date: A Next Step in the Pursuit of Mastery Go to Helping Family Physicians Keep Up to Date: A Next Step in the Pursuit of Mastery 2024 Electronic Health Record Usability, Satisfaction, and Burnout for Family Physicians Go to Electronic Health Record Usability, Satisfaction, and Burnout for Family Physicians 2020 Taking a Closer Look at Mental Health Treatment Differences: Effectiveness of Mental Health Treatment by Provider Type in Racial and Ethnic Minorities Go to Taking a Closer Look at Mental Health Treatment Differences: Effectiveness of Mental Health Treatment by Provider Type in Racial and Ethnic Minorities 2023 Interoperability among hospitals treating populations that have been marginalized Go to Interoperability among hospitals treating populations that have been marginalized
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 2020 Helping Family Physicians Keep Up to Date: A Next Step in the Pursuit of Mastery Go to Helping Family Physicians Keep Up to Date: A Next Step in the Pursuit of Mastery 2024 Electronic Health Record Usability, Satisfaction, and Burnout for Family Physicians Go to Electronic Health Record Usability, Satisfaction, and Burnout for Family Physicians 2020 Taking a Closer Look at Mental Health Treatment Differences: Effectiveness of Mental Health Treatment by Provider Type in Racial and Ethnic Minorities Go to Taking a Closer Look at Mental Health Treatment Differences: Effectiveness of Mental Health Treatment by Provider Type in Racial and Ethnic Minorities 2023 Interoperability among hospitals treating populations that have been marginalized Go to Interoperability among hospitals treating populations that have been marginalized
2020 Helping Family Physicians Keep Up to Date: A Next Step in the Pursuit of Mastery Go to Helping Family Physicians Keep Up to Date: A Next Step in the Pursuit of Mastery
2024 Electronic Health Record Usability, Satisfaction, and Burnout for Family Physicians Go to Electronic Health Record Usability, Satisfaction, and Burnout for Family Physicians
2020 Taking a Closer Look at Mental Health Treatment Differences: Effectiveness of Mental Health Treatment by Provider Type in Racial and Ethnic Minorities Go to Taking a Closer Look at Mental Health Treatment Differences: Effectiveness of Mental Health Treatment by Provider Type in Racial and Ethnic Minorities
2023 Interoperability among hospitals treating populations that have been marginalized Go to Interoperability among hospitals treating populations that have been marginalized
