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 2020 Quality Changes Among Primary Care Clinicians Participating in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative Go to Quality Changes Among Primary Care Clinicians Participating in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative 2019 PURSUING PRACTICAL PROFESSIONALISM: FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION Go to PURSUING PRACTICAL PROFESSIONALISM: FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION 2023 Differences in Physician Performance and Self-rated Confidence on High- and Low-Stakes Knowledge Assessments in Board Certification. Go to Differences in Physician Performance and Self-rated Confidence on High- and Low-Stakes Knowledge Assessments in Board Certification. 2021 The Essential Role of Family Physicians in Providing Cesarean Sections in Rural Communities Go to The Essential Role of Family Physicians in Providing Cesarean Sections in Rural Communities
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 Quality Changes Among Primary Care Clinicians Participating in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative Go to Quality Changes Among Primary Care Clinicians Participating in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative 2019 PURSUING PRACTICAL PROFESSIONALISM: FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION Go to PURSUING PRACTICAL PROFESSIONALISM: FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION 2023 Differences in Physician Performance and Self-rated Confidence on High- and Low-Stakes Knowledge Assessments in Board Certification. Go to Differences in Physician Performance and Self-rated Confidence on High- and Low-Stakes Knowledge Assessments in Board Certification. 2021 The Essential Role of Family Physicians in Providing Cesarean Sections in Rural Communities Go to The Essential Role of Family Physicians in Providing Cesarean Sections in Rural Communities
2020 Quality Changes Among Primary Care Clinicians Participating in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative Go to Quality Changes Among Primary Care Clinicians Participating in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative
2019 PURSUING PRACTICAL PROFESSIONALISM: FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION Go to PURSUING PRACTICAL PROFESSIONALISM: FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
2023 Differences in Physician Performance and Self-rated Confidence on High- and Low-Stakes Knowledge Assessments in Board Certification. Go to Differences in Physician Performance and Self-rated Confidence on High- and Low-Stakes Knowledge Assessments in Board Certification.
2021 The Essential Role of Family Physicians in Providing Cesarean Sections in Rural Communities Go to The Essential Role of Family Physicians in Providing Cesarean Sections in Rural Communities
