Listening to the diplomates: physicians’ feedback on Self-Assessment Modules

The Self-Assessment Module (SAM) is an integral part of the ABFM’s Maintenance of Certification for Family Physicians (MC-FP) process as well as an important learning opportunity. Contrary to what some may think, the SAMs are not tests, but rather self-evaluations and self-teaching experiences. A SAM consists of 2 parts: a knowledge assessment and a clinical simulation. Once a Diplomate completes the knowledge assessment portion for the first time, the missed questions will appear on second and subsequent tries with both references and critiques, making the SAM much more of a learning process than any type of examination. Whenever a physician completes a SAM, we solicit feedback regarding their experience to continually improve these modules. The results of this feedback for our first 4 modules reflect a strong positive response. In the areas of (1) relevance of information to clinical practice, (2) currency of information, (3) usefulness of information, and (4) overall value of the module, the average ratings fall at 5.4 on a 6 point scale.