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Early
this year, Ed Bermudez, MD, MPH, received some very good news
from the American Board of Internal Medicine: Months
of study in preparation for the cardiovascular disease certification
examination had paid off—he'd passed on the first try,
joining the ranks of some 20,000 physicians who can claim
the honor that comes with being board certified as a cardiovascular
specialist.
Each
year, hundreds of fellows take the cardiovascular exam, but
not all of them pass. Of 682 first-timers in November 2001,
85 percent emerged victorious, leaving the others to wait
another six months to try again. The first-time success rates
for some of the other cardiology subspecialty exams are lower—only
77 percent and 70 percent, respectively, for the clinical
cardiac electrophysiology and the interventional cardiology
exams in 2001.
Enlist
Colleagues as Study Partners
The key to his success, said Dr. Bermudez, a fourth-year fellow
at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, was to "know the
guidelines, start studying early, and take a review course."
He logged approximately five hours of study each week during
the four to six months leading up to the exam, often reviewing
with colleagues.
"I
used study groups as a forum for discussion of unclear points
or points of controversy," he said. "It made review a bit
more interactive."
Interaction
with his peers was a valuable aspect of the review course
Dr. Bermudez attended in September, too. The ACC Foundation's
Cardiovascular
Board Review helped him to benchmark his progress. "It
provided reassurance for where you were with your review and
how prepared you were to take the exam," he said.
Practice
Makes Perfect
Four simulated Board-type exams administered during the College's
course also help with self-assessment because they give each
participant a realistic evaluation of individual strengths
and weaknesses. In Dr. Bermudez's case, the tests provided
those insights while also being a "confidence booster."
"Taking
the simulated exams provided a preview for how questions might
be formulated as well as confidence for taking the actual
Board exam," he explained. Nevertheless, Dr. Bermudez also
learned where he needed to focus his studies during the remaining
weeks before the exam—on electrophysiology and "the pictorial
parts" of cardiology. "The still-frame images that were presented
in the Board Review were more difficult than I had anticipated,"
he said.
The
course also gave Dr. Bermudez a framework for actually taking
the test. "I think part of the exam that is a little bit confusing
is how to code the electrocardiograms," he explained. "So,
even though you know how to read an ECG, it's different
from knowing how to code ECGs for the test."
Fill
the Gaps
Once back in Boston after the review course, Dr. Bermudez
had a little over a month to address the gaps in his knowledge.
He started with the syllabus materials provided during the
course itself.
"The course had provided a focus point for what types of things
the exam would target," he said. "The guidelines were emphasized.
So, after the review course, I reviewed several of the ACC/AHA
guidelines in detail."
He
accessed many of those guidelines on the ACC
Web site and via ACCSAP 2000. The latest edition of the
College's award-winning Adult Clinical Cardiology Self-Assessment
Program, ACCSAP
V, was released earlier this year and is available
in three formats: online, print, and CD-ROM.
"ACCSAP
helped me by providing a springboard for further study," he
said. "I didn't read all the chapters, but I did all the questions.
Those I got wrong, I would look up using the answers that
were provided." He also appreciated ACCSAP's references,
which led him to the journals and textbooks with background
information.
Moment
of Truth
Even with months of preparation, Dr. Bermudez didn't leave
the exam feeling 100 percent confident he'd passed. "I had
my doubts," which made success all the sweeter when he received
the good news.
And, if he had to do it all over again, he said, he'd stick
to the same preparation strategy.
More
Information
The College offers Board Review courses in three areas: for
certification
and recertification, for interventional
cardiology, and for cardiac electrophysiology (call NASPE,
the College's partner in providing this course, at 800-253-4636,
ext. 694, or 301-897-5400).
For
details on ACCSAP V, click here.
To register for a Board Review course or purchase ACCSAP
V, call the ACC Resource Center, 800-253-4636, ext. 694,
or 301-897-5400, ext. 694.
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