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THE ORAL EXAMINATION

Patient Lists for the Oral Examination

Each candidate for the oral examination must prepare the following patient case lists for review by the examiners at the time of examination.

The candidate's list of patients will be used freely as a basis for questions which will be patient-management oriented. Questions will be developed which test the ability of the candidate to:

(a) develop a diagnosis including the necessary clinical,
laboratory and diagnostic procedures;

(b) select and apply proper treatment under elective and
emergency conditions;

(c) prevent, recognize and manage complications.; and

(d) plan and direct follow-up and continuing care.

Carelessly prepared or incomplete case lists may contribute to failure to pass the oral examination. The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology offers a case list collection and reporting software package for the general oral examination. E-mail caselist@abog.org or phone 214-871-1619 for price and availability.

The candidate should bring a copy of their patient case list to the oral examination for personal reference.

Case lists much consist of outpatients plus hospitalized and day (short-stay) surgery patients in obstetrics and gynecology or, obstetrics alone, or gynecology alone. All day surgery and hospitalized patients must be reported.

If a candidate practices both obstetrics and gynecology, case lists must be submitted in (1) office practice, (2) obstetrics, and (3) gynecology.

Case lists limited to office practice and obstetrics or gynecology can be submitted only by those individuals who limit their practice to either gynecology or obstetrics. In this case, the appropriate number and types of gynecological or obstetrical cases must be obtained from the resident's chief residency year case log, as explained below.

The candidate will be examined in all three areas. The case lists must have sufficient numbers and sufficient breadth and depth of clinical experience.

The case list must include 40 office practice patients and a minimum of 20 hospitalized or short-stay gynecological and 20 hospitalized or short-stay obstetrical patients with significant problems as defined under Office Practice Patients, Gynecology and Obstetrics.

If, but only if, a minimum of 40 such gynecological and obstetrical patients can not be obtained during the 12-month period from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, the candidate may submit a complete 18-month case list dating from January 1, 2006, through June 30, 2006, and/or submit a list of patients obtained from their senior year of residency.

This will require the preparation and submission of separate patient case lists, in triplicate, each with a separate summary sheet, plus three (3) copies of a combined summary sheet which includes the cases from the 12-month and 6-month case lists, and/or a case list from their senior year of residency. The minimum requirement of 20 gynecological and 20 obstetrical patients will still apply. Case lists may not be comprised solely of cases from the senior residency year.

For candidates who are in or have successfully completed a Board-approved fellowship and who are active candidates for certification, case lists must contain obstetrical and gynecological cases either from their practice and/or from their fellowship or senior residency case log.

All hospitalized and short-stay patients must be reported, including all subspecialty patients. Moreover, the 40 non-office practice cases must represent the breadth and depth of obstetrics and gynecology and be chosen from those categories (Obstetrical Categories, Gynecological Categories).

The candidate will be examined in all three areas, and for individuals with a practice limited to a subspecialty (gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine or reproductive endocrinology/infertility), the candidate must have a minimum of 20 cases in gynecology and/or 20 cases in obstetrics from their practice and/or from their fellowship or senior residency year which meet the criteria listed in the Gynecological Categories and Obstetrical Categories.

The patients listed must be only those for whom the candidate has had personal responsibility for professional management and care. In the case of partnership or group practice, the patients listed should be only those managed by the candidate.

Candidates may not reuse any case/caselist from a previous examination.

The case list must be received in the Board Office on or before August 1 preceding the oral examinations, but only after receipt of approval to submit the case list has been granted by the Board.

Case List Software Available

The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology offers a case list collection and reporting software package for the oral examination (e-mail caselist@abog.org or phone 214-871-1619).

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Also see:

• Office Practice Patients
• Gynecologic Patients
• Obstetric Patients
• Case List Software

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