Posted on July 20, 2020
No. The exam weeks originally scheduled for November and December 2020 have been rescheduled into early 2021. The new exam weeks are now: Jan. 11-14; Jan. 25-28; Feb.15-18; and Feb. 22-25. Candidates will be notified of their assigned week by Aug. 31, 2020.
There are major increases of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the nation and mounting projections of continued surges into the fall. Facing this uncertainty, we sought expert input from national OB GYN, JFCAC, and public health leaders and concluded that it will not be safe to administer in-person examinations during these weeks. Additionally, despite investigating multiple virtual options, we are not able to deliver the examination virtually in 2020. We fully investigated using Zoom or a similar platform and worked with a test delivery company to try to administer a virtual CE. There are important aspects of our CEs that complicate platform development and programming. Despite our best efforts, there remain insurmountable technical obstacles to successfully deliver the CE virtually this year.
The cancellation of the 2020 exam weeks does not affect your fees in any way, and there is nothing you need to do to ensure that your application remains valid. However, if you wish to withdraw from the exam and receive a refund, please contact us at exams@abog.org. Please include your ABOG ID in your message so that assistance can be provided more efficiently.
Yes. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, ABOG extended the deadline for case list submission and eliminated the 2020 late fees associated with submitting the case list. There will only be one deadline, August 31, 2020, to upload your Case List Affidavit(s), submit your case list, upload your photograph, and submit the exam fee. ABOG will send you notification describing how to submit these items.
You may list COVID-19 patients if you were primarily responsible for their inpatient or outpatient care. You may list them in appropriate OB, GYN, and Office Practice case list categories. You should not list any COVID-19 patients in whose care you participated but did not primarily manage. You should not list cases involving care provided to men. Please contact us at exams@abog.org if you have questions.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, ABOG is decreasing the required case volume for the 2020 case collection year. For both the Obstetrics and Gynecology sections, the minimum number of cases will decrease from 20 to 15. For the Office Practice section, the minimum number of cases will decrease from 40 to 30. For the Office Practice section, the maximum number of cases is still 40.
Candidates may use an 18-month case list for all three sections of the case list in 2020. Additionally, cases from the senior year of your residency may be used for all three sections of the case list. A former fellow may use cases from fellowship. Residency and fellowship cases earlier than July 1, 2012, may not be used. Candidates may list patients seen in the emergency room or triage area of labor and delivery and virtual office visits on their office practice list. If a candidate is unable to meet the minimum number of cases using an 18-month case list, and residency cases, they should contact ABOG at exams@abog.org for assistance.
Please submit your case list by the August 31, 2020 deadline. We understand that there may be challenges to getting complete details for some of your patients. For this year’s CE, candidates will be allowed to edit the cases after submission and before their CE. Please notify ABOG at exams@abog.org that you need to make edits to your 2020 case list, and we will reopen your case list entry access to allow you to make edits. It may take up to two business days for your case list to be unlocked for edits.
If you are unable to have your Verification of Hospital Privileges Form(s) or Case List Affidavit completed and signed by the deadline, we will work with you. Please notify ABOG at exams@abog.org. Please include your ABOG ID in your message to facilitate assistance.
We understand that you may have applied for this examination and later choose not to take the CE this cycle. After applying, if you are unable to take the 2020 Specialty CE due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you should email a brief summary of your situation to exams@abog.org. Your eligibility will be extended by one year. Your fees can be rolled over to the 2021 CE or you may request a refund by emailing exams@abog.org.