During each hour of the examination, approximately 30 minutes of questions will be developed from the cases you submitted. Selected cases will be displayed on the computer screen for your reference and the examiner's reference. Some of the questions will specifically address how you evaluated and managed your actual patients.
The examiner will also use the cases to explore your management of similar patients with different specifications. For example, you might list a 48-year-old woman with an adnexal mass. After discussing the actual management, you might be asked if the management would have been different (and how) if the patient were 18 years old or 78 years old.
Questions will test your ability to:
develop a diagnosis, including the necessary clinical, laboratory, and diagnostic procedures;
select and apply proper treatment under elective and emergency conditions;
prevent, recognize, and manage complications; and
plan and direct follow-up and continuing care.
Carelessly prepared or incomplete case lists may contribute to failure to pass the Certifying Exam. All case lists will be submitted electronically. You can't bring a copy of your case list to the Certifying Exam for personal reference.
Case List Entry and De-Identification
All information for the case list for the Certifying Examination must be entered online. The information can be entered through any device with an internet connection, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, and desktop computers.
To enter a case, open your ABOG portal and click on "Case List Entry."
The entry process is simple, and common abbreviations are acceptable.
You will be asked to enter patient-identifying information on the case list that you print. This information will be stored on a non-ABOG HIPAA-compliant server. The electronic copy of the case list that is submitted to ABOG must not contain patient-identifying information. The case lists submitted to the ABOG office must not contain the patient hospital number or other identifying information other than age.
The de-identification of patient case lists doesn't allow the omission of any patients under your care, which are otherwise to be reported.
The completeness of your case list is subject to audit.
If you're found to have not listed any case that is required, you'll be subject to disqualification from the exam and other discipline as appropriate.
Case List Categories
Guidelines
Enter a total of 40 patients into the listed categories.
Do not list more than two patients in any one category.
List each patient separately, and include diagnostic procedures, treatment, results, and number of office visits during the 12-month period.
Patients seen in the emergency room or triage area of labor and delivery may be listed.
Do not include a patient that appears in the Gynecology or Obstetrics case lists.
Do not include any patients that had procedures performed in any location except the office. Specifically, patients who had an outpatient procedure in a surgical center must be listed on the Gynecology case list.
Patients who had virtual visits or COVID-19 patients for whom they were primarily responsible for care if they fit into one of the categories in the following list.
Categories
Preventive health screening, immunization, and counseling (including cancer, mental health, IPV, sexual health, and genetic screening)
Wellness recommendations (exercise, stress management, nicotine cessation, diet, and nutrition)
Reproductive counseling and management
Contraceptive counseling and management
Pediatric and adolescent patients
LGBTQIA patients
Intimate partner violence and sexual assault
Patients affected by psychiatric disorders (including PMDD)
Patients with disabilities
Patients with immunocompromised health
Breast disorders (including preventive strategies)
Primary care problems (non-obstetric/gynecologic-related)
Patients with bone loss (including preventive strategies)
Infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss
Menopausal syndrome
Disorders of sexual development and puberty
Preinvasive cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and endometrial disease (colposcopy, biopsy, LEEP, EIN, hyperplasia, VIN/VAIN)
Adnexal masses
UTI
Conditions of chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis (non-operative management)
Enter a minimum of 20 patients into the listed categories, but all patients must be listed. This includes all admitted as well as all short-stay and outpatient surgical patients, even if not officially admitted to a hospital.
In order to meet the minimum, a candidate cannot count more than two patients in any of the categories listed below.
If a candidate cannot list 20 gynecological cases in the categories listed below, an 18-month case list and/or an appropriate number of cases from fellowship or senior residency case logs may be included. If prior fellowship or senior resident cases are used, only list 20 cases.
Patients who had an outpatient procedure in a surgical center must be listed on the Gynecology case list, not the Office Practice case list.
A preoperative diagnosis should appear for all major and minor surgical procedures. The size of ovarian cysts and neoplasms must be recorded. For non-surgical conditions, the 13 admission diagnosis should be recorded. Non-surgical admissions will not have a surgical pathological diagnosis. The treatment recorded should include all surgical procedures, as well as primary non-surgical therapy. “Surgical diagnosis” is the final pathology diagnosis. For hysterectomy specimens, the uterine weight in grams must be recorded. In cases without tissue for histologic diagnosis, the final clinical diagnosis should be listed. If the preoperative and postoperative diagnoses are the same and there is no pathology, you do not need to relist the diagnosis.
“Nights in hospital” is the arithmetic difference between the date of discharge and the date of admission. Specific dates of admission and discharge should not be provided. If a patient had an outpatient procedure and was not admitted, list the number of nights in hospital as “0.”
Categories
Routine postoperative care
Intraoperative and postoperative urologic complications
Intraoperative and postoperative wound complications
Intraoperative and postoperative vascular injuries and hemorrhage
Intraoperative and postoperative nerve injury
Intraoperative and postoperative gastrointestinal complications
Postoperative pulmonary complications
Adnexal emergencies, including PID/TOA, adnexal torsion, ruptured ovarian cysts
Vulvar emergencies, including Bartholin gland duct abscess, vulvar abscess, fasciitis, straddle injury, sexual assault
Ectopic pregnancies
Pregnancies of unknown location
Acute uterine complications, including hemorrhage, prolapsing fibroid, degenerating fibroid hematometra
Urologic emergencies, including stones, pyelonephritis, diverticulum infection, obstruction associated with procidentia
Pelvic infections
Operative hysteroscopy
Minimally invasive hysterectomy
Operative laparoscopy
Excisional procedures for preinvasive cervical disease
Excisional procedures for vulvar lesions
Dilation and curettage (non-obstetric)
Vulvar or vaginal procedures
Diagnostic cystoscopy
Exploratory laparotomy
Abdominal hysterectomy
Abdominal myomectomy
Open adnexal procedures
Diagnostic and operative cystoscopy and urethroscopy
Surgical repair of urinary incontinence
Vesicovaginal fistula repair
Surgical repair of pelvic organ prolapse, including apical prolapse and colpocleisis
Obstetrical D&E and D&C (miscarriage and abortion management)
Procedural management of abnormal first trimester pregnancy (non-emergent ectopic pregnancies, miscarriage)
Guidelines
Enter a minimum of 20 patients into the listed categories, but all patients must be listed. This includes all admitted as well as all short-stay and outpatient surgical patients, even if not officially admitted to a hospital.
In order to meet the minimum, a candidate cannot count more than two patients in any of the categories listed below.
If a candidate cannot list 20 obstetric cases in the categories listed below, an 18-month case list and/or an appropriate number of cases from fellowship or senior residency case logs may be included. If prior fellowship or senior resident cases are used, only list 20 cases.
Separately enter each patient with a complication or abnormality, as well as medical and surgical intervention during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the puerperium. Include the gestational age at admission. Normal, uncomplicated obstetrical patients should not be listed.
The term “normal obstetrical patient” for this listing implies that the:
pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the puerperium were uncomplicated; and labor began spontaneously between the 39th and completion of the 41st week of gestation; patients delivering before 39 weeks gestation should be listed in the “preterm,” “late preterm” or “early term” categories;
membranes ruptured or were ruptured after labor began;
presentation was vertex, position was occiput OA, LOA or ROA, and labor was less than 24 hours in duration;
delivery was spontaneous with or without episiotomy, from an anterior position;
the infant had a five-minute Apgar score of 6 or more and weighed between 2500 and 4500 grams and was healthy, and
placental delivery was uncomplicated, and blood loss was ≤ 500 mL.
The “nights in hospital” includes all prenatal and postnatal nights. The number of nights listed is the arithmetic difference between the admission and discharge date.
If a candidate cares for a patient in the hospital, but does not deliver the patient, the information on the delivery and infant should not be listed. For example, a patient who has preterm labor without delivery would not have delivery or infant information listed.
Categories
Co-existent medical comorbidities in the preconception, antenatal and intra and postpartum management.
Diabetes mellitus (pregestational and gestational)
Medical disorders unique to pregnancy (hyperemesis, cholestasis of pregnancy, acute fatty liver of pregnancy, peripartum cardiomyopathy, PUPPP/PEP, pemphigoid gestationis, isoimmunization)
Basic ultrasound (list number for first, second, and third trimester)
Postpartum complications (including readmissions, lactation, and breastfeeding complications)
Additional Case Sources
If you don't perform obstetrical procedures, or if you don't perform gynecologic procedures, or if you can't meet the minimum number of cases from your current practice, the minimum number and types of gynecological and obstetrical cases must be obtained from the additional sources listed below. Regardless of the candidate's current practice or training, the exam will cover all three areas. Candidates who limit their practice to outpatient care only will not be eligible for OB-GYN certification.
If you've been in practice for one year or more and can't meet the minimum number of cases during the 12-month collection period, you have two choices: You can submit a complete 18-month case list, or you can submit a 12-month case list and use cases from your senior year of residency to reach the minimums. If residency cases are used, it is only necessary to add a sufficient number of residency cases to meet the minimum numbers.
Cases from your senior year of residency can also be used to meet minimum numbers in either Obstetrics or Gynecology, but you cannot use senior residency cases in both case lists.
If you believe you can't meet the minimum number of cases in one area after using an 18-month case list and/or using residency cases, please contact us.
If you're currently in an ACGME-approved fellowship in a field related to obstetrics and gynecology, you can collect cases during your fellowship for the Certifying Exam.
Cases that are part of your fellowship may be used if you were responsible for a major portion of the case.
Moonlighting cases may be collected during fellowship and may be listed as collected during fellowship under the appropriate category.
You must collect cases from the standard 12-month collection period. If the minimum required numbers cannot be met during the standard 12-month collection period, additional cases from any time in fellowship up until the final date of case collection can be used.
If you're currently in a fellowship that is not ACGME-accredited but is in a field related to obstetrics and gynecology, you may collect cases during fellowship but must have full and unrestricted privileges to practice in the hospital from which you are collecting cases. The collection time can span over the entire fellowship to meet the minimum required numbers. You should indicate the dates of collection on the case list but should only list them as fellowship cases.
Candidates who have completed fellowship training should use cases from their practice. A 12- or 18-month case list may be submitted. If their fellowship training was in a field related to Obstetrics and Gynecology, they may use cases from their fellowship training if they cannot meet the minimum number of required cases from their practice. Fellowship cases earlier than July 1, 2018, may not be used. Additionally, they may use cases from their senior year of residency training if needed.
If you're entering fellowship or for other reasons are concerned that you may need to use residency cases, you're encouraged to collect information on your patients from residency as early in the process as possible. In some cases, it has been difficult for candidates to obtain the needed information after leaving the hospital where they did their residency.
The following information is needed on residency cases in order to use these patients later:
Gynecology Cases:
History and physical exam
Preoperative test results and preoperative diagnosis
Operative report
Pathology report including uterine weight, if appropriate
Postoperative diagnosis
Postoperative course including number of days of hospitalization
Postoperative complications
Obstetrics Cases:
History and physical exam
Maternal information (gravidity, parity, age)
Antepartum Complications
Delivery/Postpartum Complications
Information on the infant to include perinatal death, birthweight, days in the hospital, Apgar score at 1 & 5 minutes, complications, and if admitted to the NICU
If you're having difficult getting information from your residency hospital's medical records department, you're encouraged to contact your residency program director for assistance. If the residency program director is unable to help, please contact us.
Case List Submission
You will submit your case list electronically to the ABOG office through the Case List Entry System located on your ABOG portal. During the submission process you will review and complete attestations. An affidavit will only be required if your case list is selected for an audit.
All patients primarily cared for by you in all hospitals and surgical centers. See Specialty Certifying Exam Dates and Fees for case collection timeframes.
Patient case lists that fail to provide the required information, include an insufficient number of patients, are inadequately or incompletely prepared, are not appropriately de-identified, or fail to provide sufficient breadth and depth of clinical problems may disqualify you from admission to the Certifying Examination. You are personally responsible for the proper preparation, de-identified accuracy, and completeness of the case lists.
The completeness and accuracy of submitted case lists are subject to audit by the ABOG. All audits will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Permission to conduct on-site audits will be required of you prior to final approval to take the Certifying Exam.
Falsification of information in the case lists may result in ineligibility to apply for the Certifying Exam for a minimum of three years. You must then meet all requirements in effect at the end of the deferred period.
If the falsification is discovered after you have successfully completed the Certifying Exam, the results of the test will be voided, and your certification will be revoked.
Candidates will self-attest that their case lists are accurate and complete within the appropriate timeframe. Affidavits will only be required if your case list is selected for an audit. If audited, each list of obstetrics and gynecology patients from each hospital and surgical center must be verified on the appropriate affidavit form. The medical record librarian or designated hospital/surgical center authority must submit a statement attesting that:
The patients listed were cared for by you
All of the hospitalized patients dismissed from your care have been separately listed or reported in the totals for the period indicated.
For cases chosen from the fellowship or senior residency year, the affidavit must be obtained from your Program Director or the medical records librarian. There is no affidavit for office practice cases.
Verification of Case List and Audit
The list of patients you provide is subject to independent verification and audit by an agent or employee of ABOG. As a condition of candidacy, you agree to cooperate fully with any audit authorized by the Board, but not limited to:
Providing full and unrestricted access to your office records of patients for whom you had personal responsibility for professional management and care during the period for which the lists of patients are required
Authorizing access to such hospital or other institutional records as the ABOG deems necessary, in its absolute discretion, to verify the completeness and accuracy of the patient lists you submitted
Using your best efforts to obtain, where necessary and possible, written patient consent to release to the Board information concerning the patient's condition and treatment
Any audit undertaken by the Board pursuant to the authority granted by the section shall be conducted in compliance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
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