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Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Focused Practice Designation

 


Each of the following is a requirement to sit for the PAG Focused Practice Designation Exam. You must meet all of the requirements in effect during the year for which admission to the computer-based exam is requested.


Training and Practice Requirement - In order to qualify as a Focused Practice Designation in PAG, you must have completed a minimum of three years of clinical practice with a focus in PAG. Completion of a one- or two-year PAG fellowship may count toward the minimum three-year requirements of focused practice. (Each year of fellowship counts as one year of clinical practice up to two years.)


PAG CME Requirement - You must have completed a minimum of 20 AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credits in PAG or relevant pediatric surgery CME in the last three years.


Specialty ABOG Board Certification - You must hold current, active ABOG certification in obstetrics and gynecology to be eligible to apply and to sit for the PAG exam. In other words, for the PAG exam, you must be certified through December 31, 2024.


Maintenance of Certification (MOC) - All candidates with a time-limited certificate in Specialty Obstetrics and Gynecology must be meeting the ABOG MOC program requirements at the time the PAG Focused Practice written application is submitted, and at the time of the actual written examination. Each diplomate who achieves a Focused Practice Designation in PAG must enter the PAG Focused Practiced Designation Maintenance of Certification program in the year following successful attainment of Focused Practice Designation in PAG and must successfully complete all assignments to maintain a Focused Practice Designation in PAG.


[Note: Candidates with a non-time-limited certification in Specialty Obstetrics and Gynecology who pass the written examination for Focused Practice in PAG will be issued a time-limited Focused Practice Designation in PAG and will be required to enter the PAG Focused Practice MOC program and fulfill all the yearly MOC requirements for Focused Practice Designation in PAG.]


Medical License - You must have an active, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine in any and all of the states of territories (United States or a province of Canada) in which you hold a current medical license. Each license must not be restricted, suspended, on probation, revoked, nor include conditions on practice.


Moral and Ethical Behavior - ABOG requires evidence of your professionalism and professional standing. This will include verification of your professional reputation, moral and ethical character, and in-hospital practice privileges from administrative officials of organizations and institutions that know you and your practice. You must have demonstrated good moral and ethical behavior in the practice of medicine and interaction with peers and other medical personnel. A felony conviction, even if unrelated to the practice of medicine, will be considered evidence of failure to meet this standard.


Unrestricted Hospital Privileges - You must have unrestricted hospital (or surgical center) privileges for a Focused Practice in PAG. If you are under investigation or on probation, your application will not be approved. You must re-apply and pay a new application fee after the probation and/or restrictions have been resolved. However, resolution of these matters does not guarantee that your application will be approved.


Twelve-Month Case Log - You'll be required to submit a 12-month case log documenting a practice that demonstrates sufficient depth and breadth of focused practice in PAG. The case log must document that you are caring for patients under the age of 12 and show evidence of focused practice by having a minimum of 100 gynecologic office practice cases in patients less than 21 years of age within a 12-month interval. The case log must be completed at the time of application on the form(s) provided with the online application. Learn more about the case log.


Surgical Procedures - You'll be required to submit the number of operative procedures that you performed on patients less than 21 years of age in the year used for case collection. Learn more


Physicians in International Practice Settings - If you practice in a country other than the United States and its territories or Canada, a letter from the senior responsible medical officer in the hospital or clinical setting where you practice must be submitted with the application. The letter must be submitted to ABOG and must attest that you have independent unsupervised privileges in PAG. In addition, it should attest that you practice of medicine meets all the local standards and verify that you have unrestricted privileges in PAG.


Falsification of Information - Falsification of any information or failure to disclose any adverse action on hospital privileges, medical license, or MOC application will result in a denial of your eligibility to sit for the written examination for Focused Practice Designation in PAG.



Request for Special Consideration


If you have made major contributions to the field of PAG, but are no longer in full-time practice and cannot submit an adequate case log, you may request special consideration from the Committee on Focused Practice in PAG.


You should write a detailed letter of request to the Associate Executive Director for MOC of ABOG. The letter must include a summary of your contributions to the field and a copy of your CV. If the request is granted, you will allowed to sit for the PAG computer-based exam. However, once Focused Practice Designation in PAG is attained, you must enroll in the PAG MOC process.

Application Process for the Exam July 22, 2024


  1. Applicants will be accepted online at abog.org by January 31, 2024. You must be logged into the ABOG portal to access the application.
  2. The final day applications will be accepted for the 2024 exam is April 30, 2024.
  3. The fee must be paid by credit card through the ABOG website at the time of application. If you are found to be ineligible to sit for the test, a portion of the fee will be refunded.
  4. You must supply ABOG with a working email address as part of the application process. It is your responsibility to notify ABOG of any change in this address.
  5. Following submission of your online application, payment of the appropriate fee, and receipt at ABOG of the 12-month case log, your application will be considered in accordance with the requirements in effect for that year. You will be notified of admissibility to the computer-based exam. An ABOG subcommittee will make the final decision as to your eligibility after the review of your application and qualifications.
  6. Two business days (not less than 48 hours) after you have received the email notification of acceptance as a candidate, you should contact Pearson VUE to obtain a seat for the exam. Instructions for contacting Pearson VUE will be included in the acceptance email. Seats at Pearson VUE in individual cities are limited and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Exam Conduct


Exam Format and Length


The PAG Focused Practice Written Examination is scheduled to last approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes and consists of 100 questions. If you finish before the full time has elapsed, you may leave the Pearson VUE Testing Center early, but if you do so, you may not return.


You'll receive information after registering on the Person VUE Testing Center website concerning the location of your exam, as well as the time you must arrive.



Identification


You must present two forms of identification to be admitted to the PAG examination at Pearson VUE Testing Center.

  • One document must include both your photograph and signature.
  • The second document must include your signature.
  • If you had a name change between your application and the day of the test, you must bring a copy of an official document that verifies the name change. Examples could include, but are not limited to, a marriage certificate, divorce decree, court ordered name change, etc.



Screening Process


You must submit to a screening process that may include any or all of the following:

  • Fingerprinting
  • Palm vein scanning
  • Wanding
  • Walk-through scanning for metallic objects
  • Any other screening that may be in place at the Pearson VUE Testing Center


If you refuse the submit to any screening procedure, you will not be allowed to take the exam, and no portion of the fee will be refunded.



Electronic Devices


You may not take electronic devices into the exam area.


  • You are not allowed to possess or access recording devices, cellular phones, paging devices, other electronic communication and/or recording devices, and writing instruments at any time during the written exam or while taking a break.
  • You may not wear any device that can access the internet, such as an Apple Watch or similar devices.
  • The one exception is an insulin pump.
  • If such a device is discovered at any time during the exam, or if you access any such device for any reason, you will not receive a grade for any portion of the written examination, and all fees will be forfeited.



Breaks


There is no scheduled break during the exam.

  • You may take unscheduled breaks to use the restroom facilities. Unscheduled breaks should not exceed 10 minutes in length.
  • During such breaks, you may not talk with any individual or access any electronic device.
  • You are not allowed to leave the Pearson VUE Testing Center for any reason before completing the test.


If you violate any of these regulations, you will not receive a grade for any portion of the PAG written examination, and all fees will be forfeited.



Accommodations


If you require special accommodations, notify the ABOG office no later than April 30, 2024, by emailing moc@abog.org. It may not be possible to accommodate requests received after that date. Learn more about Exam Accommodations.

Designation Length


All Specialty and Subspecialty certificates issued by ABOG after 1986 are time-limited. Similarly, Focused Practice Designation in PAG issued by ABOG when you successfully pass the PAG written exam is time-limited and remains only in effect if you participate in and successfully complete the PAG Maintenance of Certification process each year.


If you successfully passed the 2024 computer-based PAG exam, your Focused Practice Designation in PAG will expire on December 31, 2025, unless all of the 2025 PAG MOC assignments are completed successfully and on time.


If your focused practice designation is allowed to lapse, it can only be re-established by passing a secure re-entry computer-based exam in PAG.



Re-Application


If you postpone or fail the written examination in PAG, you must complete a new online application to be considered for the next scheduled written exam in PAG and pay a new application fee.



Applicants Ruled Inadmissable


If a decision is made by ABOG that you have not met the requirements for admission to the written exam in PAG, you may appeal the decision in writing to the ABOG Associate Executive Director for MOC by emailing moc@abog.org. Such appeals will be forwarded to the appropriate ABOG Review Committee for consideration. If a successful decision occurs after the date of the computer-based exam, you will be scheduled for the next available computer-based exam in PAG, and no additional application fee will apply.

To be eligible for renewal of the Focused Practice Designation in PAG, you must hold a valid primary certificate in Obstetrics and Gynecology and complete the ABOG MOC program on an annual basis.


If you hold a time-limited certificate, you must meet MOC requirements annually for your specialty or subspecialty, as well as complete additional reading assignments focused in PAG.


The Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment requirement for specialists holding a PAG Focused Practice Designation has three parts:

  • Articles in general obstetrics, gynecology, office practice, and four subspecialties
  • Articles in pediatric and adolescent gynecology
  • Articles in patient safety and communication


The Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment requirement for subspecialists holding a PAG Focused Practice Designation has four parts:

  • Articles in general obstetrics, gynecology, office practice, and the other three subspecialties
  • Articles in pediatric and adolescent gynecology
  • Articles in your subspecialty
  • Articles in patient safety and communication


Likewise, if you hold a non-time-limited certificate in obstetrics and gynecology or an ABOG subspecialty, you must participate in the MOC program annually in order to maintain your Focused Practice Designation in PAG.

 

The process for Focused Practice Designation in PAG by ABOG is voluntary.

  • If you're a potential candidate for Focused Practice Designation in PAG, you are responsible for completing the application online via your ABOG portal, submitting all materials at ABOG at the time they are requested, and meeting all deadlines.
  • ABOG will make the final decision concerning your eligibility for admission to the exam.

 

It's your responsibility to be aware of the current requirements for Focused Practice Designation in PAG.

  • ABOG does not assume responsibility for notifying you of changing requirements for admissibility to any of its examinations or pending loss of eligibility.
  • You must meet the requirements published in the Focused Practice Designation in PAG Bulletin for the year in which you are to take an exam.

 

Focused Practice Designation in PAG is time-limited.

  • You must enter the PAG Focused Practice Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program in the year following successful attainment of focused practice designation and successfully complete all assignments to maintain focused practice designation.
  • If you hold a non-time-limited certificate in Specialty Obstetrics and Gynecology, you must enter the PAG MOC process to maintain Focused Practice Designation.

 

Fees must be paid by credit card through the ABOG website and are only payable in US dollars.

  • Deadlines are based on receipt of the information in the ABOG office. It is your responsibility as a candidate to monitor and meet all deadlines.