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Complex Family Planning for Senior Candidates

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2024 Complex Family Planning for Senior Candidates


  • Applications will be accepted online at abog.org beginning January 3, 2024. Late fees apply for applications received after 11:59 p.m. CST February 16, 2024. The final day applications will be accepted is March 1, 2024.
  • The total fee (application + examination) must be paid by credit card through the ABOG website at the time of application. If you're found to be ineligible to take the exam, the examination portion of the fee will be refunded. The application portion of the fee is not refundable, nor will it be credited toward a subsequent application.
  • Senior candidates who have completed a CFP fellowship before September 30, 2022, and have not practiced for three years must have a fellowship affidavit form signed by either the current Fellowship Program Director or the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. This form serves to document satisfactory completion of training. A form, if required, will be available for printing during the application.
  • During the application process, a completed Verification of Hospital Privileges Form will be required. This form must be printed, signed by the appropriate official, and uploaded to the candidate's ABOG portal. If a candidate does not have hospital privileges, the candidate should contact ABOG at exams@abog.org.
  • The applicant must supply ABOG with an email address as part of the application process and notify ABOG of any change in this email address.
  • Following submission of the online application form, payment of the appropriate fee, receipt of the hospital privileges form (if required), the fellowship affidavit form (if required), and case log, the candidate's application will be considered in accordance with the requirements in effect for that year. The candidate will be notified of admissibility to the Senior Candidate Examination. The final decision as to the eligibility of an applicant as a senior candidate will be made by an ABOG subcommittee after the review of the candidate's application and qualifications.
  • After the approval email from ABOG is received, the candidates must contact Pearson VUE to obtain a seat for the examination. Candidates are urged to obtain a seat as soon as possible after notification of eligibility to avoid long-distance travel to a site with an available seat. On April 26, 2024, the ABOG reserved seats held at the Pearson VUE centers will be released. After that date, it will be harder for candidates to reserve a seat at their preferred site. Seats in individual cities are limited and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. ABOG will not refund any portion of the test fee if a candidate is not able to reserve a seat at their preferred testing center.
  • If special accommodations are needed for a disability, those requests must be received no later than the close of the application period. See more information about accommodations for disabilities.
  • Candidates who are lactating may request a 30-minute break and extension of their examination if they notify the ABOG office no later than March 1, 2024, and schedule at a Pearson VUE Testing Center by the same date. Pearson VUE Centers have limited lactation facilities which are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. If a candidate requests extra time for lactation, they will have to schedule their testing site through the Pearson VUE accommodations department after contacting ABOG. If no seat is available at the closest center, and they have requested extra time, they will have to travel to an available location to sit for the examination. See more information about lactation accommodations.
  • Each year, ABOG notifies the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Society for Family Planning (SFP), the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the names and addresses of the diplomates who have been certified in the course of that year. ABOG also provides de-identified data to fellowship programs and to the ACGME about fellowship program pass rates to be used as a criterion to evaluate the effectiveness of program training. ABOG, SFP, ACOG, AMA, and ABMS, on request, also make this information available to the public, including, but not limited to, hospitals, agencies of government, insurers, and laypersons. ABOG may use the results of certification examinations for research purposes and may publish the results of the research.
  • As a condition for acceptance as a candidate for certification as a Diplomate in the CFP subspecialty, each candidate, at the time of the Senior Candidate Examination, is required to sign an irrevocable waiver authorizing the dissemination of the candidate's certification status without limitation or condition.
  • The Senior Candidate Examination will be given on July 22, 2024.

Each of the following is a requirement for a senior candidate in CFP to sit for the subspecialty Senior Candidate Examination. The candidate must meet all of the requirements in effect during the year for which admission to the Senior Candidate Examination is requested.


Training and Practice - In order to qualify as a CFP senior candidate, a physician must meet one of the following two criteria:

  • The physician must have been practicing CFP for a minimum of three years post-residency training. During the most recent three years, a minimum of 30% of the physician's total outpatient and inpatient practice must consist of patients related to the area of CFP.

OR

  • Completion of a CFP fellowship by September 30, 2022, but not practicing for a minimum of three years. These physicians must submit an affidavit signed by the fellowship Program Director that attests to their successful completion of the training program.


Diplomate Status - A senior candidate must be a diplomate of ABOG and hold an Active Certificate in Obstetrics and Gynecology.


Unrestricted License - A senior candidate must hold an unrestricted license to practice medicine in all states or territories of the United States or Canada in which the candidate holds a medical license. Licenses that have been revoked, suspended, or are on probation, or are subject to conditions of any type, are considered to be restricted.


Unrestricted Hospital Privileges - While full, unrestricted privileges to perform all CFP procedures are preferred, at a minimum, these privileges must allow the candidate to perform an in-hospital consultation on patients who have been admitted. The candidate's privileges must remain in effect at the time of the Senior Candidate Examination and may not be suspended or revoked, and the candidate must not be under investigation for patient care issues. Privileges are required as follows:

  • CFP Fellowship graduates completing training between June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2022 are not required to have hospital privileges. May collect cases from fellowship.
  • CFP Fellowship graduates completing training between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 are required to have hospital privileges at the time of the examination. May collect cases from either fellowship and/or practice.
  • All other senior candidates must have hospital privileges at the time of application and must collect cases from practice.


If a candidate does not have hospital privileges, the candidate should contact ABOG at exams@abog.org.


Resignation of Hospital Privileges - A senior candidate must not have resigned hospital privileges or membership in any medical organization (e.g., ACOG) while under investigation. If the candidate is under investigation or on probation, the application will not be approved. The candidate must reapply and pay a new application fee once the probation and/or restrictions have been resolved. However, resolution of these matters does not guarantee that the candidate's application will be approved.


CFP Practice Focus - A minimum of 30% of the physician's practice (including inpatient and outpatient) must be limited to patients with CFP diagnoses.


Six Month Case Log - All senior candidates - including those who have not practiced independently for a minimum of three years - will be required to submit a six-month case log documenting a practice that demonstrates sufficient depth and breadth of practice in the subspecialty of CFP. The case log must be completed at the time of application on the form(s) provided with the online applications.


Moral and Ethical Behavior - The candidate must have demonstrated good moral and ethical behavior in the practice of medicine and in interactions with peers, other medical personnel, and patients. A felony conviction, even if unrelated to the practice of medicine, will be considered evidence of failure to meet this standard.


Falsification of Information - Falsification of any information or failure to disclose any adverse action will result in revocation of a candidate's eligibility to sit for the Senior Candidate Examination.


International Practice - A candidate who practices outside of the United States, its territories, or Canada, must submit, with the application, a letter(s) from a senior responsible officer in the hospital(s) where the candidate practices, verifying the candidate's responsibility for independent, unsupervised care of CFP patients.


Physicians who have made major contributions to the field of CFP but are no longer in full-time practice and cannot submit an adequate case log may request special consideration of the Division of CFP. Such physicians should write a detailed letter of request to the Executive Director of ABOG. The letter must include a summary of their contributions to the field and a copy of their CV. If the request is granted, that physician will be allowed to sit for the CFP Senior Candidate Examination. Once certified, they must enroll in the CFP MOC process.


Physicians who complete an ACGME-accredited CFP fellowship after September 30, 2022 must pass both a qualifying (written) and certifying (oral) examination.


Physicians who finish training in a non-ACGME-accredited fellowship after September 30, 2022 will not be eligible for certification in CFP by ABOG.

  1. The Case Log form must be completed as part of the application process. The form must be completed and submitted online. An example of the proposed form can be found in the bulletin.
  2. The deadline for submission of all application materials, including the case log, is March 1, 2024.
  3. The numbers reported in the case log may be from any consecutive six-month period between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2023.
  4. The candidate is not required to perform every procedure included in the case log to be eligible for certification. The candidate should include the total numbers of each procedure for the collection period, and the case log will be used to verify the candidate's practice has sufficient breadth and depth to be eligible for the certification in Complex Family Planning.

The content of the exam will be based on the blueprint outlined in the 2022 Complex Family Planning for Senior Candidates Exam bulletin or can be viewed on this page.

  • A "senior candidate" is a physician who is applying for the Senior Candidate Examination in CFP on the basis of experience and clinical practice.
  • Candidates who complete fellowship training by September 30, 2022, are considered senior candidates and must meet the requirements listen in the bulletin. Candidates who entered a two-year fellowship in CFP approved by ACGME on July 1, 2021, and thereafter are not eligible to apply as senior candidates and must fulfill all requirements listed in the CFP bulletin.
  • Certification for senior candidates requires passing a written certifying examination.
  • All senior candidates must have passed both the Qualifying and Certifying Specialty Examinations. They must be current, active ABOG Diplomates at the time of application for the CFP Senior Candidate Examination and must remain so at the time of the written examination.
  • The Senior Candidate Examination will be given in July 2022, July 2023, and July 2024.
  • The eligibility of senior candidates to become ABOG CFP-certified expires after the 2024 examination. No application will be accepted for certification based on "senior" status after that date, regardless of experience or training.

Conduct


Length of Exam

The Senior Candidate Examination is scheduled to last approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes. Candidates who finish before the full time has elapsed may leave early, but if they do so, they may not return. Candidates will receive information after registering on the Pearson VUE Testing Center website concerning the location of their examination, as well as the time they must arrive.


Identification

You must present two forms of identification to be admitted to the examination.

  • One document must include both your photograph and your signature.
  • The second document must include your signature.
  • If you have had a name change between 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, or a court-ordered name change.


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 center


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


Electronic Devices

You may not take any electronic devices into the examination area.

  • You are not allowed to access recording devices, cellular phones, paging devices, smart watches, other electronic communication and/or recording devices, and writing instruments during the Senior Candidate Exam.
  • If such a device is discovered on your person at any time during the examination, or if you access any such device for any reason, you will not receive a grade for any portion of the examination, and all fees will be forfeit.


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 other individual or access any electronic device. You are not allowed to leave the 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 examination, and all fees will be forfeit.


Test Integrity


At the time of application for the exam, and again at the time the test is taken, you'll be required to agree to the following. You cannot sit for the Senior Candidate Examination unless you agree to these terms:

  1. I understand that all ABOG test materials are copyrighted and that it is illegal to disclose the content of the examination in whole or in part to any individual, organization, or business. Furthermore, I understand that if I provide the information to any such entity, I may be prosecuted under the US Copyright laws.
  2. I understand that if I divulge the content for the Senior Candidate Examination in whole or in part to any individual, organization, or business, my test result if any, will be negated and I will not be allowed to reapply for the Senior Candidate Examination for a minimum of three (3) years.
  3. I understand that I may not record any portion of the Senior Candidate Examination by any means in whole or in part, and a violation will be treated as outlined in numbers one and two above.
  4. I understand that I may not memorize or attempt to memorize any portion of the Senior Candidate Examination for the purpose of transmitting such material to any individual, organization, or business.
  5. I agree that de-identified results of my examination may be used for research purposes by ABOG.
  6. If I graduated from a CFP fellowship program, I agree that the results of my examination will be given to my Fellowship Program Director.


Additional information about test security can be found on the ABOG website under Policies.

Candidate Disability


The American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Inc. (ABOG) provides reasonable accommodations in accordance with The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2013 (ADAAA) (collectively the ADA) and, therefore, will provide or allow the use of necessary auxiliary aids, services, or testing conditions that do not fundamentally alter the measurement of the skills or knowledge the Board assessment program and examination is intended to test. Candidates must indicate through the examination application if special testing accommodations under the ADA are needed.


The ADA defines a person with a disability as someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities such as walking, standing, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, or working.


The purpose of accommodations is to provide equal access to ABOG examinations for all individuals. Accommodations offset the identified functional limitation so that the impact of impairment is minimized by means of an auxiliary aid or an adjustment to the testing procedure. Functional limitation refers to the aspects of a disability that interfere with an individual’s ability to function in some capacity on a regular and continuing basis. 


Accommodations for the Senior Candidate Examination will only be considered with appropriate documentation. ABOG shall not exclude any candidate from the Senior Candidate Examination solely because of a disability if ABOG is provided with notice of the disability in time to permit ABOG to make such adjustments in the examination as are reasonably necessary to accommodate the disability.



Senior Candidate Examination


For the Senior Candidate Examination, the candidate must provide sufficient documentation no later than the close of the application period to permit ABOG to verify the existence, nature, and extent of the disability. The documentation must specify the requirements or accommodations determined to be necessary to overcome or compensate for the disability. In addition, the candidate must supply any additional information ABOG may subsequently request in a timely manner.


If any of the requirements or accommodations cannot reasonably be provided, ABOG will notify the candidate and will indicate those alternative accommodations which ABOG determines to be appropriate in consideration of the disability claimed and documented and the integrity of the examination. If the candidate fails to notify ABOG of a disability during the application period and fails to achieve a passing grade, that candidate may not appeal the results of the examination but shall be entitled to sit for the next regularly scheduled examination but must pay a new application and examination fee.


If a candidate claims that their examination results were adversely affected by illness, injury, or other temporary physical impairment at the time of the examination, that candidate may not appeal the results of the examination. However, if the candidate provides sufficient evidence of such illness, injury, or impairment, they shall be entitled to sit for the next regularly scheduled examination but must pay a new application and examination fee.


Lactation Accommodations


Candidates who are lactating may request a 30-minute break and extension of their examination if they notify the ABOG office no later than March 3, 2023, and schedule at a Pearson VUE Testing Center by the same date. Most Pearson VUE Testing Centers have only one room available for breast pumping, so candidates are encouraged to make their reservations as soon as they receive approval for the test as these rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If a candidate requests extra time for lactation, they must schedule their testing site through the Pearson VUE accommodations department after contacting ABOG. If no seat is available at the closest center, and they have requested extra time, they will have to travel to an available location to sit for the examination. As Pearson VUE testing centers have limited lactation facilities, ABOG cannot guarantee that the candidate will be able to schedule at their preferred testing center. 

The results of the Senior Candidate Examination will be reported online to each candidate by the last Friday in October, 2024. If the candidate is required to verify training, ABOG must receive the Fellowship Training Affidavit verifying completion of training completed by the current Program Director in order to release the result.


ABOG will provide the candidate their scaled test score in addition to the result of "pass" or "fail." Each candidate, regardless of whether they pass or fail, will be provided with the percent scored in each of the major topic areas. The cut-point for passing the Senior Candidate Examination is determined each year after psychometric evaluation of the results.

There is no oral examination requirement for senior candidates.

All certificates issued by ABOG after 2008 are time-limited. The certification of a diplomate who successfully passes the Complex Family Planning Senior Candidate Examination in July 2023 will expire on December 31, 2024, unless all of the 2024 Maintenance of Certification (MOC) assignments have been successfully completed. Applications for the 2023 MOC process will be available online beginning in January 2024.

View the Complex Family Planning for Senior Candidates Bulletin here.
 
Contact the Exams Department at exams@abog.org or 214.871.1619.