Page 15 - SMU Spring 2020

questions. If you are successful with this all Diplomates have to submit as part To make all of these assessments work
examination, you recertify both your of their Application. The examination successfully, we depend on many practicing
General and Subspecialty Certification. is based only on those selected 12 cases. orthopaedic surgeons to volunteer their
If you do not hold Subspecialty For those Diplomates with a Subspecialty time. We appreciate the AOSSM in
Certification, you can still take a Certification, you can recertify that and recommending Diplomates for ABOS
150-question examination that covers your General Certificate by passing the volunteer positions. Other Diplomates
solely orthopaedic sports medicine topics. Oral Recertification Examination. have self-nominated, which is fine. To
That’s called an Orthopaedic Sports register to volunteer, go to www.abos.org and
Medicine Practice-Profiled Examination. ABOS WLA log in. On the orange left-hand menu there
For either examination, I highly Over the last couple of years, I’ve written is a button to volunteer. Complete the brief
recommend that you go to www.abos.org extensively in Sports Medicine Update form and upload your CV—we will make
and view the Examination Blueprint so about the ABOS Web-Based Longitudinal every effort to get you involved.
that you can see the subject areas covered Assessment Program (ABOS WLA). There are several opportunities
by the examination. On the front page of It’s a fantastic program where you are for orthopaedic surgeon volunteers
the Blueprint, you will get an overview of able to choose Orthopaedic Knowledge at the ABOS. For the Computer-Based
the examination. Click on any area of the Sources, review them, and then are Examinations, we have orthopaedic
Blueprint front page and get a detailed assessed only on those chosen sources. surgeons who write the questions. We
breakdown of each particular topic. then have another group of volunteers test
There are many excellent orthopaedic
sports medicine sources. They have the questions. A third group then helps
Oral Recertification Examination
been selected from several leading determine the passing standards. For the
You may think that the ABOS Oral journals, including the American Journal Oral Examinations, we are always looking
Examination is only for Part II Initial of Sports Medicine, Journal of Bone and for oral examiners who are willing and able
ABOS Board Certification Candidates, but Joint Surgery, Arthroscopy, and Lancet. to help during the ABOS Oral Examination
some Diplomates recertify utilizing the There are other sources from across Week in July. For the ABOS WLA, we have
Oral Examination. Each July, we have one the field of orthopaedic surgery that orthopaedic surgeons assist the ABOS
full day of examinations devoted to those sports medicine specialists will find of in choosing the Knowledge Sources and
Diplomates taking an oral examination; interest. The ABOS WLA program is a writing the ABOS WLA questions.
this occurs before any Part II Candidates great way to keep up with your knowledge Prior to becoming Executive Medical
are examined. The reason that some base. If you hold Orthopaedic Sports Director in 2016, I was an ABOS volunteer
Diplomates like an Oral Recertification Medicine Subspecialty Certification, for more than 15 years. I was an oral
Examination is that it is a practice-based choosing five Knowledge Sources each examiner, a question writer, a standard
examination of their own cases. It is a year in orthopaedic sports medicine setter, and a Case List selector. Volunteering
true snapshot of a surgeon’s practice. Like will allow you to recertify both your for the ABOS is a rewarding experience. If
the Part II Oral Examination, the ABOS General Orthopaedic Certificate and your you have any questions about volunteering,
selects 12 cases from the Case List that Subspecialty Certificate. do not hesitate to contact me.

ABOS PODCAST

Have you listened to the new American Board of
Orthopaedic Surgery podcast? It is designed for busy
orthopaedic surgeons to learn more about the ABOS.
You can find it at anchor.fm/abos and most major podcast
platforms including Apple, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Spring 2020, Issue 2 | sportsmed.org 13 