For those opposed to the Board Certification process, the arguments are well-detailed in a recent editorial (NEJM 2015; 372: 106-8); the preceding editorial, in contrast, argues that maintenance of certification (MOC) is positively affecting the care of patients.

Some of this discussion has been mentioned previously on this blog: After I Passed The Test | gutsandgrowth

Key points:

• “High-quality data supporting the efficacy of the program [MOC] will be very hard, if not impossible, to obtain.”
• Many physicians believe “that the exam questions are not relevant to their practice or a reliable gauge of physicians’ knowledge.”
• Many physicians believe “that closed-book tests are no longer relevant, since physicians can now easily turn to online resources.”
• An excellent alternative to the MOC to support lifelong learning is continuing medical education (CME).
• The authors note that the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) “is a private, self-appointed certifying organization. Although it has made important contributions to patient care, it has also grown into a $55-million-per-year business, unfettered by competition, selling proprietary, copyrighted products.”

Here’s the link: “Boarded to Death –Why Maintenance of Certification is Bad for Doctors and Patients”

Another viewpoint on this issue from Bryan Vartabedian/33 charts: 33 Shorts