All of the medical specialty boards now issue a time-limited certificate that is valid for a decade. Consequently, doctors must renew their board certification every 10 years by completing the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements. Last year I reviewed the American Board of Ophthalmology’s MOC process in an article entitled “A Guide to Navigating the Recertification Process for Ophthalmologists” that explained each step. In this update I will share my experience since I recently finished another recertification.
Presently, MOC is a continuous process in which four components must be completed in a designated order over the ten-year cycle. These components are: Evidence of professional standing (medical license); Practice performance assessment (practice improvement modules (PIMs)): Lifelong learning and self-assessment (250 category 1 CME credits and 2 Periodic Ophthalmology Review Tests (PORTs)): and Cognitive expertise (Demonstration of Ophthalmic Cognitive Knowledge (DOCK) exam consisting of three 50-question modules, 1 core and 2 Practice Emphasis Areas (PEAs)).
Some of these steps are easier to complete than others. In order to practice, we must have a valid medical license, which requires that we obtain 25 category CME credits per year anyway. The PIMs replace the Office Record Review (ORR). I did the ORR and found it to be a time consuming exercise (selecting and reviewing patient charts, which in my office are paper charts) without any recognizable benefit. With all the years of graduate and post graduate training we undergo, I believe we all know what information to include in a patient’s chart, and if not, electronic medical records are customizable to make sure all the relevant (and irrelevant) information is documented. The final and most burdensome steps are the PORT and DOCK exams.
The content for these tests is derived from the Practicing Ophthalmology Curriculum (POC) developed by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). The POC topic outlines, comprised of core ophthalmic knowledge and the 10 PEAs, are available at the AAO website where study tools can be purchased. Two PORT exams are required and included in the $200 annual cost for MOC. Additional PORT exams are $100 each. Once a PORT exam is selected, it is only available for one month, but it is scored immediately upon completion. The required 2 PORTs must be competed prior to registering for the DOCK, which is only given in September. Registration for the DOCK should be completed by June, however late registration is open until August.
I took the PORTs without any preparation to determine what topics I needed to study for the DOCK. Regarding study materials, I followed the ABO’s suggestions of talking to colleagues about what resources they found most helpful and purchasing additional PORTs (core and PEAs). I also reviewed selected topics from the BCSC series and review books. The material in the PORT modules was most representative of that on the DOCK exam, so I found completing all of the core and chosen PEA tests was the most valuable method of study for me. I have also heard positive comments about review courses.
The DOCK exam must be taken at a testing center in September. There were multiple locations near my home and office and a variety of available days including weekends. I registered early and was able to choose a convenient location and date. Although the DOCK exam resembles the PORTs, the results of the DOCK are not immediately available. Instead, candidates are notified 2 months later. It would be nice if the DOCK could be taken in other months and the results could be delivered more rapidly.