Coronavirus impact on ABR exams

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ABR

On this page Updates ABR Statement on COVID-19 Impact on ACGME Residency Training ABR Statement on COVID-19 Impact on Medical Physics (CAMPEP) Residency Training FAQs The ABR continues to monitor the coronavirus outbreak and will provide regular updates here. These actions are coming after...

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DR Certifying Exam / RISE (April) - cancelled

DR Core Exam - "still scheduled as planned", but "developing plans" in case of disruption

MP Oral Exam - postponed

Radiation Oncology Oral Exam - postponed

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[justadumbbunny]

I'd be very surprised if it goes on as planned in Chicago/Tuscon. This isn't going to magically go away come late May. Even if it's 'safe' to travel, the lag on lifting institutional travel bans may prevent some from attending.

Hopefully, they realize that sooner rather than later and not waste more of our money.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Hopefully, they realize that sooner rather than later and not waste more of our money.

 

[Cognovi]

If they put off the Core, the inconvenienced programs and candidates will realize how silly it is to travel for a computerized multiple choice exam taken en masse. How in 2020 can Prometric or Pearson not have the technical capability to deliver an exam that has mostly low resolution single images anyway?

 

[justadumbbunny]

If they put off the Core, the inconvenienced programs and candidates will realize how silly it is to travel for a computerized multiple choice exam taken en masse. How in 2020 can Prometric or Pearson not have the technical capability to deliver an exam that has mostly low resolution single images anyway?

Most reasonable non-ABR affiliated faculty & residents already agree that it's silly to travel even without an ongoing pandemic. Remember the take-home breast test, which would require the highest resolution images, from a few years ago?

Delaying or taking the test remotely is their best face-saving move.

What if one of us spreads it to another resident who then brings it back to their hospital? Will large numbers of us go against indefinite work-related travel bans and risk the fallout?

 

[thatsrad]

They will cancel. They’re just coming up with a plan first.

I think the best option would be administer it remotely somehow during the original timeframe. Prometric makes sense.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

They will cancel. They’re just coming up with a plan first.

I think the best option would be administer it remotely somehow during the original timeframe. Prometric makes sense.

Agreed that they will definitely postpone. Based on epidemiological science, don't expect the COVID-19 situation and its aftershocks to go away right before early June.

 

[thatsrad]

Exactly. And with all the mitigation efforts, the spread and natural course of the virus will be prolonged (which is the whole point - resources will be less overwhelmed that way - that means it is working). As the viral course is prolonged, I expect mitigation efforts to be extended. Which means definitely no in-person core.

In fact CDC just recommended no in-person meeting of 50 or more the next 8 weeks.

 

[sievert_fever]

Outsourcing to local Prometrics seems like the only feasible last-minute option for this summer's administration. They could specifically limit the number of test takers to no more than 50 (or whatever arbitrary threshold). I'd be happy to pay the surcharge to still take the test on time.

 

[SirGecko]

Official word just came out, delayed till no sooner than September.

 

[Piebaldi]

Official word just came out, delayed till no sooner than September.

I think this is happening across the board. Our oral boards in PM&R also got delayed to September.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Pushed back to November 5-6 and 9-10, 2020.

 

[SirGecko]

Core exam was pushed again. Now sometime tbd in 2021.

 

[90sportsfan]

Core exam was pushed again. Now sometime tbd in 2021.

It seems like a lot of things scheduled to take place in Fall of 2020 are just being pushed back until 2021, so this isn't surprising. It sounding more and more likely that there will be some vaccine pushed out by the end of 2020 or early 2021 (even if not fully effective). Fall 2020 seems like it will kind of be a throwaway. I'm guessing around Spring 2021 is when things may get back to normal.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Core exam was pushed again. Now sometime tbd in 2021.

OMEGA LUL

Just Prometric this ****.