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The ABMS MOC Part III Examination: Value, Concerns, and Alternative Formats
Richard E Hawkins1, Mira Bjelotomich Irons, Catherine M Welcher
1R.E. Hawkins is vice president, Medical Education Outcomes, American Medical Association, Chicago, Illinois. M.B. Irons is senior vice president, Academic Affairs, American Board of Medical Specialties, Chicago, Illinois. C.M. Welcher is senior policy analyst, Medical Education Outcomes, American Medical Association, Chicago, Illinois. M.V. Pouwels is director, Medical Education Collaborations, American Medical Association, Chicago, Illinois. E.S. Holmboe is senior vice president, Milestone Development and Evaluation, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Chicago, Illinois. E.J. Reisdorff is executive director, American Board of Emergency Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan. J.M. Cohen is director, Education, Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai Continuum; Headache Fellowship program director, Headache Institute and Adolescent Headache Center, Mount Sinai Roosevelt Hospital; and assistant professor of neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York. S. Dentzer is senior policy adviser, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Washington, DC. D.G. Nichols is president and chief executive officer, American Board of Pediatrics, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. C.A. Lien is professor and vice chair for academic affairs, Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, New York. T.D. Horn is executive director, American Board of Dermatology, Newton, Massachusetts. R.B. Noone is executive director, American Board of Plastic Surgery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. R.S. Lipner is senior vice president, Evaluation, Research and Development, American Board of Internal Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. K.W. Eva is associate director and senior scientist, Centre for Health Education Scholarship, and professor and director of education research and scholarship, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. J.J. Norcini is president and chief executive officer, Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. L.M. Nora is president and chief executive officer, American Board of Medical Specialties, Chicago, Illinois. J.P. Gold is chancellor, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
The Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part III Examination is under review for its value, cost, and relevance. Alternative formats are being developed to better support continuing professional development and physician self-regulation.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Professional Self-Regulation
- Physician Continuing Education
Background:
- Conference co-convened by the American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Medical Education and American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).
- Focus on the ABMS Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part III Examination.
- Discussion covered examination value, supporting evidence, cost, and relevance concerns.
Framework:
- Examining the MOC Part III Examination's current format and evidence base.
- Exploring alternative examination formats under development by ABMS member boards.
- Contrasting perspectives on MOC: high-stakes testing versus professional development support.
Implementation:
- Four ABMS member boards are developing or implementing alternative MOC examination formats.
- Addressing concerns regarding the cost and relevance of the current MOC Part III Examination.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of current MOC assessment strategies.
Implications:
- Potential shift in MOC from a pass-fail process to a tool for continuous improvement.
- Need for alignment between MOC knowledge assessment and its educational/quality improvement goals.
- Informing future MOC program development to meet public and physician needs.
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