AOBFP
CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION
APPLICATION
– October 27, 2012
Cognitive Exam
October
6, 2012 - Practical OMT Exam
POSTMARK
DEADLINES
& FEES –
April 1
$1,000
May 1 $1,200
June 1 $1,300
Fee
includes both the cognitive assessment
exam and the OMT practical exam
QUESTIONS?
-
Examination Dates
- Eligibility Requirements
- Certification Process
CONTACT
AOBFP – (847) 640-8477
Recorded information - (800)
390-5801
Website - www.aobfp.org
TIME DATED CERTIFICATES
Certification
awarded in 1997 and thereafter is time limited and requires recertification
every eight years.
Included is an application and information pertaining to
the Family Practice certification examination.
The cognitive assessment portion of the examination (full day) will be a computer-based
examination given on Saturday, October 27, 2012
at regional test sites made available by Pearson VUE, our testing vendor.
You will be provided with detailed information from Pearson VUE for the
selection of your test site only after your completed application and supporting
documents have been received by the AOBFP, fully processed/verified, and your
eligibility is confirmed in writing. We require at least four weeks after
receipt for the processing of your materials. Once you have received your
verification from the AOBFP that you are approved for examination, it is to your
benefit to contact Pearson VUE in a timely manner to select your preferred test
sites, as confirmations will be provided on a first come, first serve basis.
The
practical performance evaluation portion of the certification exam requires your
travel to one of the convention sites for completion. The Fall AOA OMED
conference or the Spring ACOFP
conference will both be sites. The Fall 2012 AOA OMED conference dates are
October 7-11 at the Marriott Hotel in San Diego, CA.
The practical exam will be offered on Saturday, October
6th. You may indicate your selection for one
of those dates at the top of the application form. However, when the
practical exam is given over a consecutive two-day period (such as Spring 2013 -
March 21-22), there is no
guarantee you will be scheduled for the day you select. Dates for the practical will
be assigned as the AOBFP processes completed applications in their order of
receipt.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR EXAMINATION ARE AS FOLLOWS:
·
Graduate of an approved osteopathic college
·
Current full, unrestricted license (it is understood that residents may be practicing with a temporary
license or under a hospital license)
·
Member in good standing of the AOA for at least two
consecutive years immediately prior to application, examination and presentation
for certification AND . . .
·
Completion within the immediate past six years of a one-year
AOA-approved internship and a two-year AOA-approved family practice residency program OR currently in a
three-year AOA- or ACGME-approved family practice residency program to be completed no later than
December 31, 2012.
IN ORDER FOR YOUR APPLICATION TO BE REVIEWED FOR APPROVAL
FOR EXAMINATION, ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THIS OFFICE BY
ONE OF THE POSTMARK DEADLINES WITH THE APPLICABLE FEE:
·
Application signed by applicant
·
One
recent, original passport-size photos (no
smaller than 2” square)
·
Applicable
examination fee, based on postmark deadline, made payable to the
AOBFP (check or money order; credit cards not accepted); your cancelled check will serve as your receipt of
payment, unless a request for a receipt is included with the application.
·
Copy of internship certificate if applicable; also include AOA letter of
internship approval if an allopathic program has been completed
·
Copy of medical license with expiration date
(not necessary if practicing under hospital license). A candidate
petitioning with a restricted license must submit a copy of the court order with
the other application documents
·
‘Verification of
Residency Training’ form, listing site, start and completion dates or
copy of residency certificate if program is complete
·
Signed and
dated ‘Statement of Understanding for Issuance of Certification’
·
Written verification from the AOA confirming membership in
good standing for two consecutive years; contact the AOA Membership Services
Department (800)621-1773 and they will forward directly to the AOBFP
All
materials must be in the AOBFP office with one of the applicable postmark deadline dates
but no later
than a postmark of June 1, 2012.
Early
submission of your materials will allow for a more timely response.
Application materials should be sent to the following address:
American
Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians
330
E. Algonquin Rd., Suite 6
Arlington Heights, IL
60005
ALLOW
AT LEAST FOUR WEEKS FOR AOBFP PROCESSING OF YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS.
CONFIRMATION OF RECEIPT AND ELIGIBILITY MAY BE AVAILABLE AFTER THAT TIME.
MATERIALS SHOULD BE SENT VIA PRIORITY MAIL WITH DELIVERY CONFIRMATION FOR IMMEDIATE
CONFIRMATION BY POSTAL SERVICE OF RECEIPT IN AOBFP OFFICE.
AOBFP WILL NOT VERIFY RECEIPT PRIOR TO PROCESSING.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Residents -
Osteopathic Programs
Applicants
qualifying under the residency pathway either in a current osteopathic training
program or having had completed an osteopathic program may sit for examination
prior to the completion of their residency paperwork.
However, scores other than a pass/fail designation as well as
recommendation for certification by the American Osteopathic Association will be
withheld until the paperwork is approved by the
American
College
of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP), which is termed as ‘training
complete’. Residents whose
paperwork is approved in the Fall following completion of training will be
presented to the AOA by December. Files
for residents with incomplete or unapproved paperwork will be deferred to a
later meeting. The AOA Department of
Certification's processing of candidate recommendations for certification takes
about 4-6 weeks.
The successful completion of the
examination, the review and approval of the residency paperwork and the awarding
of certification must be accomplished within six years from the date of
completion of the training program.
Advanced
Standing
Residents who have received advanced
standing or credit from the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
(ACOFP) for time spent in another program must include a copy of the
ACOFP approval letter. Advanced
standing must be approved by ACOFP prior to the application postmark deadline
date.
Residents -
Allopathic Programs
Residents
who have completed an allopathic training program may sit for examination prior
to the completion of their training
if that training is completed by August 1 of the exam year for the Spring exam
and by December 31 for the Fall exam. However,
scores other than a pass/fail designation as well as recommendation for
certification by the American Osteopathic Association will be withheld until the
training is determined as ‘complete and approved’ by the AOA.
The
successful completion of the examination, AOA approval of the
residency training, and the awarding of certification must
be accomplished within six years from the date of completion of the training
program.
ABMS
Certified Family Physicians
Resolution
No. 56, passed by the AOA Board of Trustees, allows for examination eligibility
for those holding ABMS primary certification in good standing.
This resolution originally passed in July 2004 and has since been
modified to remove the five-year post-residency requirement and to include
ABMS-certified osteopathic physicians who participated in a clinical pathway to
achieve ABMS certification.
The
AOA Certification Office must be contacted to obtain an application for
eligibility and further requirements. They may be reached at
(800)202-8000. AOA will contact this office when eligibility has been
approved. The AOBFP will then contact the applicant with further
instructions.
Lapse in AOA
Membership
Physicians reinstating their membership
with the American Osteopathic Association must do so in ample time to meet the
two-year consecutive AOA membership requirement prior to application.
Mechanism for
Reentry Into the Certification Process After Expiration of Six Year Period of
Board Eligibility (Applicable to Candidates with Two Years Approved Family
Practice Residency Training)
Reentry
into the certification process allows a candidate with 'TRAINING COMPLETE'
approval as awarded by the ACOFP to pursue certification in family practice for
an extended period of up to one year, limited to two exam attempts, from the date of acceptance of the
candidate's petition; however, the candidate is not considered board eligible
during that time and verification of such status will not be provided to the
candidate. Contact the AOBFP directory for specific qualifying
information; petition must be made immediately upon expiration of board
eligibility.
Special Accommodations – ADA and
Religious Observances
Candidates
seeking special ADA accommodations must submit the required documentation as
specified within the AOBFP ‘Criteria Policy for Documentation of a Disability
– Request for Accommodation Candidate Handbook’ along with the AOBFP
‘Request for Accommodation Application’.
The AOBFP must be contacted to obtain the handbook and application.
The request for accommodation application and supporting documentation must
be submitted with the completed application for examination and postmarked by
the initial deadline date.
Candidates
finding conflict with scheduled examination dates due to religious observances
must provide a written explanation of the conflict to accompany the completed
application and supporting documents, which are due by the initial postmark
deadline date.
CERTIFICATION
EXAMINATION FORMAT
Cognitive
Assessment Examination
The
candidate must have a minimal working knowledge of a computer mouse, have the
ability to "point and click", and have a basic understanding of
Microsoft Windows operating system. The testing vendor's website at www.pearsonvue.com/aobfp/
may be visited at any time for viewing a computer-based exam tutorial or to view
a listing of potential regional test sites in a certain geographic
location. This is not a guarantee that a specific site will be available
when the candidate contacts the testing vendor to select a test site.
The complete examination consists of approximately
400 multiple-choice questions in the following content areas:
General Medicine
Surgery
Pediatrics
Allergy/Immunology &
Rheumatology
EENT
inc. Adoles. Med.
Cardiology
General Surgery
Dermatology
Orthopedics
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology
Behavioral Sciences
Sports Medicine
Geriatrics
Medical Jurisprudence
Neurology
Psychiatry
Women's
Issues
Osteopathic Principles
Preventive
Medicine
Pulmonology
Addiction Medicine
Urology & Nephrology
Cultural Competency
Hematology
Wound
Management
Performance Evaluation
(Oral/Practical)
Candidates are assigned a time at which to appear for
examination. The performance evaluation
time schedule is sent to scheduled candidates four weeks prior to the exam.
Each candidate will have a partner (another candidate) who
will act the role of the patient during the examination.
Upon admittance to the exam room, the candidate is given a
questionnaire to complete and assigned at random a minimum of three case histories on which he/she
is examined. Time is provided for
the review of those cases prior to examination.
The candidate will be asked by a team of examiners to
diagnose the cases and demonstrate osteopathic manipulative treatment. A
time limit may be applied.
Construction of Multiple-Choice Questions
Candidates will be required to prepare four (4)
multiple-choice referenced questions in specific content
areas as assigned by the Board. The
forms and detailed instructions are forwarded to approved candidates no later
than 6 weeks prior to the examination. These
questions are to be submitted prior to the written examination. Further
instructions are detailed when the question forms are released.
Questions constructed by the candidate are a required
portion of the examination and must be completed per the provided
specifications. Questions will be
reviewed taking into consideration the following criteria:
- Adherence to specifications (format/structure)
- Quality of questions
- Coverage of high frequency/high impact material
Poorly constructed questions or those not following
prescribed specifications may be returned to the candidates for modification.
Scoring
A final pass/fail status will be determined by
satisfactory performance on the three individual portions of the examination;
the written, performance evaluation and questions. A numeric score will be given on the written examination, a
pass/fail designation on the performance evaluation, with the questions
considered a requirement.
Individual scores on the written examination are not
reported by subject or content area. The
unsuccessful completion of the examination requires a retake of the one-day
written examination at another exam administration; a total of two retake
examinations are allowed prior to further approval.
Another opportunity is offered that same day to retake the performance
evaluation.
Within ten weeks post examination, each candidate will
receive written communication of the final results of that examination.
A graphic illustration by major discipline area depicting your standing
in relation to the mean performance will be included for those with ACOFP
training approved status.
Past or current residents whose training has not yet been
approved by the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) by
approval of residency paperwork, will not receive a final score nor be presented
for certification until that approval is granted.
Pass/fail information, however, will be provided.
Candidates fulfilling all requirements as well as passing
the examination will be presented to the American Osteopathic Association's
Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (BOS) for recommendation for certification by
the AOA. Certificates will be time
dated for eight years. Membership
in good standing in the American Osteopathic Association is required to maintain
certification.
SUBMIT
APPLICATION DOCUMENTS IN ONE MAILING BY ONE OF THE APPLICABLE POSTMARK DEADLINE DATES,
BUT NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 1, 2011, TO:
American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians
330 E. Algonquin Rd., Suite 6
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(847)640-8477
AOBFP EXAM TABLE OF TEST SPECIFICATIONS
Family
Practice Exam Content for Certification and Recertification Exam
Addiction
Medicine
3%
Adolescent
Medicine
4%
Behavioral
Sciences
Preventive Medicine
5%
Psychiatry 4%
Medical Jurisprudence
3%
General
Medicine
Allergy/Immunology inc.
Rheumatology
5%
Cardiology
5%
Dermatology 5%
Endocrinology
5%
Gastroenterology 5%
Hematology 4%
Nephrology/Urology 4%
Neurology
5%
OPP 5%
Pulmonology 5%
Geriatrics 5%
Surgery
EENT
5%
General Surgery 3%
Orthopedics 5%
Obstetrics/Gynecology
4%
Pediatrics
4%
Sports
Medicine 3%
Women’s
Issues
4%
The approximate total number of test items in the
certification exam is 400 with 200 items in the recertification exam.
The above percentages are offered as a guideline only and may change with
each exam administration. These
breakdowns are approximations and may vary plus or minus by 4 items.
AOBFP CERTIFICATION/RECERTIFICATION EXAMINATION
PROCEDURES FOR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
1.
The candidate is required
to present one government issued photo ID along with a secondary signature ID.
The candidate will sign-in and receive an ID badge, which is to be worn
throughout the examination; the photo ID (driver’s license) is to be inserted
in the back of the badge holder with the name and photo visible.
Another certification candidate within the same exam time assignment is
to be selected to serve as your exam partner.
Partners cannot be related by blood or marriage.
Partners will then await
entrance to the exam room.
2.
Upon entering the exam room with a
partner, you will initially be seated in a “registration area”. You will be
presented a waiver form stating you understand that: If your treatment
involves an active correction, thrust, or HVLA, you are to set the patient into
the proper position only and verbalize the mechanism and direction of your
correction. You are not to complete the active correction. You will then be
given three (3) forms on which to enter your
name, your ID number, and your partner’s ID number. Each
form will have a clinical case on the reverse side. Each candidate will receive
one (1) case from each of the following categories: spine, extremities, and
systemic diseases (i.e. asthma).
Do not turn the papers over until instructed.
On the signal to begin, you will have 20 minutes to review and choose the
one (1) best answer from the four (4) choices listed on the front side of each
sheet. After you have selected the
diagnosis for each case, you should spend the remainder of the 20 minutes
planning your treatment strategy for each case. This is all the data that will
be given. You are not to talk with your partner or fellow candidates.
If necessary, you may direct any questions to a proctor.
No reference materials may be viewed. Notes may only be made directly on
the questionnaire/case form.
3.
Note that once you have been admitted to
the room, you may not leave. Any
exits from the room will require substitution of other cases for both
candidates.
4.
After 20 minutes has elapsed, exam
proctors will direct all candidates from the “registration area” to the
examination area. Each pair of candidates will be directed to their
first of three separate exam stations. Verbal instructions will be given.
The examiner will review your diagnosis for the first case
and indicate whether or not the correct diagnosis has been given.
If the wrong diagnosis is given, you will be informed of the correct
diagnosis. An incorrect diagnosis
will, of course, result in no points awarded for that portion of that case
evaluation. You will be given 4 minutes in
which to demonstrate and discuss appropriate OMT
for your first case. The performance
portions for that case will be scored based on the explanation and demonstration
of treatment for the correct diagnosis. If
your treatment involves an active correction, thrust or HVLA, you are to set the
patient into the proper position only and verbalize the mechanism and direction
of your correction. You are not to complete the active correction. * Your
partner will act the role of your patient during your examination and then you
will reverse roles. Your partner will then be given 4
minutes for their examination. Instructions
will not be repeated at stations two or three.
*see # 2 above
regarding waiver form
5.
After 8 minutes
has elapsed and the examination has been completed at the first station, all
candidates will move to the second station.
Start time will be announced and one candidate will then be examined in 4
minutes followed by the second candidate.
After another 8 minutes has elapsed, all
candidates will move to the final station.
6.
Each case will be scored using the
following criteria:
- Diagnosis
- Identification of landmarks appropriate to the
technique
- Implementation and demonstration of appropriate
technique/s
- Ability to discuss each
technique
7.
Upon completion of the exam at the third
station, the candidates will move to a separate area and await their exam
results for the practical portion of the examination.
8.
A candidate must receive a passing score on two (2) of the three (3)
cases in order to pass the performance exam. In
the event a candidate does not receive a passing score on two of the three
cases, that candidate shall be given another
opportunity to retake the performance exam later
that same day. The candidate will be
retested in all three categories. The
same examination protocols and grading system shall be in effect on the retake
examinations as on the initial performance evaluation. Any
candidate who fails to return for the retake exam will be given a failing grade
on the performance examination.
9.
In the event of a failure on the retake examination, the candidate will
be deemed to have failed the performance examination. In order to attain
certification/recertification the candidate must retake the performance exam at
a future date.
10.
After three (3) failures on the performance exam, in order to apply for
reexamination, the candidate must document to the AOBFP completion of a CME
review course in osteopathic principles and techniques that has been approved by
the AOBFP.
Processing
Fees
The following fees are in effect with the Spring 2010 exam.
All refund requests must be submitted in writing.
$1,000
Examination fee which must be submitted no later than the initial postmark deadline
date with complete application materials; applies
toward
first
exam taken within three years; fee is forfeited thereafter.
Nonrefundable late fees are charged by published postmark deadlines for
submission of application beyond published postmark deadline.
$600
Retake exam fee submitted with initial postmark deadline date
$
50
Processing fee for returned checks
$
100 Handgrading fee (requests
must be postmarked within six weeks from date of notification
of exam results)
$
150
Application processing fee withheld from refund request
$
100
Cancellation/rescheduling fee for first withdrawal
$
200
Cancellation/rescheduling fee for second withdrawal
$
300
Cancellation/rescheduling fee for third withdrawal
Cancellation
fees will be withheld from any refund requests
Fees
are subject to change without notice.
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