How to open the bok on the closed-book MOC exam

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has developed a definitive Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Exam Review Course to help you prepare for the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) MOC examination.

Sessions covering the most clinically relevant information will be available in all practice emphasis areas (PEAs), as well as in Core Ophthalmic Knowledge, the required DOCK module. The instruction is designed to accommodate different learning styles, including multiple-choice questions appropriate for self-assessment, and an interactive course format. There will be ample opportunity for participation and discussion to optimize your review time.

The MOC Exam Review Course is scheduled from July 21 to 23, 2006 at The Westin O'Hare, Rosemont, just outside Chicago. Registration is open to academy members only, and you can register only online from our Web site, http://www.aao.org/review_course/. Registration started Feb. 1, 2006 and ends June 21, 2006. Fees for the standard 2-day session (one PEA, plus Core Ophthalmic Knowledge) are: $795, early bird rate (Feb. 1 to April 19); $875, regular rate (April 20 to June 21). There is an additional fee of $125 for attending a third-day session. You can earn up to 8 category 1 CME credits for each day attended.

Only ophthalmologists who were board certified after July 1, 1992 and have not been re-certified since then are required to participate in the MOC process. Additionally, only ophthalmologists who have not yet completed an MOC written examination and whose current certificates will expire (or have expired) by the end of 2008 are eligible to participate in the DOCK examination in 2006.

However, some lifetime certificate holders will be among the first to enter MOC in 2006, including ABO directors, many ophthalmology department chairs, and the academy's past president, Susan Day, MD. Why? In part to show leadership, in part because they believe in the importance of lifelong learning, but mostly because it represents the future. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) 4 years ago instructed its 24 specialty boards, including the ABO, to initiate a process of MOC. So, ophthalmology is not alone.

While the academy was not involved in creating the MOC program or its examinations, helping you understand and meet the requirements for MOC and making it as useful and meaningful to you as possible is a priority for the academy. To that end, the academy has developed the academy MOC Essentials, a comprehensive range of products and services-including MOC Exam Study Guide, MOC Exam Self-Assessment, and MOC Exam Review Course-to help you navigate this new process.

From our Web site, http://www.aao.org/ame/, you can find more information on academy resources to help you prepare for the ABO's MOC requirements, as well as sign up for e-mail updates on the MOC process.

Susanne Medeiros is Editor, Communications Department, American Academy of Ophthalmology, San Francisco.