Questions & Answers about Ultimate Board PrepWhat is the Ultimate Board Prep?The Ultimate Board Prep is a program of preparation for one of the most stressful events in your life...the Anesthesia Oral Boards. The Written Boards can be difficult, and there is certainly some stress involved, given the importance of passing the exam. But, at this point in your career, how many multiple choice tests have you taken? On the other hand, how many times have you sat in front of two board examiners (who may have authored a text book or two) and attempted to propose and defend an anesthetic plan in a clear and concise manner? There is a unique set of skills required to walk out of that second room of the oral board exam confident that you passed. Unfortunately, most candidates prepare for the orals the same way they prepared for the written exam. They spend countless hours building and reinforcing their knowledge of anesthesia and do very little to develop the other areas of emphasis on the oral boards (judgment, adaptability, communication, etc.). Do some of these people pass the exam? Yes. Do some of them fail despite a more than adequate fund of knowledge and intense study prior to the exam? Unfortunately, yes. Our course is designed to help candidates develop the skills they need to master the anesthesia oral board examination. Developing these skills will serve to reduce your stress, increase your confidence, greatly enhance your chances of passing the exam and, ultimately, make you a better anesthesiologist. Do I really need to take a course?Like many questions posed to candidates during the oral boards, this question does not lend itself to a simple black and white "yes" or "no" answer. Most candidates have the knowledge base and communication skills to pass some questions from some examiners. You could be one of the fortunate souls that is questioned on a topic that you reviewed the previous night...or maybe the hotel had your examiner’s favorite cereal on the breakfast bar and he wants to spread the joy. This may have been the situation for those physicians who proudly report that they studied a mere 45 minutes for the oral board and passed without a hitch. No two oral board exams are the same. Questions and scenarios vary from easy to difficult. You may be asked to discuss an anesthetic for a procedure you have seen a million times or for one that you have only read about….once….your first year of residency. Likewise, no two examiners are the same. The examiner sitting across the table from you may feel his or her mission is to gently coax the pertinent information from the sweaty palmed, stammering, but “obviously trying very hard” candidate. Then again, he or she may think that the only candidates who should become board certified are those who can maintain their composure and communicate their anesthetic plan while under extreme duress (This type of examiner is likely to incredulously exclaim, “Are you serious?” or “You're going to do what!?” while the junior examiner sadly shakes his head in mock disappointment.) Since there is no way to know what sort of questions or examiners you will be facing, it makes sense to be prepared for the worst possible scenario. The bad news: Preparing for the oral boards is a lot of work. It is particularly difficult to dedicate substantial amounts of time to preparation while working full time in a busy anesthesiology practice.
The good news: All the sacrifice pays off. The extra time and effort you invest in preparing for the oral boards will undoubtedly reduce your stress, increase your confidence, and greatly improve your chances of passing the exam. And, even if the unthinkable occurred and you did not pass, your study and preparation will have served to make you a better anesthesiologist and lay the groundwork for crushing the boards the following year. Remember, you will never be sorry for over-preparing. Under-preparing, however, can lead to regret and self flagellation (metaphorically speaking of course).
What makes this course different?Every candidate needs to practice verbalizing their knowledge. Many courses provide a forum for practice, and any course that results in more practice is going to be of benefit to you in your pursuit of certification. Unfortunately, the vague feedback and superficial clinical discussions provided at many of these courses often fails to improve your test-taking skills beyond that which would have occurred had you spent the same amount of time practicing at home. If you decide to attend The Ultimate Board Prep, you will not only be exposed to multiple mock oral exams covering a multitude of difficult and controversial clinical scenarios that are favorites of The American Board of Anesthesiology, but you will also benefit from a proven curriculum designed to: (1) familiarize you with the actual exam; (2) point out the most common mistakes made by examinees, and how to avoid those mistakes; (3) make you aware of the often "bad" advice offered by well-meaning colleagues; (4) show you how to deliver a substantial amount of relevant information, with clarity, and within a very short period of time; and (5) teach you how to quickly change the focus of the exam from what you do not know, to what you do know; and ultimately (6) show you how to make an impression of competence and sound judgment during this imjportant and subjective examination. Our goal at The Ultimate Board Prep is to do more than simply provide a forum for practice. Our goal is to show you how to master the oral boards. We strive to prepare you to excel even when presented with the most challenging clinical scenario, and when facing the most difficult and unforgiving examiner. For this reason, our mock oral exams tend toward the more difficult end of the spectrum when compared to actual ABA board questions. Each of these mock exams is then followed by a detailed clinical discussion, with emphasis on the management of the most difficult and challenging issues within the exam. At the same time, we show you how to utilize and apply the various strategies presented at the course in communicating your knowledge and defending your anesthetic plan. We know how important it is to you that you pass this examination, and that the time you have available for preparation is often limited by practice constraints, family, and other obligations. We firmly believe that attending our course is the best way to maximize the investment of your time and effort. We believe that The Ultimate Board Prep is simply the most effective anesthesia oral board course available, and we hope to see you soon.
What happens at the course?
Practice! Practice! Practice! During the 2-day or 4-day course you will participate in as many oral board exams as possible. Practice is great, but how you practice does matter. For this reason, Ultimate Board Prep test taking strategies and techniques will be introduced and reinforced throughout the course. Moreover, every oral board exam will be followed with a detailed clinical discussion of the case, including how to apply our strategies to the specific challenges encountered during the exam. You will also have the opportunity to participate in a private coaching session with Dr. George or Dr. Smith to identify areas of weakness and improve your technique. And, finally, you will be offered 3 private exams (4-day course) with the option to sign up for an additional public exam (available on a limited basis). Additional exams may be purchased as available ($95 / personal exam). Our goal here at the Ultimate Board Prep is for you to leave our course with the strategy and tools you need to be successful during the most difficult case and/or facing the most difficult examiner. We disdain the idea that “everyone feels like they failed” after taking the exam we have prepared many an examinee who has debunked that myth. We want you to walk out of that dreaded hotel room smiling and confident that you have passed the exam. Where do the UBP mock orals come from?All questions used during the course are written by Drs. George and Smith. The questions are designed to cover the most relevant material, while at the same time, placing our clients in some of the most challenging situations encountered in private practice and/or oral board exam rooms. Therefore, UBP questions tend to be on the more difficult end of the spectrum when compared to the actual ABA board questions (which vary widely in level of difficulty). This is based on our philosophy of preparing our clients to excel even when presented with the most challenging clinical scenario by the most aggressive examiner.
What is the "UBP at Home" program?
The "UBP at Home" is a program that provides our clients the opportunity to participate in a live 2 hour coaching session with Dr. George and then receive oral board exams in the privacy of their home from physicians familiar with the UBP techniques introduced at our course. it is a program designed for those of you who: (1) are unable to attend one of our courses; (2) have attended an early course and wish to practice with trained examiners prior to the actual exam; or (3) are planning to attend the course the week before the exam and would like to begin practicing now.
The live online coaching review with dr. George is designed to introduce you to our techniques and familiarize you with our approach to mastering the anesthesia oral boards. The review will be offered every other Saturday from 10 am to 12 pm central standard time. This live coaching session with dr. George is an important step towards familiarizing you with our techniques and strategies, so that you may immediately begin applying them during you private practice exams.
For those of you who have already attended one of our courses, the online coaching session is not necessary (although you are welcome to attend if you would like)*. For you, working with examiners trained to provide feedback and advice that is in keeping with the UBP's approach to the exam allows you to further develop and refine the skills and techniques introduced at the course and to avoid falling back into bad habits.
*for those registering for a course, or who have already attended a course, the live coaching session is free.
What is the purpose of the live 2 hour coaching session with Dr. George offered as part of the "UBP at Home" program?We believe that the way you practice has a significant impact on your ability to successfully pass the oral boards. Therefore, the live online coaching session with Dr. George is designed to introduce you to our techniques and familiarize you with our approach to mastering the anesthesia oral boards (the duration of the review will be from 1 1/2 - 2 hours). Every private exam that follows the online coaching session should then be taken as an opportunity to practice utilizing these strategies and techniques when answering questions.
The examiners that participate in the "UBP at Home" program are specifically trained to provide feedback and advice that is in keeping with the UBP's approach to the exam, helping you further develop and refine the skills and techniques introduced during the online coaching session.
The online coaching session is free for those who have already attended one of our courses, or who are registering for a future course at the same time that they are registering for the "UBP at Home" program. for those individuals the cost of the program is simply $195/exam session. Moreover, if after entering the "UBP at Home" program you decide to register for one of our courses at a later date, the course fee will be reduced by $299 (the cost of the online coaching session)*.
*If you decide to register for a course after participating in the "UBP at Home" program, please call us at 316-776-9898 so that we may apply the $299 discount.
Would it be better to attend the course, or just register for the "UBP at Home" program?The "UBP at Home" program is a great way to further develop and refine techniques introduced at the course. It is also a good alternative for those who are unable to attend one of our courses. However, the "in-person" format of the course remains the best way to learn the techniques and develop the skills that will make you successful during the actual oral board examination. The 2-4 days of comprehensive case discussions, continuous reinforcement of test taking strategies, and personal coaching from Dr. George and Dr. Smith cannot be duplicated in a long distance format. Therefore, if possible, we would encourage you to attend one of our courses as early in your exam year as possible and utilize the "UBP at Home" program as a means to master and maintain the skills you learn at the course.
Why not just practice with friends and colleagues?There is nothing wrong with practicing with friends and colleagues and we encourage you to practice as much as possible with whomever you can find. However, the way you practice does matter. First, the "UBP at Home" program offers a live online curriculum review with Dr. George, designed to introduce you to our techniques and familiarize you with our approach to mastering the anesthesia oral boards. Second, our 4 Practice Sets provide oral board questions designed to review the most relevant material while at the same time exposing you to some of the most challenging situations encountered during the anesthesia oral boards. Finally, participating in one of our courses or the UBP online curriculum review then practicing with examiners trained to provide feedback and advice that is in keeping with our approach to the exam, serves to maximize your invested time and effort and significantly improves your chances of passing the oral boards. Therefore, in addition to practicing with friends and colleagues, we would encourage you to consider supplementing your practice with the "UBP at Home" program.
If I register for the "UBP at Home", how many exams should I take?When deciding how many exams you wish to take, you should consider your current communication skills, the level of preparation you wish to achieve, and whether or not you plan on attending the course. If you have failed the exam before, find it challenging to communicate your knowledge, and are not planning on attending a course, you should probably consider taking more exams (10-20) than if your communication skills are very good, you have attended one of our courses, and you are just using the "UBP at Home" to supplement and maximize your preparation (in this case, 3-5 should be enough). The number of exams you can register for is only limited by examiner availability. What happens if I fail?We sincerely hope that you will never need to know what happens if you fail the exam. However, should this unfortunate event occur, you may want to know what comes next. We will skip describing the emotional, professional, and financial implications and focus on the ABA’s application process for repeat examination opportunities. The oral board exam is offered twice a year (once in the spring and once in the fall). If you fail, you are eligible to retake the exam the following year. In other words, if you fail in the spring, you can retake the exam the next spring. If you fail the test three times, you will have to retake the written exam in order to apply for another opportunity to sit for the oral exam. Should you fail six times, the ABA would require you to either repeat one year of residency or take the in-training exam (different than the written exam, but the same level of difficulty) to be eligible for another exam opportunity.
When is the best time to attend the course? In our opinion, the best way to prepare for the exam is to take the 4-day (or 2-day) course as soon as possible prior to your exam. Over the next few weeks or months, practice as much as you can, applying the techniques and strategies learned at the course. Then, if your schedule allows, take the 4-day course the week prior to your exam to reinforce what you have learned and to expose yourself to a large number of exams and topics just prior to taking the test (the mock orals will be different for the 2 courses and there is a discount for taking both courses). If you are only able to attend one course, we recommend attending the 4-day course the month before your exam (earlier is even better). This will allow you the time you need to practice applying the Ultimate Board Prep strategies to as many mock oral board exams as possible. Do not be above begging or bribing your colleagues to give you exams at every opportunity. Are the mock oral board questions different if I attend a second course?Course A covers the mock oral board questions in Practice Sets #1 & #2, while Course B covers the questions from Practice Sets #3 & #4. When taking multiple courses, it is best to ensure you are attending courses covering different practice sets. The course dates along with the associated practice set(s) are clearly listed on the registration page.
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What if I sign up for the course and then am unable to attend?- There is no cancellation fee if the course is cancelled at least 16 days in advance.
- If the cancellation takes place within 15 days of the course, there will be a $250 cancellation fee that may be applied to a future course or additional study material.
- There is no fee to change the desired course date.
Where do I stay during the course? For your convenience (and hopefully to save you some money), we will reserve a block of rooms at the host hotel that for a discounted rate. Registrants will receive the hotel information via e-mail, as soon as it becomes available. | 
