Tips for Getting the Most Out of MOC While Staying On Top of Requirements

Maintenance of Certification is designed to assist Diplomates in advancing their professional knowledge, skills and practice. Keeping up with critical information in a rapidly changing health care environment can be a daunting task. Between patients, management responsibilities, keeping up with EMRs and other work related duties, finding time to invest in your own knowledge can be difficult.

ABO’s MOC program offers a path for Diplomates to engage in continuous learning and assessment activities that are both relevant and convenient.  In addition to encouraging a wide range of self-selected CE, ABO offers free quarterly webinars on a variety of topics. Diplomates can choose to attend the live event, or watch a recorded version which is available for up to 2 weeks after the event for credit and indefinitely for viewing without credit.

Self-assessment modules (SAMs) are also a great tool for improving clinical knowledge and decision making skills. Although Diplomates are only required to complete one module per year, additional modules may be taken simply for the learning experience. We continue to grow our library and have a wide range of topics available.

A bit longer than the SAM, PPMs are available in two categories: charting exercises and online courses. Charting exercises are a data driven, hands on approach to improving patient care in your practice. Online courses help to educate doctors on topics that may fall outside of clinical skills, such as practice management, physician well-being, patient communication or cultural competency.

While it is easy to see how MOC can help keep you on track in your commitment to lifelong learning and continuous improvement, it may seem a little overwhelming to think about completing the requirements. With busy lives and busy practices, it is not un-common for Diplomates to fall behind in the MOC program. But with better awareness of the MOC timeline, a few friendly reminders from ABO and a good understanding of what each requirement entails, staying current with MOC is fairly easy to accomplish.