LAUSR

Background The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires pediatric residency programs to achieve an overall 70% pass rate on the American Board of Pediatrics Certification Exam. There is high variability in board preparation curricula among programs and minimal evidence showing which are the most effective in producing the highest certification rates. Objective To gain an understanding of the current board preparation landscape across pediatric residency programs and to evaluate the need for individualized and/or focused board preparation curricula. Methods A survey was distributed to all U.S. pediatric residency program directors by the Academic Pediatric Program Directors (n=209; response rate=35%). Programs were anonymously asked about their demographics, average in-training examination (ITE) scores and board pass rates, board preparation styles, and whether they are individualized and/or required for certain residents. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact tests. Results Overall, board preparation consists of a combination of lectures/didactics (n=68, 100%), completion of board-style questions (n=70, 98.5%), and/or a formalized comprehensive review course (n=68, 26.5%). While almost all programs required didactics (91.2%), only about half (52.2%) of programs required completion of self-directed questions for all residents. ITE scores were the most commonly used means of identifying which residents needed an individualized curriculum. Board pass rates were divided into 80% (above goal). Seven programs (10%) were considered below goal, while 13 (18.6%) were at risk. Table 1 shows that there is a statistically significant association between a requirement for completing self-directed questions and pass rates (p = 0.03). There were no statistically significant associations between other forms of board preparation and certification rates. Conclusion Future efforts should focus on personalizing each resident's board preparation curriculum, especially based on ITE scores.