EMERGENCY ULTRASOUND SECTION
2022: The Year of the 1st AEMUS FPD Examination Alexis Salerno, MD FPD-AEMUS FAAEM
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inally, after years of development, the first Advanced EM Ultrasonography (AEMUS) Focused Practice Designation (FPD) examination was held March 7-11, 2022. FPD, which is approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties, “recognizes physicians who devote a substantial portion of their practice to a specific area of a specialty.” This designation recognizes emergency physicians with expertise in emergency ultrasound beyond the requirements for American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) certification. There are currently three pathways to be eligible to take the FPD examination. The first is a training pathway through an Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship Accreditation Council (EUFAC) accredited AEMUS fellowship. The second pathway is through training-plus-practice, for physicians who have completed a non-accredited ultrasound fellowship. The third pathway is a practice-only pathway for physicians who have demonstrated significant involvement in AEMUS but perhaps trained prior to the establishment of ultrasound fellowships. The FPD designation is only available to physicians who are certified by ABEM. The AEMUS-FPD examination was written by an elected group of ultrasound experts who were required to complete an accredited item writing training course. The exam questions were discussed amongst the group and 100 multiple choice questions were chosen for the examination. These questions included a mixture of text only and text with ultrasound images or clips. The exam questions were based on specific content which is listed on the ABEM website. The content included not only advanced ultrasound image knowledge but also questions on physics, administration, education, and research skills. Some of the
comments from this year’s test takers stated that some of the quality of images could be better. However, the examination writers wanted the images to be represented of real life, and, let’s face it, in real life we are not always going to be able to obtain “textbook” worthy ultrasound images.
after the examination with 75% of those who took the examination passing. For those who have passed the exam, the AEMUS Exam Committee is currently developing continuing educational activities directly related to advanced ultrasound to keep physicians up to date.
To obtain a passing score, a Modified Angoff method was used. In this method an independent panel was created to recommend a passing score to the AEMUS exam committee who then recommended the passing score to ABEM. The independent panel was a diverse group of clinically active physicians who are knowledgeable in AEMUS, i.e. eligible for the examination but who chose not to take the exam during the first cohort. The panelist evaluated each test question to assess how the standard test taker would perform. The exam was taken multiple times and each exam question was rated and discussed by the group. The group then endorsed a passing score. For the 2022 AEMUS FPD examination, ABEM set a passing score of 54 out of 76 questions scored. Results were released prior to 90 days
The next AEMUS Exam will be in 2024 and will continue to be administered in even-numbered years. Ultrasound fellows graduating from a non-EUFAC accredited fellowship before June 30th, 2024 will be eligible to take the examination through the training plus practice pathway. If you took the FPD exam in 2022 and did not pass, you can sign up to take the test again in 2022 with a pre-approved application. If you are looking for resources to study for the 2024 AEMUS FPD examination, check out AAEM’s Unmute Your Probe lecture series as well as resources from other national organizations.
COMMON SENSE JULY/AUGUST 2022
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