Shea J A, Norcini J J, Day S C, Benson J A
American Board of Internal Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104.
J Gen Intern Med. 1991 Nov-Dec;6(6):553-7. doi: 10.1007/BF02598227.
To document the timings, frequencies, and outcomes of attempts at certification in internal medicine and the internal medicine subspecialties in the years following residency training for two cohorts of residents.
Residents who had completed residency training and had been admitted to an American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certifying examination in 1982 or 1983 were tracked through the ABIM database for five years.
A total of 10,568 residents were studied. Of the cohort, 79% were men, 21% were women, 79% were graduates of U.S./Canadian medical schools (USMGs), and 21% were graduates of foreign medical schools (FMGs).
Ultimately, 85% of the residents achieved certification in internal medicine. Cumulative pass rates were 87% for men, 81% for women, 92% for USMGs, and 60% for FMGs; rates increased minimally after the second attempt. Most (87%) residents first attempted the internal medicine examination in the year in which training had been completed. Delaying the first examination was associated with lower pass rates. Half of the candidates who had passed the internal medicine examination attempted subspecialty certification. Over all nine subspecialty examinations, the two-cycle cumulative pass rate was 87%. Higher percentages of FMGs than of any other subgroup attempted subspecialty certification.
The detailed description extends the body of knowledge about certification in internal medicine and the nine internal medicine subspecialties. Questions are raised, such as why some candidates delay the first internal medicine examination and why some residents never seek certification. Future research could explore these issues as well as explanations for the observed differences in pass rates.
记录两组住院医师完成住院医师培训后的数年中，参加内科及内科各亚专业认证考试的时间、频率和结果。
通过美国内科医学委员会（ABIM）数据库，对1982年或1983年完成住院医师培训并参加ABIM认证考试的住院医师进行了为期五年的跟踪。
共研究了10568名住院医师。在该队列中，79%为男性，21%为女性；79%毕业于美国/加拿大医学院校（USMGs），21%毕业于国外医学院校（FMGs）。
最终，85%的住院医师获得了内科认证。男性的累计通过率为87%，女性为81%，USMGs为92%，FMGs为60%；第二次考试后的通过率略有上升。大多数（87%）住院医师在完成培训的当年首次参加内科考试。推迟首次考试与较低的通过率相关。通过内科考试的考生中有一半尝试进行亚专业认证。在所有九项亚专业考试中，两周期累计通过率为87%。尝试进行亚专业认证的FMGs比例高于其他任何亚组。
详细描述扩展了关于内科及九个内科亚专业认证的知识体系。提出了一些问题，比如为什么一些考生推迟首次内科考试，以及为什么一些住院医师从未寻求认证。未来的研究可以探讨这些问题以及对观察到的通过率差异的解释。
