Staying current with changes in the field of pediatrics poses a challenge to clinicians at each stage of their careers. Johanna M. Vidal-Phelan, M.D., M.B.A., FAAP, maintains that PREP — the AAP Pediatrics Review and Education Program — has proven to be a dependable educational tool from residency to passing boards to earning Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part 2 credit.
In fact, Dr. Vidal-Phelan says she has been “PREPping” for 15 years.
“I use PREP every year. It is my main source of study materials, not only for the board exam but also to stay on top of (what’s new in) pediatrics,” she said. “I include PREP questions as part of my routine, between work and home responsibilities. I do it very slowly. I answer 10 questions at a time perhaps.”
Like many pediatricians, Dr. Vidal-Phelan’s life is hectic. “I can’t go to every single conference or attend every grand rounds,” she said. “I know that if I do PREP, I am up to date. Even my kids know what PREP is.”
She is referring to the Academy’s PREP Self-Assessment (PREP-SA), a continuing medical education product that annually includes 280 new peer-reviewed self-assessment questions, preferred responses, a critique with detailed explanations, color images and verified suggested readings. Subscribers can earn a maximum of 40 AMA PRA Category 1 credits and 40 American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) MOC Part 2 points annually upon achieving a 70% passing score. Subscribers can select online and print or online only access.
“I subscribe to PREP each year,” said Dr. Vidal-Phelan, a member of the AAP Pennsylvania Chapter and the Section on Advances in Therapeutics and Technology.
“By the time you get to the boards, the questions and topics feel familiar. This is important.”
New to 2018 PREP-SA are:
- PREP alerts. For mobile access, users may select delivery of questions via text or email.
- Confidence ratings. Instead of clicking “submit” after answering a question, users can select 100%, 50% or 0% options based on their confidence in their answer. Users create reports by confidence category or specialty category, which help identify knowledge gaps.
- ABP’s Maintenance of Certification Assessment for Pediatrics (MOCA-Peds) content mapping identifies PREP questions from current and previous years as well as Pediatrics in Review (PIR)articles tied to the 2018 ABP MOCA-Peds learning objectives.
- Practice Test allows learners to simulate timed examinations based on user-selected content areas. A dashboard will display progress on the practice tests.
Another popular option for members is PREP The Curriculum, a comprehensive medical education package that includes the Self-Assessment and 12 issues of PIR, with the option for print or online access. Learners can earn a maximum of 76 AMA PRA Category 1 credits annually when they achieve a 70% passing score. The 2018 PIR is approved for 30 points of MOC Part 2 credit by the ABP through the AAP MOC Portfolio Program and 36 AMA PRA Category 1 credits annually.
PREP The Course, a live continuing medical education activity, provides a comprehensive review of general pediatrics topics. Learners hear directly from experts and get answers to their questions.
For additional information on PREP SA, PREP The Course, PREP The Curriculum and PIR, go to https://shop.aap.org/product-list/?q=prep.
