Balancing Clinical Practice and Board Prep

Balancing Clinical Practice and Board Prep: Efficient Study Tips for Busy Physicians

Studying for the Internal Medicine board examination and balancing clinical practice can be overwhelming. Patient care responsibilities can leave you depleted at the end of the day, and you might have charting to do when you get home, so it is hard to get into study mode! Studying for and succeeding in any medical education examination requires memory, concentration, and self-confidence, the energy for which is often lacking after a long day of caring for patients. Your brain has trouble processing and recalling information if you save your exam prep time for the end of the day or in long stretches on the weekend. Some physicians think they must give up a week or more of their time to attend expensive, in-person Internal Medicine refresher courses. This does not have to be the case, and you shouldn’t have to give up your weekends. The following are tips to help you succeed on the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) exam day, balance your time so you can still have a life, and even make exam prep enjoyable.

Take your exam prep material with you

Having your exam prep material at your fingertips on your smartphone can be helpful. Choose an online board review company with a fully functional app so you can practice ABIM practice questions, watch lectures, or use flashcards on the go. Different ABIM practice techniques are available on demand, which can help you create a study strategy for successful exam prep.

Take advantage of audio material

You can listen to lectures or other test prep material while you commute, walk the dog, or make dinner. This can free up a lot of time because you are studying while going about your daily routine and doing the things you must do anyway.

Take advantage of small breaks

Do a few Qbank questions or flashcards while standing in line for coffee, between patients, or during a dull moment in your kid’s soccer game. You would be surprised what percentage of the question bank you can do in these few minutes that are usually wasted.

Study, don’t scroll

If you check your screen time on your phone, you would be surprised how much time you spend on social media. After all, these companies invest a lot of time and resources to suck up your attention. Social media use has been linked to depression and anxiety, something you don’t need right now! Whenever you feel tempted to click on a social media app, click on your exam prep app instead. This will give you a couple of hours of daily exam prep, a sense of accomplishment, and a mood boost.

Use the Pomodoro method during long exam prep periods

This method was developed to help boost productivity by breaking concentration time into small chunks. It decreases fatigue and distractedness and increases motivation and concentration. To perform this method, set a timer for 25 minutes. This will feel more manageable for your brain. Next, take a 5-minute break. The combination of 25 minutes of work and 5-minute breaks consists of one set. After four sets, take a more extended break of 30 minutes. Repeat this pattern until your exam prep time is complete, and you will be amazed at how much you have accomplished. During your breaks, be active and don’t look at a screen. Take a walk, fold some laundry, wander around a bookstore where you study, or call a friend. Several Pomodoro apps are available to help you concentrate or simulate exam conditions, even with background noise.

Don’t self-sabotage

Self-sabotaging behavior can impede success on the Internal Medicine certification examination but can also be a manifestation of anxiety. Sometimes, it can be due to not believing in yourself, but techniques for exam anxiety management can help. Physicians are usually perfectionists and want to complete a task flawlessly. This may lead to procrastination, another form of sabotage, and underestimating the power of minor improvements. Procrastination is a defense mechanism that is used to avoid a task that evokes anxiety or distress. Tracking your progress and improvement with an app and setting small daily goals can help alleviate self-sabotaging behavior and help you achieve your long-term goal of passing the ABIM exam. 2 It is also helpful to create an ABIM study schedule and stick to it.

Ideally, start prepping for any certification examination a year in advance

This is recommended but is sometimes impractical. If you choose this route, studying between patient visits or during breaks would be a very achievable goal and would free up the rest of your time for leisure activities. It would also help to avoid the stress of procrastination. If you haven’t started exam prep yet, don’t worry! You can still do well on your ABIM boards even if you have limited time by studying with these tips and creating your own board review boot camp.

Use stress-reduction techniques

Contrary to the methods of medical education, chronic anxiety can affect the hippocampus, resulting in memory problems. Clinical practice can be a form of chronic stress for many physicians. Maintaining your exercise routine, eating well, engaging in social activities, and doing other stress-reduction techniques such as breathing exercises or yoga are essential to success. If you are feeling stressed about the examination, try the 4-7-8 breath. Breathe in for four slow counts, hold your breath for seven, and breathe out for eight. Repeat this four times, at least twice per day. You can also add progressive muscle relaxation during an exam prep break or even during the ABIM boards to give your memory the best chance. 3 Board exam simulations can be another tool to help manage exam anxiety and provide you with confidence for the ABIM examination.

Earn continuing medical education credits at the same time

If you are preparing for a medical certification exam, studying for even more Internal Medicine Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits during that cycle doesn't make sense. Choose preparatory material that offers CME credit maximization along with clinical reasoning challenges. Choosing an online board review company that can provide online CME and ABIM test preparation together will free up more of your time.

Choose an online board review company that can meet the needs of busy physicians

Several popular test prep companies require you to log onto a website, listen to long lectures, read large amounts of material from books, or attend an intensive in-person conference. This is often counterproductive for physicians in clinical practice who don’t have the time to devote to these exam prep methods. Choose a test prep company with a fully functional app and study strategies such as flashcards, crash courses, or quick questions that allow for easy learning during breaks throughout the day. Choose a Qbank you can take with you and access easily. Choosing an option with board exam simulations is also essential to track your progress. For busy clinicians, convenient studying in an app can open up many more opportunities for study during the day
Preparing for Internal Medicine Boards while balancing clinical practice can be a manageable task. You can integrate learning sessions into your daily routine by using a mobile app, incorporating audio material during a commute, and using downtime during the day so you don’t sacrifice your personal life. Techniques like the Pomodoro method can help you maintain focus while avoiding burnout, something already an issue for physicians. Being mindful of your screen time and social media use can lead to better time management and increased self-confidence. Choosing test prep material that can be easily accessed and allows you to digest information quickly can help you prepare for board exams and help you achieve a healthier work-life balance.

Sources:

1. Biwer F, Wiradhany W, Oude Egbrink MGA, de Bruin ABH. Understanding effort regulation: Comparing “Pomodoro” breaks and self-regulated breaks. Br J Educ Psychol. 2023;93 Suppl 2:353-367. doi:10.1111/bjep.12593

2. Self-Sabotage | Psychology Today. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/self-sabotage

3. Is Stress Bad or Good for Memory? | Psychology Today. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/neuroscience-in-everyday-life/201812/is-stress-bad-or-good-memory