Do you need Pediatric MOC Part 2 and Part 4 Credit

I am at the point in my MOC cycle where I must complete my next Part 2 and Part 4 cycles by December 2020. Interestingly enough, even though this is 4 years away, I noted that the date is December 17th, 2020. If I leave this all to the last minute, that can be a problem since most of us think in terms of the calendar year ending December 31st with the dropping of the Times Square ball. The Pediatric MOC ball drop occurs 14 days earlier.

However, I have no intention to leave this for the last minute let alone get even close to that deadline. In fact, as those of you following this blog already know, I currently have 10 out of my 40 MOC Part 1 points checked off through the ABP QOW outlined in a previous blog.

That said, my Part 3 Cognitive Expertise Exam isn’t due until the year 2023. Since I am recommending staying ahead of the game and steering clear of deadlines, wouldn’t it make sense to just go ahead and take the exam now and postpone the deadline another ten years? That would make it so I would not have to take another exam until the year 2033 which sounds like a year in a science fiction movie.

So I went ahead to see how that would work while logged into my MOC portfolio and there I got the following recommendation:

“Your online MOC exam application should only be submitted in the year the exam is due and your General Pediatrics Maintenance of Certification Examination is not due until 2023. Registration for this examination will open January 1, 2023. If you would like to request to take your examination earlier than 2023, then please send that request to MOC Administration staff at MOC@ABPEDS.ORG for assistance.”

So it seems I would need special permission to take it early. However, taking it early will only postpone it another 10 years from now. That would mean my exam is postponed until 2026 not 2033. Alas, I might as well stick with the 2023 expiration date. This is especially true since the ABP may be doing away with the secure exam for Part 3 Pediatric MOC credit. We will update you on this in a future blog.