Pediatric MOC Part 2 credit is available via the ABP QOW

One of the options for obtaining MOC Part 2 credits is the ABP Question of the week or QOW[1] as they like to call it. The ABP releases 1 question per week, with a break for Christmas and New Year. This totals 50 questions per year. Once you sign up up, the QOW is inconveniently sent to your already cluttered email box. You can of course just log into your portfolio to access the question and send this email to the trash if you would like.

For every 25 questions you answer correctly you get 10 Part 2 MOC points.

Each QOW consists of:

1) A case study.

2) Pre test Question: Before reading the abstract and discussion you take a guess at the correct answer.

3) A thrilling abstract filled with breathtaking stats and equations.

4) A stimulating discussion about the abstract with even more exciting stats. They then, finally give you relevant information to your practice.

5) Post test Question.

Another chance to answer the same question. Since you have now gone through the abstract and exciting discussion you are now expected to answer the question correctly.

You only get one shot at the post test . If you get it right you get your pellet and are 1/25 ^th closer to the 10 Points of Part 2 Credit you are seeking.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race Method

This is an opportunity to slowly but relatively painlessly chip away at the Part 2 MOC payload.

Since you need to answer an entire set of 25 questions to get the 10 points, there is absolutely no margin of error if you want to get the 20 points offered each year.

Slow and steady of course won’t work if you have left this to the last minute.

BINGE – QOW Method

If you are in the beginning of your MOC cycle you have the luxury of time

These questions are all there for the taking since they have been sending out and archiving the QOW since December 2013. As a result, you can, " binge QOW"[2] your way to earning points, by going through all of the QOWs published and available since the beginning.

BINGE and SLOW Method

If you are early in your cycle as I am then you can binge QOW and go slow and steady as well.

Warning, they expect you to spend 20 minutes with each question, so keep this in mind if you choose to “binge QOW” your way to points. Theoretically, you can get through this in less than 20 minutes, but you are attesting to having taken the full 20 minutes when you submit each QOW for MOC credit.

Sharpen your pencils and you will see that they have archived a full 50 questions for 2014 and 2015 waiting for you to binge on. This means that there are 40 points available to you before you even start answering one question per week.

Recall that we recommend earning 60 of your combined Part 2/Part 4 100 point requirement through Part 2 activities.

This means that if you answered all of the archived QOWs correctly to earn 40 points and then slowly earn 20 more through the slow and steady method, you have earned your 60 Part 2 credits exclusively through QOW.

I just started my next 5-year MOC cycle and it seems that I might be able to knock this requirement within my first year of this current cycle.

Fulfilling your Entire Part Quota with QOW?

As we note in our Down to the Wire Guide to Completing the Pediatric MOC PDF you will see that there are advantages to earning MOC credit through the Knowledge Self Assessment and the Decision Skills Self Assessment modules. As I go through the process I will research whether one can still go through these modules without needing the credit.

Below is a screen shot of my status at this point. I currently have 11 out of the necessary 25 points to get my 10 Part Credits. I will post my next blog once I have successfully answered my 25 questions and received my first 10 Part 2 points for this cycle. Notice I answered 11 out of 15 questions correctly. I will make suggestions on avoiding this pitfall in my next blog post.

For those of you who prefer video, click this link to the ABP video blog that explains the QOW option for Part 2 MOC credit. 

[1] Pronounced COW

[2] hmm I may have coined a new term