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A Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Pivot: Development of the American Board of Anesthesiology's Virtual APPLIED Examination
Anesthesia and analgesia
  • Mark T Keegan, From the The American Board of Anesthesiology, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Thomas A McLoughlin, Lehigh Valley Health Network
  • Andrew J Patterson, From the The American Board of Anesthesiology, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • John E Fiadjoe, From the The American Board of Anesthesiology, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Margaret M Pisacano, From the The American Board of Anesthesiology, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • David O Warner, From the The American Board of Anesthesiology, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Huaping Sun, From the The American Board of Anesthesiology, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • Ann E Harman, From the The American Board of Anesthesiology, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-1-2021
E-ISSN
1526-7598
Abstract

In 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic interrupted the administration of the APPLIED Examination, the final part of the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) staged examination system for initial certification. In response, the ABA developed, piloted, and implemented an Internet-based "virtual" form of the examination to allow administration of both components of the APPLIED Exam (Standardized Oral Examination and Objective Structured Clinical Examination) when it was impractical and unsafe for candidates and examiners to travel and have in-person interactions. This article describes the development of the ABA virtual APPLIED Examination, including its rationale, examination format, technology infrastructure, candidate communication, and examiner training. Although the logistics are formidable, we report a methodology for successfully introducing a large-scale, high-stakes, 2-element, remote examination that replicates previously validated assessments.

DOI
10.1213/ANE.0000000000005750
PubMed ID
34517394
Citation Information
Keegan, M. T., McLoughlin, T. M., Jr, Patterson, A. J., Fiadjoe, J. E., Pisacano, M. M., Warner, D. O., Sun, H., & Harman, A. E. (2021). A Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Pivot: Development of the American Board of Anesthesiology's Virtual APPLIED Examination. Anesthesia and analgesia, 133(5), 1331–1341. https://doi.org/10.1213/ANE.0000000000005750