Advisory Committee Feedback Improves Communication Between ABR and Trainees
By Desiree E. Morgan, MD, ABR Governor, and David Laszakovits, ABR Communications Director
2024;17(3):5
- Improve the content and design of communications between the ABR and trainees.
- Identify, discuss, and work to resolve concerns regarding ABR actions or proposals, such as changes in initial certification exam content or operations.
- Investigate methods for improving communication between the ABR and trainees.
- Develop methods to assess the effectiveness of proposed modifications in communications.
- Use these metrics to modify our approaches to communication.
Members of the committee, who serve a two-year term, are nominated by the American College of Radiology (ACR), the Association of Academic Radiology (AAR), the Association of Program Directors in Radiology (APDR), the American Alliance of Academic Chief Residents in Radiology (A3CR2), the ACGME Diagnostic Radiology Review Committee, or the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
The committee generally meets several times a year either remotely or in person. Beginning in 2020, the committee began gathering at the ABR headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, every other year. This meeting allows committee members to receive a more thorough overview of the ABR’s work, including information about exam question development and delivery, exam scoring and results, communications, and board governance and finance.
Cameron Overfield, MD, a third-year resident from Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, was part of the group that visited the ABR office in March 2024.
“The ABR takes into account feedback from trainees and faculty. They’re very open to what we have to say. There’s a lot of thought that goes into this process that I wasn’t aware of beforehand,” Dr. Overfield said. “I would like for our committee to dispel those rumors and myths that propagate throughout different institutions about what the ABR is doing.”
With the new DR Certifying Oral Exam on the horizon, residents are curious about how it might impact their training and board exam preparation. Alvaro Ordonez, MD, a first-year resident at the University of Pennsylvania, was another committee member who visited in March.
“The ABR has our best interests in mind and they’re working to help us succeed,” Dr. Ordonez said. “There are a lot of questions about the new DR Oral Exam. When there’s a lack of information, then there’s a lot of gossip about what it could be. Now, I can go back and tell (colleagues) what we know and don’t know yet.”
Committee member, Heba Albasha, MD, a breast imaging fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, appreciated the chance to learn more about the ABR.
“It’s been nice learning the incredible efforts and processes that go into accomplishing the ABR’s mission. Knowing that helps me appreciate and understand why it takes time and effort to do what it does. I didn’t know how much time and cost went into developing exam questions,” she said. “The ABR is here to create a dependable and trustworthy board certification process.”
In addition to the diagnostic radiology committee, there are also initial certification advisory committees for interventional radiology, medical physics, and radiation oncology as well as Continuing Certification Advisory Committees for each discipline.
ABR’s Two Governing Bodies Direct and Support the Mission, Volunteers, and Staff
By Robert M. Barr, MD, ABR President
2024;17(3):2
ABR governance consists of two major elements: the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees.
The Board of Governors (BOG) oversees the organization’s fulfillment of the mission and is responsible for the corporate powers, business, and affairs of the ABR. This oversight role is consistent with the fiduciary duties owed by the board members of a nonprofit organization: (1) the “duty of care” (taking care of the nonprofit by ensuring prudent use of all assets, including facility, people, and good will); (2) the “duty of loyalty” (ensuring that the nonprofit’s activities and transactions are, first and foremost, advancing its mission); and (3) the “duty of obedience” (ensuring that the nonprofit obeys applicable laws and regulations).
The 10 members of the BOG strive to make decisions that directly support the mission. Recognizing that radiologic professionals who aspire to be or are already certified by the ABR are the vehicle by which the Board advances health and healthcare in the diagnostic, interventional, medical physics, and radiation oncology fields, the Board attempts to balance the rigor of assessment and other certification standards with the reasonableness of the required efforts to demonstrate ongoing competency as part of the Continuing Certification program. Discussions among BOG members benefit from the varied backgrounds of individuals with diverse experience in both academic and nonacademic practice settings, often with perspectives that are the product of senior leadership roles in institutions or national organizations. The BOG also includes a public member, whose opinions from outside the field of radiology are vital to the organization’s mission of serving the public and its more than 30,000 diplomates.
The Board of Trustees (BOT) is defined in the ABR Bylaws as “a multidisciplinary body that advances the quality, relevance and effectiveness of the ABR’s assessments for certification. The Board of Trustees makes recommendations to the Board of Governors regarding assessment structure including, but not limited to, exam format, content, assembly, delivery, scoring and feedback.” The 20 trustees are accomplished subject matter experts and leaders who direct and support the efforts of approximately 1,300 volunteers. ABR volunteers create and optimize exam and Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) content as part of committees targeted to a specific assessment in each of the radiologic disciplines. Volunteers also help set passing standards, and many participate as oral examiners, with support from the trustees.
Approximately 100 ABR staff serve under the direction of the Board of Governors. Staff efforts not only advance the Board’s priorities, but also support the volunteers by providing training, software tools, and administrative functions.
ABR Customer Service Provides Targeted Solutions to Certification Questions
By Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, ABR Executive Director
2024;17(3):3
Nearly 2,000 radiologic professionals are initially certified by the ABR each year, and more than 34,000 currently certified individuals maintain their existing certificate through our Continuing Certification program. Although most interactions with the Board are easily accomplished online, variations in professional or personal circumstances may require more detailed personal communication. The ABR’s certification managers communicate directly with candidates and diplomates and attempt to find workable solutions to specific questions. These interactions may include emails, phone calls, or a combination of both. Incoming requests range from cancellation of an exam registration to clarification of an ABR policy or website post.
Our staff pride themselves not only on their willingness to listen but also their sincere attempts to provide a solution that is satisfactory to the candidate or diplomate. Unfortunately, sometimes our willingness to be flexible is constrained by the imperative to apply policies and requirements as consistently as possible. Consultation among certification managers is frequent and allows them to consider helpful responses to questions and problems raised by those in the certification process. Persistent concerns are elevated to more senior staff when needed, including the associate executive director for each discipline or the executive director.
In efforts to streamline processes and anticipate potential customer service needs of our candidates and diplomates, enhancements to myABR are being implemented this year in a stepwise fashion. One of the major goals of this initiative is to allow a customized interface, based on the user’s field of practice and their position in the certification timeline, that focuses on “what you need to know” (including upcoming tasks). When this implementation is completed, users will be directed, based on their login credentials, to content that is relevant to their specialty and certification level.
Enhancements to our background customer service software are also underway and will likely be completed before the end of the year. Although this infrastructure piece is not visible to candidates and diplomates, the upgrade and redesign will allow us to provide responses to incoming inquiries that are rapid, complete, and closely aligned with the request.
