Residents Win Support for Changes to Board Exam Registration 

The final year of training in PM&R can be one of the most exciting times of your life, but it can also come at a cost. When I say cost, I don't mean a physical or emotional cost; rather I'm talking about financial cost. Many PGY4s find budgeting their expenses to be a difficult task. Fellowship and job interviews, state licensure fees, and moving expenses take their toll on one’s checking account. It's easy to quickly rack up thousands of dollars in debt. An additional expense that can make your mouth drop is the cost to register for the boards.

Written board examinations for graduating residents and fellows can cost anywhere from $875 to $3,150, depending on your specialty. Registration fees for Part I of the PM&R board exams are actually on the lower end of the cost spectrum at $1,375. Some residents may not find this expense too painful to cough up. However, many residents may be forced to use up most of one month's paycheck just to sit for the exam. To make matters worse, senior PM&R residents are faced with two other obstacles. First, out of the 24 specialties listed under ABMS, we are currently one of only four specialties that were not given the option to pay the registration fee with credit cards. Furthermore, the previous registration deadline of March 1 was moved up this past year to December 31. Thus residents were forced to incur this debt during the holiday season when expenses are even tighter for some.

In response to the above two measures, the Association of Academic Physiatrists Residents/Fellows Council (AAP-RFC) decided to draft a letter to the executive director of ABPMR asking that the Board allow PM&R residents the option of paying for Part I of the exam with credit cards, and to consider moving the registration deadline to a later date (after the holiday season). This measure received 100% support from a brief online survey sent out to AAP resident members.

In addition, the AAPM&R RPC Board surveyed all PM&R chief residents to determine whether strong support existed in attempting to make these changes. Over 96% of chief residents said they would like the option to pay by credit card for Part I of the ABPMR Board Exam. Also, over 91% of chiefs said they would prefer a later payment deadline in February or March than the current deadline in December. This information was presented to several member of ABPMR who were in attendance at the most recent AAPM&R Board of Governors meeting in early March.

The response from ABPMR has been nothing short of positive. The RPC Board and AAP-RFC have been told that ABPMR is researching options for accepting credit cards and expect to have that option available by November 11, 2008, when the next cycle for Part I applications opens. Also, the open registration period for Part I has been extended: It will now run from November 11, 2008, through January 31, 2009, with no late fee assessed until February 2009.

This is fantastic news for all residents. The RPC Board would like to thank AAP-RFC for spearheading this effort. It just goes to show that you don't know what you could be missing, unless you ask. 

Michael Cicchetti MD
PGY3 – The University of Virginia Health System
RPC President
 

Return to Index