Important Anesthesia Oral Board FAQs

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1. Tell me about your program.

Anesthesiology Consultants is a comprehensive educational program that promotes the Consultant Approach to learning anesthesia and perioperative medicine. The Consultant Approach emphasizes the importance of the 4 essential attributes of:

(1) Knowledge
(2) Judgement
(3) Adaptability
(4) Judgment

Physician anesthesiologists are not intraoperative technicians; we are Perioperative Consultants. Everything our program supports and reinforces that multifaceted role.

2. What do you recommend for the Oral Boards?

Becoming a Perioperative Consultant takes time and hard work. There are no gimmicks, short-cuts, or quick-fixes. We recommend our Multimodal Guaranteed Plan because it presents the multitude of complex concepts needed to pass in a simple, structured, easy-to-use format, allowing you to pass in the most efficient and effective way possible.

3. What is your Multimodal Guaranteed Plan?

Simply stated, our Multimodal Guaranteed Plan is a comprehensive, highly structured, multi-pronged strategy of gaining mastery of anesthesia and perioperative medicine in preparation for the Oral Boards.

The program includes:

(1) Attendance of or Video Library access to a 6-Day, 4-Day, or 321 Course
(2) Access to the Learn-at-Home recordings in our Video Library
(3) Phone or Online WebMock Exams
(4) Textbook
(5) Other amenities (eMailed Cases, Daily Textoid, MOPS, Study Buddy Plus, etc.)
(6) Dr. Ho’s guidance, feedback, and availability for questions

4. Tell me about your 6-Day Ultimate Review.

Because of its unrivaled breadth, depth, and scope, the 6-Day Ultimate Review has become our most highly attended onsite course. Six days allows time for assimilation, practice, reinforcement, and review. Candidates gain lasting improvements in both knowledge and speaking ability – a paradigm shift in the way they think and perform. There is no more systematic and comprehensive a review, and no better way to ensure success for your upcoming exam.

5. Tell me about your 4-Day Crash Course.

Offered during the 4 days before Boards week, the 4-Day Crash Course is an intense, fast-paced, comprehensive review of all major and minor Oral Board topics/case scenarios. When time is of the essence, the 4-Day Course is a game-changing solution. Over the past 20 years, thousands of candidates have found this whirlwind tour of perioperative medicine their key to success.

6. Tell me about your 3:2:1 Simulation Course.

The 3:2:1 Simulation Course is the only course in which all exams are 2-on-1 (two examiners with one candidate), making it the most authentic Oral Board experience possible. Small class sizes, consisting of 2 examiners and 3 candidates, maximizes a personalized  learning environment. Combined with the Anesthesia Boot Camp (ABC), which comes free with every 321 Course, the experiences is an unrivaled way to perfect your communication skill while overcoming fears of public speaking. 

7. What is your Learn-at-Home Program?

The Learn-at-Home program is a self-paced, video learning module that brings essential educational material to the convenience of your own home. The program, found in our Video Library, features:

(1) CamClub (CC) – 25 Lectures on Essential Topics
(2) Oral Board Online (OBO) – 9 High-Yield Cases
(3) Oral Case Discussion (OCD) – 8 High-Yield Cases

Altogether, the LAH program contains over 100 hours of high-yield instruction, sure to dramatically boost your level of preparation. The LAH program comes as part of a Guaranteed Plan or can be obtained separately.

8. So which Guaranteed Plan should I take, the 4-Day, 6-Day, or 321?

It depends on your needs and availability.

  • 6-Day Guaranteed Plan is our flagship course and ideal if you can spare the time to attend. Six days allows ample opportunity to better learn, understand, and master the vast amount of information needed to pass. 
  • 4-Day Guaranteed Plan is ideal for those who cannot afford the time for a 6-day course, but want the same information presented in more condensed, intense format. It is commonly taken in the days before the actual exam.
  • 321 Guaranteed Plan is ideal for those who need more practice with speaking and communication, or who have problems with exam stress and performance anxiety.  Each 321 course comes with free attendance to the Anesthesia Boot Camp.

9. Wouldn't taking an individual course be simpler?

Yes, but it’s risky. Knowledge without practice before your exam is like reading about intubation before your first intubation, a class 4 airway. You need to practice on normals first! The benefit of a Guaranteed Plan is that it combines all the elements needed to pass – practice with requisite knowledge – into a single turnkey solution. Bundled together, the cost savings are 40%.

10. Is taking tests enough?

No, for the same reason that taking a course alone is insufficient – it’s only part of the picture. Without knowledge, there is nothing to put into practice. But the combination of up-to-date knowledge and challenging practice exams amplify  your successful performance exponentially. While both can be obtained a-la-carte, they have already been combined in our Guaranteed Plans, at a 40% discount. 

11. How many exams come with the Guaranteed Plans?

  • 4-Day GP: 14 (3 PhoneMocks, 7 Webmocks)
  • 6-Day GP: 16 (4 PhoneMocks, 8 Webmocks)
  • 321-GP: 18 (4 PhoneMocks, 8 Webmocks)

12. What if I can't attend a live course?

That’s no problem. All 4-Day, 6-Day, and 321 Courses are recorded and available in our Video Library. They can be obtained if you sign up for a Guaranteed Plan, purchased separately as a stand-alone product, or added as a supplement to an onsite course. 

13. How can I get additional exams?

    Additional WebMocks with our expert faculty or PhoneMocks with Dr. Ho can be purchased for:
  • 1 Exam $215
  • 4 Exams $860
  • 8 Exams $1,720
  • 16 Exams $3,440
  • 25 Exams $5,375

    Everyone is different, but in general, we recommend at least 30-40 to best guarantee success.

14. What are MOPS?

Our online Mock Oral Practice Session (MOPS) is the best way to quickly optimize your performance in one day. Considered by many to be one of the most useful parts of our program, these online sessions efficiently review 7 cases and 21 additional topics, covering over 100 essential topics in one day. Through instructor and peer-to-peer exams, MOPS rapidly desensitizes you to the stress of public speaking, while modeling idealized answers at a Consultant level.

Attendance to one MOPS comes free as part of the Guaranteed Plan. Taking all 3 MOPS (A-C) maximizes your critical mass of case familiarity. 

15. Tell me about your Anesthesia Boot Camp.

Our Anesthesia Boot Camp (ABC) is dedicated to helping you master Additional Topics, an essential part of the Board that comprises almost a third of your grade, yet is often overlooked during preparation. Through 2 days of rapid-fire questioning and intense review, candidates become more adept at communication while assimilating a cornucopia of precious clinical pearls. Learn to respond to Additional Topics questions with clarity, confidence, and Consultant-level expertise.

The ABC precedes every 3:2:1 Simulation Course and is free to all 3:2:1 course and 321 Guaranteed Plan registrants or can be purchased separately.

16. Tell me about your OSCE Course.

Ours OSCE courses are offered in two ways: Onsite and Online. Both provide a comprehensive review of all components of the OSCE ABA Applied Exam, covering:

    • (1) Communication and Professionalism (Informed Consent, Treatment Options, Peri-procedural Complications, Ethical Issues, Communication with Other Professionals, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement)
      (2) Interpretation of Perioperative Monitors
      (3) Interpretation of Basic Echocardiograms
      (4) Perioperative Ultrasonography

Candidates can purchase a 4-day Live Online OSCE course, our 5 Online OSCE videos, or both. 

17. Should I just memorize sample answers?

No. Attempting to pass by memorizing answers is a Written Boards Strategy that is a surefire way to fail on the Orals. You should prepare by studying to understand.

The Oral Boards test a candidate’s ability to apply knowledge, analyze complex situations, respond to rapidly changing scenarios, and discuss concerns, all at the level of a Perioperative Consultant. Memorized responses seem like they should work, but only if you are asked exactly the same question you were given to memorize. That doesn’t always happen. And even if it did, a lack of true understanding is quickly revealed in follow-up discussion.

To guarantee a passing performance, candidates must learn to think on their feet, develop evidence-based action plans, and defend their position. All this is only possible with having up-to-date knowledge, practicing high-quality exams, and mastering the Consultant Approach.

18. What is your approach to the Written Boards?

Our approach for the Written Boards is much the same as that for the orals: you have to both have knowledge and practice. Each set of Basic or Advanced Written Boards recorded sessions consist of a series of realistic multiple-choice questions carefully analyzed and thoroughly discussed, following the ABA keyword outline:

  • Basic Topics (28 sessions)
  • Advanced Topics (34 sessions)
  • Potpourri of Advanced Topics (24 sessions)

    Difficult concepts such as electrical safety, anesthesia machine, CPB, coagulation medicine are made easy to understand and remember through a series of lucid explanations and vivid figures, diagrams and images.

19. What is the MORE program?

The Mock Oral for Residents (MORE) program is a unique opportunity for anesthesia residents to receive high-quality oral exams and feedback, while learning the attributes of a Perioperative Consultant.

Some feel residency should be a time to focus on Written Board preparation. That may be, but that does not mean you shouldn’t also begin to develop the lifelong skills of critical thinking, clear communication, and Consultant-level performance. 

20. What type of candidate would benefit most from your program?

    Anyone who:
  • Has not been adequately exposed to the Oral Boards or the idea of Perioperative Consultation.
  • Has significant gaps in knowledge, especially on complex and controversial topics.
  • Is not yet a natural, comfortable public speaker.
  • Does not have the time, energy, or resources to practice and prepare on your own.
  • Has failed previously and does not wish to fail again.
  • Simply wishes to become a better Perioperative Consultant.

21. In sum, what is unique about your program?

    Our program is unique in that it:
  • Takes a Consultant Approach to Boards preparation and learning Perioperative Medicine.
  • Offers a comprehensive Multimodal Plan that includes Onsite and Online Courses, an extensive Video Library, and challenging oral exams with Consultant-level feedback.
  • Teaches accurate, up-to-date important concepts in a way that is easy to understand and remember.
  • Offers a personalized study plan to guide and track your preparation, and ensure your ultimate success.
    Over the past 20 years, hundreds of candidates who have failed with other courses have finally passed after taking our program and adopting our Consultant Approach.

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