The Oral Examination is the second evaluation in the Board
Certification process. Upon successful completion of the Written
Qualifying Examination (WQE) candidates are sent specific
instructions for registration for the Oral Examination.
The Oral Examination is a timed evaluation and requires candidates
to "care for" a series of patients. All Examinations are given by
appointment within a half day period. The half day period is
divided into six Examinations to allow multiple examiners to assess
the candidate's patient care ability. The pooled group of Examiners
is referred to as a Panel.
Scope of Oral Examination
The Oral Examination includes clinical scenarios representative
of developmental, dystrophic, degenerative, inflammatory,
infectious, toxic, traumatic, neoplastic, and vascular diseases
affecting the eye and its surrounding structures.
Aspects of the Candidate's Ability that are Tested in the Oral
Examination
The Oral Examination is designed to simulate how candidates care
for patients in a clinical setting. Candidates are assessed with
regard to their ability to incorporate the cognitive knowledge
demonstrated in the written examination with judgment on caring for
a patient. A candidate is presented with a series of props, each of
which represents one patient or clinical situation, and is asked to
identify how he/she would care for that patient. The Examiner
assesses a candidate's ability to demonstrate patient care skills
in the following areas:
- Data Acquisition: Recognition by the candidate of depicted
abnormalities and diseases that affect the eye, ocular adnexa and
the visual pathways. Candidates will be asked for historical
information and examination data that might be obtained on a
patient with a particular condition depicted or described.
- Diagnosis: The ability of candidates to synthesize historical
and physical evaluation information, along with the appropriate
laboratory data to arrive at correct diagnoses and differential
diagnoses.
- Treatment: Candidates will be expected to provide a reasonable
and appropriate plan for medical and/or surgical management of
patients with the conditions depicted or described and be able to
discuss the prognosis and/or therapeutic complications for the
particular condition.
Successful Completion of the Oral Examination
A candidate who successfully passes both the Written Qualifying
and Oral Examinations has completed the requirements for Board
Certification and is awarded a certificate valid for ten years.
Physicians who have received the certificate are DIPLOMATES of the
Board.
Failure to Complete the Oral Examination
A candidate shall be required to reactivate his/her
application for approval, submit an additional application fee, and
pass another Written Qualifying Examination before being admitted
to the Oral Examination under the following
circumstances:
- If a candidate does not take and pass the Oral
Examination within the four (4) consecutive administrations
assigned to them following successful completion of the Written
Examination;
- If a candidate is unable to pass the oral examination in
three attempts during this period.