| No longer can students assume that continuing education ends with the completion of formal training and the successful completion of licensing or certifying examinations. As of October 1979, all 22 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties committed themselves to the principle of periodic recertification of their members. Despite the Board’s recognition that the cognitive skills measured in the objective examination do not assure clinical competence, recertification efforts—insofar as they involve examinations—are based on the assumption that knowledge of current information on which good clinical decisions should be made is worth cultivating; that, while such information does not guarantee competent practice, lack of it probably impedes competent practice; that this knowledge, unlike technical skills, is reasonably easy to assess; and that it can be acquired by well-motivated physicians. These assumptions all seem reasonable.
The questions presented in this book deal with issues of relative importance to medical students; other problem-oriented materials are becoming available that are aimed at more sophisticated audiences— groups that, within a very few years, will include the present generation of students. Regular review of such material is a habit worth developing. We hope that this edition of Obstetrics and Gynecology: PreTest® Self-Assessment and Review will justify your efforts in working through the problems by providing guidance for further study and by helping you to develop enduring learning habits. |
