Strong performance on the Progressive Evaluation of Competency fellowship final examination predicts American Board of Pathology Certification

Abstract

The Progressive Evaluation of Competency (PEC) program was developed to help cytopathology fellowship directors evaluate the progress of fellows before program completion. There are no data on how PEC examination results compare with American Board of Pathology (ABP) certification status. PEC final examination results from the 2011/2012 academic year were compared with performance on the ABP cytopathology examination. The total and section PEC scores were compared with ABP scaled written and practical scores, and individuals who failed the certification examination were analyzed in detail. Of the 103 fellows who took the final PEC examination in spring of 2012, 88 took the ABP examination, and 79 became certified. The total and the fine-needle aspiration scores on the PEC exam were positively and significantly correlated with performance on both ABP exam sections. Every fellow who scored in the upper one-third on the PEC exam became certified. The failing candidates scored significantly lower in both total scores and the fine-needle aspiration section of the PEC exam. The PEC final examination performance is positively correlated with ABP certification status, and fellows who score in the top one-third of the PEC examination become certified. These findings can help provide guidance to both fellowship directors and fellows on competency and readiness for board certification.