NEJM Knowledge+ Learning+ Blog

Learning+ Blog

This resource explores up-to-date information about NEJM Knowledge+ products and features, changes to certification and MOC, and topics in learning and education. We invite you to use the commenting feature to share your thoughts and experiences with us and with your peers.

Spaced Repetition: The Most Effective Way to Learn

The first time I remember feeling panicky the day before a test was in seventh grade: My math teacher had handed out a list of what was definitely going to be on the mid-year exam, and half of it I didn’t actually remember learning in the first...
|May 17th, 2019|Learning|5 Comments|
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The NFL Draft, the Weight of an Ox, and the Art of the Rank List

The ERAS applications are scored. Applicants and program directors alike have hung their interview suits back in the closet. It is time for the single most important moment of a residency program — the rank list meeting. Of all days, this day is the most important, even...
|February 27th, 2019|Residency|1 Comment|
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Draft Recommendations to ABMS on Expectations for Continuing Certification Programs — Out for Public Comment

The commission members of the Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Initiative released their draft recommendations for the future of maintenance of certification (MOC) on December 11, 2018. The commission, initiated by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), is responsible for “assessing the status of...
|January 3rd, 2019|News|4 Comments|
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Distinguishing Between a Hemothorax and a Pneumothorax

One of our NEJM Knowledge+ Internal Medicine Board Review questions has generated a fair amount of discussion and uncertainty. It asks the learner to select the best immediate response to a patient with a complication of central venous catheter (CVC) placement. The case-based question requires several cognitive...
|December 20th, 2018|Internal Medicine|8 Comments|
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Letters of Recommendation: Program Directors Need to Do Better

It is interview season, and I am reviewing candidates for my residency program. It is a very humbling process. Even considering board scores, transcripts, and personal statements, the true person behind the dossier can remain opaque. How do we figure out who might be a good fit?...
|December 6th, 2018|Residency|2 Comments|
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