Ortho Tribune U.S. Edition No.1, 2016

education Ortho Tribune U.S. Edition | AAO PREVIEW 201618 AD Ortho programs incentivize the board exam as the ‘Gold Standard’ with preparatory support O rthodontists are choos- ing to get board certified by the American Board of Orthodontics (www. americanboardortho. com) at an earlier point in their career than ever before — thanks to support from graduate programs equip- ping students with preparatory exercises, instructional courses and, in some cases, financial backing. In 2007, the ABO implemented a new certification pathway to engage more new orthodontists to participate in the certifi- cation process. The revised criterion allows new orthodontists to sit for the boards earlier in their careers, and many graduate programs and residents are taking advan- tage of this opportunity. The ABO wants dental students who are considering becoming orthodontic spe- cialists to make informed decisions. By soliciting orthodontic graduate programs across the country, the ABO has put to- gether a survey of the strategies and prac- tices many programs are offering to en- courage students to take the boards. “ABO certification establishes a format to allow graduates to objectively assess their clinical outcomes as well as provides a measuring gauge to assess future clinical outcomes as lifelong learners,” said Rich- ard Kulbersh, DMD, MS, professor, chair- man and program director at the Univer- sity of Detroit. “In addition, the ABO is the only orthodontic organization that has instituted a program for future recertifica- tion. And, I believe that future certification and recertification will be a requirement for all specialties in the near future.” A separate fact sheet is available for a look at how other schools around the country are emphasizing the board exam with unique programs and incentives. To receive the fact sheet, contact Lindsay Si- hilling at Lindsay@Visintineandryan.com. Here’s a sampling of some creative ways schools are encouraging their students: Louisiana State University (www.lsusd.lsuhsc.edu) LSU Department of Orthodontics intro- duced the Pay It Forward Program in 2014. Through this program, the Dr. J.M. Chadha Orthodontic Educational Foundation, which is supported by alumni donations, reimburses recent LSU graduates for the fees associated with the Clinical Examina- tion, which are presently $1,875. “We only ask that they (the graduates) consider donating at least a like amount over their careers back to the foundation so that future graduates have the same opportunity,” said Hector Maldonado, DDS, clinical associate professor of ortho- dontics. The Pay It Forward Program is also de- signed to streamline the reimbursement process. “Through the cooperation of the staff at the ABO, we even have an agree- ment where the ABO will bill the founda- tion for the exam fees automatically and not the registrant,” said Maldonado, who is the secretary-treasurer of the foundation. When the foundation introduced the pro- gram, it extended the offer not only to the 2014 graduating class but also to the 2013 graduates who were still eligible to take the clinical examination. This was good news for Merrell Irby, DDS, who graduated in 2013. Irby wanted to take the clinical examination immedi- ately after graduation, but she could not afford the exam fees at that time. Later, when she had the financial means, the examination coincided with her wedding. She then registered for the September 2015 exam, her last op- portunity to present residency cases. Soon after, the foundation informed her that she qualified for the Pay It For- ward program, a welcome turn of events. “All and all, it’s a great change,” Irby said. “I encourage (the residents) to go as soon as possible.” Each graduating class has four residents, and, to date, three recent graduates have used the program. “Dr. J.M. Chadha, the founder of the de- partment, and Dr. Paul Armbruster, the current chair, have always been adamant about pursuing board certification,” Mal- donado said. “It’s the culture around the orthodontic department. We’re trying to make it as easy as possible. This new pro- gram encourages them to get it done be- fore they get caught up in their lives post- graduation.” Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (www.atsu.edu/asdoh) Orthodontic residents at the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health Post- graduate Orthodontic Program are en- couraged to become board-certified or- thodontists shortly after graduation. The school sees the process of taking the exam as both an opportunity to objective- ly gauge skills as much as it is an occasion ” See EXAM, page 20

Ortho Tribune U.S. Edition No.1, 2016

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