Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Focused Practice Designation

Each of the following is a requirement to sit for the MIGS Focused Practice Designation Exam. You must meet all of the requirements in effect during the year for which admission to the computer-based exam is requested.

Training and Practice Requirement - Candidates must meet the requirement of a minimum of three years of clinical practice with a focus in MIGS at the time of application for the MIGS exam. Completion of a two-year MIGS fellowship program may count toward the minimum three-year requirement of focused practice (each year of fellowship counts as one year of clinical practice up to two years).

MIGS CME Requirement - Candidates must have completed a minimum of 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ in MIGS or in a gynecologic subspecialty (e.g., URPS, REI, and GO) in the last three years. CME earned by completing the annual ABOG MOC Part II Gynecology, URPS, REI, or GO articles and self-assessments will count towards the MIGS CME requirement.

Specialty ABOG Board Certification - The candidate must hold current, active ABOG certification in Obstetrics and Gynecology to be eligible to apply and to sit for the MIGS examination. In other words, the physician must be certified through December 31, 2024.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) - All candidates with a time-limited certificate in Specialty Obstetrics and Gynecology must be meeting the ABOG MOC program requirements at the time the MIGS Focused Practice written application is submitted, and at the time of the actual written examination. Each diplomate who achieves a Focused Practice Designation in PAG must enter the MIGS Focused Practiced Designation Maintenance of Certification program in the year following successful attainment of Focused Practice Designation in MIGS and must successfully complete all assignments to maintain a Focused Practice Designation in MIGS.

[Note: Candidates with a non-time-limited certification in Specialty Obstetrics and Gynecology who pass the written examination for Focused Practice in MIGS will be issued a time-limited Focused Practice Designation in MIGS and will be required to enter the MIGS Focused Practice MOC program and fulfill all the yearly MOC requirements for Focused Practice Designation in MIGS.]

Medical License - Candidates must have an active, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine in any and all states or territories of the United States of Province of Canada in which the candidate holds a current medical license. Each license must not be restricted, suspended, on probation, revoked, surrendered, nor include conditions on the practice of medicine.

Moral and Ethical Behavior - ABOG requires evidence of your professionalism and professional standing. This will include verification of your professional reputation, moral and ethical character, and in-hospital practice privileges from administrative officials of organizations and institutions that know you and your practice. You must have demonstrated good moral and ethical behavior in the practice of medicine and interaction with peers and other medical personnel. A felony conviction, even if unrelated to the practice of medicine, will be considered evidence of failure to meet this standard.

Unrestricted Hospital Privileges - Candidates must have unrestricted hospital (or surgical center) privileges for a Focused Practice Designation in MIGS. If the candidate is under investigation or on probation, the application will not be approved. The candidates must re-apply and pay a new application fee after the probation and/or restrictions have been resolved. However, resolution of these matters does not guarantee that the candidate's application will be approved.

Twelve-Month Case Log - All candidates will be required to submit a 12-month case log documenting a practice that demonstrates sufficient depth and breadth of focused practice in MIGS. The case log must document evidence of focused practice by having a minimum of 100 total minimally invasive gynecologic procedures. They must have cases in more than one category of the case log meeting the minimum number of cases for those categories and the combined total must be 100 or more surgeries. The case log must be completed at the time of application on the form(s) provided with the online applications. Candidates must meet the requirement of a minimum of three years of clinical practice with a focus in MIGS at the time of application for the MIGS exam. Learn more about the case log.

Physicians in International Practice Settings - If the candidate practices in a country other than the United States and its territories or Canada, a letter from the senior responsible medical officer in the hospital or clinical setting where the candidate practices must be submitted with the application. The letter must be submitted to ABOG and must attest that they have independent, unsupervised privileges in MIGS. In addition, it should attest that the diplomate's practice of medicine meets all the local standards and verifies that the candidate has unrestricted privileges in MIGS.

Falsification of Information - Falsification of any information or failure to disclose any adverse action on hospital privileges, medical license, or MOC application will result in a denial of your eligibility to sit for the written examination for Focused Practice Designation in MIGS.

Request for Special Consideration

Physicians who have made major contributions to the field of MIGS but are no longer in full-time practice and cannot submit an adequate case log may request special consideration from ABOG. Such physicians should write a detailed letter of request to the Associate Executive Director for MOC of ABOG. The letter must include a summary of their contributions to the field and a copy of their CV. If the request is granted, that physician will be allowed to sit for the MIGS computer-based examination. However, once Focused Practice Designation in MIGS is attained, they must enroll in the MIGS MOC process.

Application Process for the July 22, 2024 Examination

1. Applications will be accepted online at abog.org by January 31, 2024.
2. The final day applications will be accepted for the 2024 exam is April 30, 2024.
3. The fee must be paid by credit card through the ABOG website at the time of application. If an applicant is found to be ineligible to sit for the test, a portion of the fee will be refunded.
4. The applicant must supply ABOG with a working email address as part of the application process. It is the candidate's responsibility to notify ABOG of any change in this address.
5. Following submission of the online application, payment of the appropriate fee, receipt at ABOG of the 12-month case log, the candidate's application will be considered in accordance with the requirements in effect for that year. The candidate will be notified of admissibility to the computer-based examination. An ABOG subcommittee will make the final decision as to the eligibility of an applicant after the review of the candidate's application and qualifications.
6. Two business days (not less than 48 hours) after the candidate has received the email notification of acceptance as a candidate, the candidate should contact Pearson VUE to obtain a seat for the exam. Instructions for contacting Pearson VUE will be included in the acceptance email. Seats at Pearson VUE in individual cities are limited and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Exam Conduct

Exam Format and Length

The MIGS Focused Practice Written Examination is scheduled to last approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes and consists of 100 questions. If you finish before the full time has elapsed, you may leave the Pearson VUE Testing Center early, but if you do so, you may not return.

You'll receive information after registering on the Person VUE Testing Center website concerning the location of your exam, as well as the time you must arrive.

Identification

You must present two forms of identification to be admitted to the PAG examination at Pearson VUE Testing Center.

• One document must include both your photograph and signature.
• The second document must include your signature.
• If you had a name change between your application and the day of the test, you must bring a copy of an official document that verifies the name change. Examples could include, but are not limited to, a marriage certificate, divorce decree, court ordered name change, etc.

Screening Process

You must submit to a screening process that may include any or all of the following:

• Fingerprinting
• Palm vein scanning
• Wanding
• Walk-through scanning for metallic objects
• Any other screening that may be in place at the Pearson VUE Testing Center

If you refuse the submit to any screening procedure, you will not be allowed to take the exam, and no portion of the fee will be refunded.

Electronic Devices

You may not take electronic devices into the exam area.

• You are not allowed to possess or access recording devices, cellular phones, paging devices, other electronic communication and/or recording devices, and writing instruments at any time during the written exam or while taking a break.
• You may not wear any device that can access the internet, such as an Apple Watch or similar devices.
• The one exception is an insulin pump.
• If such a device is discovered at any time during the exam, or if you access any such device for any reason, you will not receive a grade for any portion of the written examination, and all fees will be forfeited.

Breaks

There is no scheduled break during the exam.

• You may take unscheduled breaks to use the restroom facilities. Unscheduled breaks should not exceed 10 minutes in length.
• During such breaks, you may not talk with any individual or access any electronic device.
• You are not allowed to leave the Pearson VUE Testing Center for any reason before completing the test.

If you violate any of these regulations, you will not receive a grade for any portion of the PAG written examination, and all fees will be forfeited.

Accommodations

If you require special accommodations, notify the ABOG office no later than April 30, 2024, by emailing moc@abog.org. It may not be possible to accommodate requests received after that date. Learn more about Exam Accommodations.

Designation Length

All Specialty and Subspecialty Certificates issued by ABOG after 1986 are time limited. Similarly, Focused Practice Designation in MIGS issued by ABOG for candidates who successfully pass the MIGS written examination are time-limited and remains in effect only if the diplomate participates in and successfully completes the MIGS Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process each year. Thus, the Focused Practice Designation in MIGS for candidates who successfully pass the 2024 computer based MIGS examination will expire on December 31, 2025 unless all of the 2025 MIGS MOC assignments and requirements have been completed successfully and on time.

If a Diplomate's Focused Practice Designation in MIGS is allowed to lapse, it can only be re-established by passing a secure re-entry computer-based examination in MIGS.

Re-Application

If you postpone or fail the written examination in MIGS, you must complete a new online application to be considered for the next scheduled written exam in MIGS and pay a new application fee.

Applicants Ruled Inadmissable

If a decision is made by ABOG that you have not met the requirements for admission to the written exam in MIGS, you may appeal the decision in writing to the ABOG Associate Executive Director for MOC by emailing moc@abog.org. Such appeals will be forwarded to the appropriate ABOG Review Committee for consideration. If a successful decision occurs after the date of the computer-based exam, you will be scheduled for the next available computer-based exam in MIGS, and no additional application fee will apply.

To be eligible for renewal of the Focused Practice Designation in MIGS, you must hold a valid primary certificate in Obstetrics and Gynecology and complete the ABOG MOC program on an annual basis.

If you hold a time-limited certificate, you must meet MOC requirements annually for your specialty or subspecialty, as well as complete additional reading assignments focused in MIGS.

The Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment requirement for specialists holding a MIGSFocused Practice Designation has three parts:

• Articles in general obstetrics, gynecology, office practice, and four subspecialties
• Articles in pediatric and adolescent gynecology
• Articles in patient safety and communication

The Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment requirement for subspecialists holding a MIGS Focused Practice Designation has four parts:

• Articles in general obstetrics, gynecology, office practice, and the other three subspecialties
• Articles in minimally gynecologic surgery
• Articles in your subspecialty
• Articles in patient safety and communication

Likewise, if you hold a non-time-limited certificate in obstetrics and gynecology or an ABOG subspecialty, you must participate in the MOC program annually in order to maintain your Focused Practice Designation in MIGS.