How To Prepare for and Pass Your Boards

In this episode of the AAOS Career Podcast, Alexandra E. Page, MD, FAAOS, joins host Ellen Lutnick, MD, for a conversation about Board certification – emphasizing the American Board of Orthoapedic Surgeons (ABOS) Part II oral examination.

Dr. Page spent many years as a Part II Board examiner. In this conversation, she pulls back the curtain on what that process really looks like and offers practical guidance to help Board-Eligible surgeons (those who have passed Part I) prepare for the rigors of Part II.

Dr. Page opens up about her path to becoming a Board examiner, noting that she came from a non-academic, community-based practice rather than the academic setting many assume is required. She walks through the multi-year arc of Part II certification, starting with the 17-month continuity of practice requirement and case tracking, through the submission of 12 cases, peer review, professionalism letters, and patient-reported outcomes.

A recurring theme throughout the episode is reassurance. Dr. Page repeatedly emphasizes that examiners are not looking for perfection. The oral exam evaluates clinical reasoning and judgment, not memorization or polished oral delivery. Complications happen; what matters is how a surgeon recognizes, responds to, and learns from them. Candidates are encouraged to acknowledge uncertainty, own their mistakes in real time, and explain the "why" behind their decisions rather than simply reciting facts.

The conversation closes with concrete study strategies (including leveraging the myriad resources on the ABOS website) and a broader message: The ABOS should be viewed as a career-long ally rather than an adversary.

Key topics covered:

• How non-academic surgeons can become ABOS Board examiners and the value of serving as an examiner

• The three-part structure of certification: Part I, Part II, and ongoing maintenance of certification

• The nearly two-year timeline leading up to Part II, including the 17-month continuous practice requirement and six-month case list

• The role of the 12 submitted cases, peer review, department and hospital letters, and patient-reported outcome measures

• How patient safety and complications are actually assessed during the oral exam, and why zero complications can itself be a red flag

• What examiners look for beyond medical knowledge, including data gathering, differential diagnosis, and treatment planning

• How the ABOS scoring rubric works and why candidates should find it on the ABOS website and study it directly

• The exam's structure (four panels, eight examiners, statistical normalization) and why each examiner’s assessment remains confidential from the other examiners

• Study strategies, including forming a "study buddy" group and running mock oral exams with peers

• How to recover from a wrong answer or acknowledge uncertainty during the exam

• What a well-organized case presentation includes, such as pertinent negatives and clear clinical rationale

• Practical logistics, including deadlines and the alternate October exam date for candidates with scheduling conflicts

• Why listeners preparing for Part II should treat the ABOS website as a central resource and start planning at least two years in advance

Host: Ellen Lutnick, MD, Resident Assembly Executive Committee ChairGuest: Alexandra E. Page, MD, FAAOS, orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon and Editor-in-Chief of AAOS Now