Exam Content
The detailed Sleep Medicine Maintenance of Certification exam blueprint (pdf) includes content areas covered, their relative percentages and the approximate number of questions in each area to expect on a typical exam.
Sleep Medicine LKA: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Emphasis FAQs
What is the Sleep Medicine LKA: OSA Emphasis? How does it differ from the general Sleep Medicine LKA?
- The Sleep Medicine Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Emphasis is a new, focused assessment option for physicians maintaining their certification in Sleep Medicine.
- ABIM and the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS) are collaborating on this effort, and have agreed to a blueprint with a greater emphasis on OSA, which will include a 70% overlap with the current Sleep Medicine general blueprint.
How did this come about?
- ABOHNS received approval through an ABMS process to create a specialized assessment for OSA. That pilot raised questions and concerns within the sleep medicine community which prompted the co-sponsoring boards to convene a Sleep Medicine Summit. Based on feedback from that meeting, multiple principles for the development of the pilot were identified, resulting in a modified pilot to be developed collaboratively using the ABIM LKA platform.
When will it be available?
- Enrollment for all ABIM assessments – including the Sleep Medicine LKA: OSA Emphasis – will open December 1, 2022. Enrollment for the LKA closes June 30, 2023 for all disciplines.
Am I eligible?
- If you are certified in Sleep Medicine (from ABIM or another board) and due for an assessment in 2023, you can enroll in the Sleep Medicine LKA: OSA Emphasis.
- If you’ve already enrolled in the general Sleep Medicine LKA you can switch to the OSA Emphasis track in 2023 any time before the close of enrollment (June 30, 2023). Note that this option for physicians to switch before the end of their current 5-year cycle is only available in the first year the OSA Emphasis track is offered.
- If you switch after the start of a quarter you must complete that quarter before the change will take effect.
- If you are certified by ABOHNS you will only have the OSA Emphasis track option and not the general Sleep LKA.
- If your certification has lapsed you can use the Sleep Medicine LKA: OSA Emphasis as re-entry pathway for re-certification.
What happens if I try it, and don’t like it and want to switch back to the general Sleep LKA?
- Once a physician chooses to switch from the general Sleep Medicine LKA to the OSA Emphasis track, they must complete their 5-year cycle (from the time they originally began their LKA participation) before being able to choose a different LKA assessment track.
What happens to my LKA participation status – such as my question history – if I switch to the OSA Emphasis?
- Any unopened/expired questions will carry over. For example, if you chose not to open 20 questions at the time of switching, you will still be able to not open 80 additional questions through the remainder of your cycle.
- Your question history (correct/incorrect answers) will be retained.
- You may occasionally encounter repeat questions from before you switched due to overlap in the specialized assessment blueprints.
- The original end date of your 5-year cycle will remain unchanged.
Will there be a longform version of the OSA Emphasis exam?
- Given the small number of physicians practicing in this highly specialized area, it’s not feasible to create a longform version of the Sleep Medicine LKA: OSA Emphasis exam.
Will taking the OSA Emphasis change my certification?
- Physicians taking the Sleep Medicine LKA: OSA Emphasis will continue to be reported as certified in Sleep Medicine.