Fan Club
Become a Fan of PodiatryPrep.com
As our PodiatryPrep™ blog readers are aware, testimonials, kudos and comments about our new-wave products seem to scatter and land everywhere on this site. And, while we do appreciate them all, it does lead to a bit of digital clutter.
So, to organize the accolades, please be sure to enter our quarterly giveaway! How? Simply become a PodiatryPrep™ fan. Comment on our wall page with a testimonial on why you love PodiatryPrep™ ala carte products, integrated suites, and related board examination study tools for all podiatric medicine and surgery sub-specialties.
We’re giving away a medical management book, health information technology e-whitepaper, and/or practice administration dictionary every quarter to one lucky doctor among those who do.
- www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
- www.MedicalExecutivePost.com
- www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.com
- www.MedicalBusinessAdvisors.com
Courtesy of our corporate sponsors while supplies last.
Come on! Tell us what you think in the comment box below. Share your story.
BE A FAN!
The First
This testimonial wall is a great idea! So, let me be the first to congratulate you and tell my story.
I bought your products after I failed the boards using another subscription based study guide service. I was very disappointed in it. It seemed to be nothing more than a digital version of a popular print book … and only surgery … what a disappointment.
But, your products were psychometrically constructed and helped me to pass; first the medical test and then the surgery test. Your ability to update and customize specific products is amazing, too!
Many thanks again.
Dr. Joe
Looking forward to insights.
Stuart Goldman; DPM
Dear Dr. David E. Marcinko,
I just wanted to say thank you so much for taking my call today and spending time with me to narrow down some of the pressing questions I had. I also thank you in advance for all the efforts made on my behalf to get the review questions to me as soon as possible. I am sure you remain concerned about whether or not I will have enough time to review; but from my standpoint, I remain thankful even at this late stage in the game to at least have the few days that remain. Most of the material is static, but as you well know the questions can be presented in a different format, especially years later since I first took the exam. I do have a few review questions from over 10 years ago and but they are not specific for the test I am going to be taking.
While training at Barry I did have the opportunity to be a student of Dr.Scherer, he taught my radiology course. I believe his plans for this business venture was in it’s infancy at the time. He was dedicated to making sure we, as students, understood the course material, and years later his passion for understanding still lingers. I appreciate your honesty today and feel that your sincerity mirrors Dr. Scherer’s, and for that I am truly grateful!!! Your insight on “stress questions” and the increased use of them as well as sharing the fact that you were part of the very board that I am testing into all helped to actually decrease my stress level. As I have explained my situation is so unique and almost unbelievable to tell you the truth, that it’s actually too stressful to be stressed over, I don’t know if you have ever experienced a situation in your life that was so stressful that you could not even be stressed, it is quite a humbling experience.
A couple years ago I took the North Carolina Licensure exam while being 8 months pregnant, would I wish that on my worst enemy probably not, but the outcome was successful. I have always shyed away from board review questions in the past, because of the negative stigma and secrecy associated with obtaining them. So part of my delay honestly, was just not researching “board review questions” until today. As I mentioned before I had heard “through the grapevine” that Dr. Scherer was working on something, but I guess since I did not have access to this service many years ago, I didn’t think about it before today. Moving forward, I feel so blessed to have been clear headed enough (taking a moment out of the stressful, legal, emotion fog) to have Goggled your company, then to have called and actually have you pick up when the answering machine had already engaged and have you share such vital information, that was perfect timing if you ask me. At this point it would be unwise to doubt that things will not continue to work in my favor, and if you would bare with me for a moment and allow me to mention … from this point forward I’m believing God!!
I shared some of your advice with my husband and he agreed that at this point what is there to loose. Thank you again, I will email to confirm receipt of documents. Please do me a huge favor, if you think of my situation or me between now and Saturday (test day); please think positive thoughts of me passing. I appreciate you!
Thankfully
Rachel S. Rader, DPM
Editor’s Note: Redacted for breviety.
Dr. Rader,
Many thanks for your order. It was driven by courrier and then shipped by Express mail delivery for no later than Wed, at 3PM, EST. And, it may just arrive tomorrow evening; no promises.
Dr. Marcinko and Dr. Scherer also appreciate your kind words.
Good luck!
ANN MILLER; RN, MHA
[Executive Director]
http://www.PodiatryPrep.com
http://www.ePodiatryConsentForms.com
Ann,
I did receive the disk OK, at 2:45 pm EST.
Thank you.
Dr. Rader
Dear Dr. Marcinko,
My name is [name withheld] DPM. I graduated from the [name withheld] College of Podiatric Medicine last month. During the week of graduation, I received my board scores and I did not pass. As a direct consequence, I lost my residency.
In the 7 days that followed, I moved out of my apartment, my belonging were put in storage, I was in a car accident, my fiancé discovered a soft tissue mass (biopsy was benign, but the cyst is being removed next week), and my student loans became due. I currently have no source of income, and I have exhausted every financial resource possible.
My car was fixed, the tumor will be removed, and in time I will be able to pay back my student loans. However, without the use of your fantastic [PodiatryPrep] software, I am fearful that I will not be able to pass the board exam. I took part II twice, and I don’t know what it is that I am doing wrong.
I am respectfully requesting a complimentary copy of both versions: Podiatric Surgery and Primary Podiatric Medicine. After I pass the board exam, I will refer all of my colleagues to your services.
Respectfully,
Dr. [name withheld] DPM
sent via iPhone
Dear FARC, Inc
I am having trouble loading my product.
Please help.
Hillary Brenner DPM
###
Dr. Brenner,
We are glad our savvy tech support team was able to assist within 3 hours of contact. Good luck on the test
Ann Miller, RN MHA
[Executive-Director]
Dear Doctor [Name Witheld]
Many thanks for reaching out to us! We here similar stories during these tough economic times and do have a modest special “hardship” fund to assist needy students and young doctors. Subject to restrictions and cancellation at any time!
But, this is assistance and not a handout. Our philosophy is that you must have some economic “skin in the game” for best results.
So, this usually involves some sort of a hardship discount, or payment plan, on an individual case-by-case basis.
Please contact us for details.
Ann Miller RN, MHA
[Executive-Director]
******
Doctor [Name Witheld]
We are pleased to be of assistance to you. Good luck on the test and your future career!
Ann Miller RN, MHA
[Executive Director]
Take our Satisfaction Survey
Dear PodiatryPrep Client
You may be selected to receive a quality survey. Your feedback is valuable to us and we are very interested in hearing about your support and testing experiences.
Should you receive a Quality Improvement survey, we appreciate you taking the time to respond. Have a pleasant day ahead and week.
Atwal
[Client Services Representative]
http://www.PodiatryPrep.com
Dear Podiatry Prep and Dr. Marcinko,
I want to thank you so much for targeting [customized products] me with the material you sent. I passed the rearfoot orals this past June and the review material was excellent and to the point.
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to help me accomplish this goal!
Fraternally,
Greg Boake DPM
Hello David,
Thanks for your consultation yesterday in regards to foot surgery re-certification. Initially, you thought the course manual [study guide library] would suit me fine. [But], I thought the questions would also help too. I have not updated since my first purchase in 1992. Glad you are still out there.
Cordially,
William Stano DPM, MD, C.Ped
[Boise, ID]
Dr. Marcinko,
I just wanted to thank you for the new CD-ROM. I downloaded it in my same computer and is working fine now. It was so easy to fix the problem.
Dr. Irma Godoy
[Upper Saddle River, New Jersey]
I have purchased your products in the past and was pleased with them. Can you tell me what you have available for preparation of the ABPS podiatric surgery exams FF and RF? How many practice questions, and what price?
I would need to move swiftly with this since the exam is 1 month away.
Thank you.
Jeremy Gray DPM
FARC Inc, and Dr. Marcinko,
Do you have any board prep software for the new American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry’s board certification in Limb Preservation & Salvage?
I currently have your software for the podiatric medicine, surgery and diabetes boards which were great.
I’m wondering if any or all of the information in possibly the diabetes board prep software would be sufficient for this new board exam.
Thanks.
Anas Khoury, DPM
Director, Northeastern Foot & Ankle
235 Main Avenue
Passaic, NJ 07055
Tel. 973.473.6665
Fax. 973.471.7308
drkhoury@nefas.us
###
Dr. Anas Khoury, DPM
Many thanks for your kind words, and yes we do.
FARC, Inc
[Suport Team]
Sheela John
POH Regional Medical Center
50 N Perry Street
3 N Medical Library
Pontiac, MI 48342
Many thanks for your bulk order for the Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital [POH].
FARC Inc
[Support Staff]
Dr. William Osler and the Necessity of Examinations
Source: Dr. Chris Nickson
Osler said that exams were something of a menace to the true student of medicine:
“Perfect happiness for student and teacher will come with the abolition of examinations, which are stumbling blocks and rocks of offense in the pathway of the true student.”
— William Osler, from Aequanimitas, 3rd edition, 1932
Perhaps this is because no examination can be passed by knowing the subject matter alone. One must also master the “hidden curriculum,” the unwritten rules of engagement. Only the foolish, the prenaturally brilliant, or the interminably lucky dare remain ignorant of these invisible hurdles.
As such, a great deal of effort must be spent, not only learning about how to care for patients and the manifestations of disease, but about how to pass the quiz. Of course, knowing how to play the game is, in itself, not enough. One must find a way to acquire the necessary knowledge.
For this, we must embrace what Osler has called the Philosopher’s Stone, that which turns base lead into gold, his Master Word: Work.
“With too many, unfortunately, working habits are not cultivated until the constraining dread of an approaching exam is felt, when the hopeless attempt is made to cram the work of two years into a six month’ session, with results only too evident to your examiners.”
— William Osler, from Introductory Lecture on the Opening of the Forty-Fifth Session of the Medical Faculty, McGill University. 1877.
For all the sweat and tears that these perilous stumbling blocks extract, they are not without purpose. Examinations are an undeniable spur to action. They force us to investigate our deficiencies and expose our many weaknesses. When done as part of perfect preparation, we may be strengthened in time for the test, as well as for the rest of our careers.
“I do not know of any stimulus so healthy as knowledge on the part of the student that he will receive an examination at the end of his course. It gives sharpness to his dissecting knife, heat to his Bunsen burner, a well worn appearance to his stethoscope, and a particular neatness to his bandaging.”
— William Osler, from an address to medical students at the University of Pennsylvania, 1885.
So, ultimately, we must accept that examinations are necessary. Offensive rocks though they may be. Yet we do well to remember that examinations are just the toll gates at which we must all pay our dues as we embark on an endless journey. An endless journey in search of mastery in medicine.
“In its subject matter there is everything in its favour, and it is the easiest possible thing to carry out John Locke’s primary canon in education — arouse an interest… It is hard to name a dry subject in the curriculum. And yet in an audience of medical students such a statement nowadays raises a smile. Why? Because we make the examination the end of education, not an accessory in its acquisition. The student is given early the impression that he is in the school to pass certain examinations, and I am afraid the society in which he moves grinds this impression into his soul.”
— William Osler, from ‘An Introductory Address on Examinations, Examiners and Examinees. Lancet. 1913; 1047-50.
“If the license to practise meant the completion of his education how sad it would be for the practitioner, how distressing to his patients! More clearly than other the physician should illustrate the truth of Plato’s saying that education is a life-long process.”
-William Osler, from ‘The Importance of Post-graduate Study.’ Lancet. 1900 (2):73-75.
Source: Chris Nickson MD is a physician in Australia who blogs at Life in the Fast Lane.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Is the above philosophy true for podiatry board examinations?
FARC, Inc.
Your board preparation products are the best. I have several and they never fail to impress.
Dr. Bilner
Dr. Melinda Zellars,
Thanks for your e-mail contacts and telephone call.
Yes, there is still ample time left to study for the NBPME [Part II] March and June 2012 tests; but only with FARC, Inc software by http://www.PodiatryPrep.com
But, you may want to email or phone in your order. For speedier delivery, we can overnight Priority Mail, too!
Ann Miller RN MHA
[Executive-Director]
A Great Value!
I just paid $1,500 for a SAT prep course for my son in addition to books and software. There were 20 others kids in the class.
I will soon also pay $95/hour for private tutoring. So, this software represents a tremendous value, in my opinion.
DPM Dad
KUDOS
Congratulations to the Foot & Ankle Research Consortium [FARC, Inc] for being selected as a winner of the 2012 Best of Norcross Georgia Awards in the Computer Software Development category by the US Commerce Association (USCA).
I’m sure that your selection as a 2012 Winner is a reflection of the hard work of not only yourself, but of many people that have supported your business and contributed to the subsequent success of your organization.
Again, congratulations on your selection to such an elite group of small businesses.
Sincerely,
Kelly McCartney
Board of Review
US Commerce Association
Getting Ready for Test Day
Preparing for a test isn’t easy, and most test takers have some sort of test anxiety as they prepare. I know standardized tests have always given me a sense of dread, even when I’m adequately prepared and know I will do well on the test.
Through high school, college, and then podiatry school, residency and the boards, the tests seemed to only get more complicated and more important.
Preparing for the next difficult standardized board test in my immediate future became a way of life for me. Podiatry Prep made it easier!
Thanks Podiatry Prep.
A Podiatry Resident and Newbie
NBPME Announces New Executive Director
The National Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners (NBPME) has announced that it has selected Phil Park of State College, PA to succeed Charles W. Gibley, Jr., PhD when he retires as Executive Director. The choice was announced by Stephen F. Stern, DPM, President of the Board.
“We are fortunate to have a person with a broad background in business and professional licensing as well as a deep appreciation for the podiatric profession from working with the podiatric licensing examination dating back to 1985,” said Dr. Mindy Benton, Chair of the Succession Committee.
CONGRATULATIONS, PHIL
FARC, Inc
via PMNews #4,439
Good afternoon,
I have been using your software to prepare for my boards next weekend and find it very helpful.
I have found several questions in your simulation dealing with biostatistics and epidemiology, but cannot find any study material in the info you sent me. Could I be looking in the wrong place? Could you please send me this info?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Dr. Patrick R.
The Foot and Ankle Institute
Dr. R
No, you are not looking in the wrong place.
We provide product and technical support and are glad you successfully installed and are using your ala carte program as intended.
But, we provide no personalized teaching support as researching information on your own is part of the learning process. For more didactic information, we suggest our study guides, our related integrated suite of products, our free online tools and/or the internet or your local medical library.
Coaching services: http://podiatryprep.wordpress.com/coaching-service/
And remember, our proportional simulators often match the real test in topical weight and acuity. But, this is testing psychometrics, not spoon-feeding or cheating, so you will still have to study diligently on your own. GUARANTEED!
Of course, such self-help searching will also alert you to related material which may, or may not, be useful on the test. However, it may be very helpful in the real world of clinical care, patient treatment and/or public health dynamics.
Good luck in advance and thanks for the compliment!
FARC Inc