Letter to the editor: MOC exam has little value

Regarding the article on maintenance of certification (MOC): (“Maintenance of Certification must go: One physician’s view,” January 25, 2014) I took my MOC American Board of Internal Medicine test in October 2013 and passed it.

Like many physicians in the country I strongly feel that MOC and taking the test for recertification is outrageous and ridiculous. It is emotionally and socially torturing to prepare for the test. The questions are absurd. They rarely have any value in day-to-day practice.

I think MOC should be voluntary, not mandatory. I know that expressing my concern may not do anything, but I am doing this hoping that it may hit some deaf ears or blind eyes. It is sad to see that almost all doctors complain about MOC but there is no collective voice making an actionable and powerful picture against the American Board of Internal Medicine and MOC.

 Raj Patel, MD, FAAC

Lycoming County, Pennsylvania