The next course is currently being scheduled for Summer, 2009. Details forthcoming. (Saturday and Sunday) in Dallas, TX Join us for an intensive weekend "Boot Camp" for Internal Medicine Board Review and Recertification. Note: The course is held once per year only, in Dallas, and it sells out every year. Make sure to register early. CME Credits: Receive up to 12 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™ for attending the live course. (Additional CME fee applies)

Save $100 by registering today. Click the following button:

Enroll me now! $595 $495
(Registration deadline is July 30, 2007)

If you would like to claim CME credits, click below to purchase them now:

Add CME credits (up to 12 APA PRA Category 1 credits), $100

Can't make it to the course? While supplies last...
Click the following button to order the printed syllabus (203 pp., spiral bound)
Available in the USA only via USPS priority mail. Quantity is extremely limited.

Mail me the printed syllabus, $99  (plus $10 shipping)

About the course:

Features:

• Learn the types of questions that have appeared on the most recent Board exams
• Updated throughout the year as we interview more attendees that have taken their boards
• Master those questions that will help rocket you over the passing mark
  
• Intense, personal learning in an intimate, classroom-style seminar
• Enthusiastic instructor voted "Teacher of the Year" at residency program keeps you involved
  
• Focused on topics and questions repeatedly emphasized by the ABIM
• Rapid-fire "Zebras": know those pearls that seem to show up on every Board exam
• Images review including dermatology, ophtho, heme/onc slides and ECGs
• Includes sample test questions and test-taking tips & strategies
• Special sections on AIDS, poisonings, and overdoses
  
• "Fool-proof", easy way to solve Acid-Base and Formula problems (voted by most physicians to be the best part of the course)
  

Benefits:

• Unlike other review courses, you won't get "lost" in a ballroom full of 1,000 other students
• Class size is small and strictly limited; we keep you awake and involved!
  
• Short, highly focused Boot Camp style prevents the "lecture burn out" of longer courses
• Interactive question and answer slides keep you riveted through the entire course
• Learn to master sensitivity/specificity, acid/base and other formula problems with speed and accuracy
  
• Learn the questions that seem to repeat on nearly every board certification and re-certification exam
  
• 100% guaranteed pass rate for the Board exam (see below)
• Our pool of sample questions are updated after each exam, by direct feedback from physicians who have just taken the most recent ABIM Board exam.
  

What you get:

• A weekend "boot camp" of interactive lectures and slides
  
• An extensive, printed course syllabus, including practice questions and all Power Point slides
  
• Challenging, overnight homework problems to reinforce learning
  
• Board review Tips and Tricks for maximizing your score
  
• Packed with case studies and sample exam questions
• Built-in social interaction with other physician attendees
• Mastery of formula problems and acid-base disorders that will be on your exam
  

Instructor Bio:

Cyrus Peikari, MD is author of the upcoming book "Rapid Internal Medicine Board Review and Recertification Guide." This book is based on the live "Own the Boards course" and will be published in mid-2007 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, the same publishers who have brought you the Mayo Internal Medicine Review Book and the Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics. Dr. Peikari was elected to Chief of Medicine at Baylor Medical Center at Garland in 2005, where he also was voted "Teacher of the Year" by the residency program. He earned a bachelor of science with honors in biomedical engineering at Southern Methodist University and then received a doctor of medicine from Southwestern Medical School. He then finished his internal medicine training at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. He currently lives in Dallas and has an active internal medicine practice at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas.  Dr. Peikari has co-authored several books, and he has performed repeat lecture seminars in all major cities for the Texas Medical Association. He is a member of the ACP and is a popular speaker at major conferences such as TexMed.

Schedule:

Day One
Morning Session (8:30 am - 12:30 am):
    Check-in and attendee meet & greet
    Study tips and test tricks
    Questions you should never miss
    Cardiology and ECG problems
    Gastroenterology review
    Pulmonary review
Lunch on your own (12:30 am - 1:30) pm:    
Afternoon Session (1:30 pm - 4:30 pm):  
    Rheumatology review
    Infectious Disease review
    Sample test #1 (timed)
    Sample test #1 breakdown
    Hematology/Oncology review
    Homework assignment: case studies

Day Two
Morning and early afternoon (9:30 am - 2:30 pm):
    Homework Assignment: case studies due
    Review of Homework Assignment: case studies
    Endocrinology, Nephrology and OB/GYN review
    Allergy,  Ophthalmology, and Dermatology slides
    Neurology, Psychiatry and Ethics
    Sample test #2 (timed)
    Sample test #2 breakdown
    Special Topics: AIDS, Poisonings, etc.

Event Location:

Click Here for a map
Plano Centre
2000 East Spring Creek Parkway
Plano, Texas 75075 USA

Hotel/Travel:

Fly in: DFW International (or Dallas Love Field from within Texas only)

Note: Dallas is very spread out. You will need a car to get around here.

Hotels: Here is where past attendees have stayed, in order of frequency:

Marriott Residence Inn (and Marriott Courtyard)
NOTE: This one is the most-recommended by past attendees
1040 Waterwood Dr.
Richardson, TX 75082
(972) 669-5888
Price: $$
Distance from course: Short driving distance

Red Roof Inn - Plano, TX
301 Ruisseau Drive
Plano, TX 75023
(972) 881-8191
Price: $
Distance from course: Short driving distance

Ramada Limited - Plano, TX
621 Central Parkway East
US 75, Exit Park Blvd.
Plano, TX, 75074 US
(972) 424-5568
Price: $
Distance from course: Short driving distance

Holiday Inn Express Suites Plano East
700 Central Parkway East
Plano, TX 75074 US
Hotel Reservations: 1-888-HOLIDAY (888-465-4329) 
Hotel Front Desk: 1-972-8811881
Price: $$
Distance from course: Medium driving distance

The Westin Galleria Dallas
13340 Dallas Parkway  Dallas, Texas 75240  United States
Phone (972) 934-9494  Fax (972) 851-2869
Price: $$$
Distance from course: Long driving distance
(NOTE: This expensive mall/hotel is recommended only if you really like to shop).

Things to see while you are in Dallas:

• Myerson Symphony
• Dallas Arboretum
• West End (traditional nightlife)
• East End/Deep Ellum (alternative nightlife)
• Northpark Shopping Mall
• JFK Memorial

Note: Room and board are not included in the enrollment fee. We encourage attendees to go out together to eat at Dallas' fabulous Tex-Mex restaurants.

Miscellaneous:

Space is strictly limited, so we recommend that you register early. Pre-registration is required -- you may not register at the door.

All cancellations are subject to a $100 processing fee. No refund is available if you cancel less than two weeks before the course starts. You are guaranteed to pass your Boards anytime within 10 months of the course, or you may re-sit for the next review course at no charge. Schedule, speakers and times are subject to change without notice. Please do not lose the printed syllabus given to you on the first day of the course; if you lose it, there is a $100 replacement fee (if available). In the unlikely event of cancellation, your maximum refund will be equal to the enrollment fee paid. Audio/visual recording not permitted. All media © OwnTheBoards™.

Feedback

Based on anonymous survey feedback after the seminar, 98% of attendees said they would "highly recommend" this course to a friend. This seminar is a high--yield review that is indended to cover the questions most likely to appear on the Boards -- based largely on feedback from physicans who have taken the test in recent years.  Physicians especially love the acid-base and formula review, which boosts their scores on the Boards.

LATEST UPDATE: Based on feedback from attendees who have just completed the most recent Board exam, we have updated the content of the course significantly.

Contact Info

Email Dr. Peikari with questions at

You can also reach Dr. Peikari by phone in the office at: 214-739-6100.
Our mailing address: Cyrus Peikari, M.D., 3241 Purdue Ave, Dallas, TX 75225

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Dr. Peikari answers your most common questions:

Q: I took the ABIM recertification exam last time, but I failed it by only ten questions. I was very disappointed. It is very hard to study when you are working at a full time practice. What can I do to pass?

It is a shame that the ABIM uses an arbitrary cutoff. All other nationwide, standardized tests (like the SAT, GRE, etc.) are graded on a curve. I personally feel that the Internal Medicine Board test should only try to fail the real outliers; in other words, the people who score very poorly and obviously shouldn't be practicing. Right now, the Board arbitrarily fails up to 15% or more of test takers, many of whom are more experienced and qualified practitioners than those who pass because they are simply good test takers.

The Board exam also doesn't take into account different practice styles. For example, in your practice you can Google a rare disease and within 2 minutes know a great deal about its diagnosis and treatment. The Board exam doesn't take into account this real power and access that the Internet has given to physicians. I have commented to the ABIM about this, and I think as other physicians start to complain, they are beginning to revise how they score the test. But for now, you are going to have to deal with the old, rather brutal, scoring method.

Q: I failed the Internal Medicine Recertification Exam by only six questions! Do you have any suggestions for me?

If you have failed the ABIM exam once before, and are trying to retake it, then most important advice I can give you is to study with a partner. I can't emphasize how crucial this is. You MUST study with someone else. This is the only way to ensure that you are absorbing the material. I suggest that you make a schedule and review a chapter or two each night by yourselves; then the next day you should take turns quizzing each other on that material. In just three weeks, you can change a near-failing score to an easily passing one. If you really want to pass your second attempt, you cannot afford to skip this step.

The second most important tip is to use more than one study book. The course book above is not enough. I recommend using the Mayo review book as well. You can usually find last year's edition at a very good price on Amazon. It is very important to use two different review books. It's like a marathon runner that only does one kind of training run. It's impossible to finish a marathon with such poor preparation. A good runner, in contrast, will mix up the training routine with hills, fast and slow runs, and even cross training with weights. And just like a professional athlete, you should never train (study) on the day before the exam.

Finally, it is important to do practice test questions. Harrison's has a very good sample question book of more than 1,000 questions. Again, you can get last year's edition for cheap on Amazon. Always, always, always time yourself when taking practice questions. If you do not train for time, all the time, then you are likely to run out of time during the real exam. And just like a marathon runner who never runs a full marathon in training, you should never take an entire 6-hour practice test. Thirty or sixty questions at one sitting is enough. Trying to take an entire day's worth of practice tests could lead to "overtraining." This is a disastrous form of burnout. If you can relax and have fun with your studying, then you are sure to do well.

Q: Will your Board review course help me study for the USMLE Step 3?

Yes, this review course (and the review book) will help you with the Medicine-oriented parts of Step III (which is a big part of it). However, I often see people taking their Step III too early. For example, some "gunners" want to take it in their fourth year of medical school. The problem is that the Step III is mostly practical, ambulatory clinic and basic hospital-based questions. For this reason, it will be infinitely easier for you to pass after you have had at least one year of internship. In fact, the test is useless if you take it too early, since by law you can't moonlight (e.g., get a state license) until you have finished your first year of residency anyway. Also, if you take it too early, you are competing against some third-year family practice residents. And believe me, those guys know primary care backwards and forwards and are going to eat your lunch!

Q: Why don't you have the course at a hotel in the airport?

The location of a course is very important. Airport hotels are generally dark, dank and dirty. They are depressing and are a great place to catch TB. In contrast, the Plano Center is sparkling clean, bright, and airy.  Tall glass walls lead to a garden courtyard. You'll learn better in a cheerful and sunny environment. Past attendees have loved it.

Q: How to I receive CME credit?

If you would like to claim CME credit for this course, you should purchase the additional (optional) CME option from above. Within 30 days after the course, you will be able to pick up your CME credit certificate online. The CME is jointly sponsored by LMMHC Hospital and is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). The LMMHC designates this educational activity for a maximum of 12 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s) ™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

It is the policy of LMMHC to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all sponsored or jointly sponsored educational activities. Any individual who is in a position to control the content of the educational activity including course or activity directors, planning committee members, staff, teachers, or authors of CME, must disclose all relevant financial relationships and the nature thereof that they or any member of their family have with any commercial interest(s). The ACCME describes relevant financial relationships as those in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that create a conflict of interest. Individuals who refuse to disclose will be disqualified from participation in the development, management, presentation, or evaluation of the CME activity. Subject to the above, OwntheBoards and its directors have no relationships to disclose.