SAMP OVERVIEW

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SAMP OVERVIEW

• Dr. Laura Bennion MD CCFP

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Todays goals

• Learn about examinship, not accrue medical
  knowledge
• Common slip-ups
• Familiarize yourself with format
• Practice cases

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SAMPs

• Short Answer Management Problems
• Replaced multiple choice questions in 1993
• Answers in the form of a few words or phrases

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SAMPs

• Patient-centered case
• Questions are based on this patient case and
  relate directly to it
• Questions are based on the basics of family
  medicine
• Emphasis on consensus guidelines and general
  knowledge

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SAMPs

• Four booklets
• Total of 42 cases each case equally weighted
• Some cases longer than others
• Two booklets in the morning, two in the afternoon
• Each half day is 3 1/2 hours long
• Time management

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SAMPs

• Answers are in the form of one word, a few words,
  or short phrases
• Practice setting will be identified in the
  question office, emergency room, inpatient
  setting

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SAMPs Keys

• Avoid abbreviations
• Use generic names
• Be specific ie no CBC, lytes, LFTs,
  lipid panel
• Often more right answers than responses required
• WRITE LEGIBLY
• Only answers on lines will be marked only one
  answer per line will be marked

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SAMPs keys

• Indicate route of administration for all meds
• Investigations be specific if requesting
  ultrasound for abdominal pain, be specific
  indicate abdominal ultrasound

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SAMPs

• Exam committee is made up of family medicine
  practitioners from across the country, not
  specialists questions are meant reflect family
  MD experience in typical practice (rural or
  urban)
• Resources used by the committee are found in your
  candidate guide (CFPC website) and my handout

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Suggested Resources

• CCFP Self learning modules avoid MCQ, SAMPs
  helpful as study tools but are not necessarily
  consensus information
• PBSG learning modules (McMaster) are usually
  consensus information good resource

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Most Common Family Medicine Diagnoses

• Outpatient
• Hypertension
• Hypercholesterolemia
• Diabetes mellitus
• Post-menopausal bleeding
• Pregnancy
• Urinary tract infection
• Depression
• Routine medical examination
• Abdominal pain
• Sinusitis, pharyngitis
• Well baby check ie milestones

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Most Common Family Medicine Diagnoses

• Parkinsons
• Rabies
• PMR
• Temporal arteritis
• Lithium
• Hemochromatosis
• Celiac disease

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Common FM diagnoses

• Migraine
• STDs know treatment
• Thyroid disease
• Basic palliative care
• Basic infectious diseases, including HIV, Hep C,
  TB, PID

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Most Common Family Medicine Diagnoses

• Inpatient
• Chest pain
• Pneumonia
• Congestive heart failure
• Asthma
• Cellulitis
• Disorders of fluid, electrolytes and acid/base
• Stroke
• Cardiac dysrrhythmias
• Diabetes mellitus
• Coronary artery disease
• Compartment syndrome

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Other possible exam material

• Ethical questions
• Canada Food Guide
• Immunization schedule

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What is fair game?

• Material up to January 1 of exam year

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What Next?

• Results in 4-6 weeks
• Must pass both SAMP and SOO
• Marking is on bell curve

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CCFP results

• Results reported as superior, satisfactory or
  poor.
• Superior gtgreater than 1 standard deviation
  above the mean
• Satisfactory between one std deviation above and
  one std deviation below the mean
• Poor performance gt1 standard deviation below the
  mean.

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The Bad News

• Vast majority of CCFP exam failures are due to
  SAMPs not SOOs
• Anyone can fail
• Re-write exam at next sitting must re-do both
  SAMPs and SOOs

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Who is at risk?

• Physicians with busy families, lacking study time
• Over-confident
• Fast exam writers/slow exam writers
• Those who have trained out of country are at
  slightly higher risk of failing than Canadian
  trained physicians

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Study Tips

• Make a plan, stick to it
• Look at CCFP learning objectives
• Create a study group
• Study with cases in mind
• Practice SAMPs

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SAMPs Bottom Line

• READ THE QUESTION!!
• Remember the questions are patient specific
• Make your writing legible
• One answer per line
• Use individual blood tests no CBC, no
  elytes, no LFTs, no lipid panel

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GOOD LUCK!