Chapter 121

After registering, I quickly got started preparing for the NBEO part 3. I knew it was going to be very different from anything I’ve done so far. Firstly, in terms of registration, it was easy as pie. The NBEO part 3 was run year-round. You can easily sign up for it 2 weeks ahead and then just head to the testing center and do it. There was no specific period of time to write unlike NBEO part 1 and 2 or all of the Canadian tests. 

Secondly? The NBEO part 3 is more of a test of acting than anything else. The bulk of the preparation for the test was just preparing a script for demonstrating your skills. The test was one where you have to perform clinical skills while audibly stating your intentions and observations. The examiner would then grade you on your performance. Just like the OSCEs, the practical skills were a large chunk of the test. Unlike the OSCEs, this was all scripted. Memorize your lines and then perform it to the audience of one, who was the proctor for the exam, and that’s it. Simple.

Of all the skills that were tested, there was only one skill that I needed help with. Taking blood pressures. This involved using a stethoscope, a skill I was not taught in Waterloo. Fortunately, my girlfriend, who was a nurse, was a pro. With her guidance, this one and only obstacle was out the way, content-wise. 

While the Canadian OSCE’s (in 2020 and 2021) mentioned things like “collaboration” and “assessment”, the American NBEO part 3 actually told you what assessment you’ll be doing and on what machines (with brand names of the equipment too!). You can specifically tell what the Americans were testing. The skills. Nothing else. Just the skills. 

It’s hard to say which was harder overall. I mean, the American test was just pure regurgitation of information whereas the Canadian OSCE required a bit of on-the-spot reasoning. They were asking for different things. The Americans clearly isolated the clinical skills from the knowledge portion of the exam. The Canadians did a hybrid. I can, however, tell you which one I liked better. You may have guessed, it was the American’s test. The main reason? The worry around the equipment not functioning well was an anxiety never manifested with the NBEO. 

There was another thing that the American exam did that made it so the equipment wasn’t going to be an issue. They had a NBEO part 3 pre-test room at the testing center. On the date of the exam, around 30 minutes before your actual exam, the NBEO examiners would gather all the candidates to a waiting area where all the equipment you would be using was laid out. There, you got to see and touch the equipment you can expect in the actual exam.

In this room, you got to see which BIO would be available to you and also which slit lamp and retinoscope. There was also an area where you can equip yourself with elbow rests, tape for your mask and even get some water in case you needed it. This was a godsend and one that is, unfortunately, not implemented on the Canadian side of things.

My belief is that since the NBEO part 3 exams were held all year long, this gave the Americans the chance to really make the test the best possible. The actual testing date only had around 15 candidates or so each time and with a manageable amount of people to work with, they had the opportunity to work out all the problems and make it easier for the candidates. The Canadians, doing only 2 exam sessions a year, had a massive 120+ candidates per session which made any attempt at optimization difficult. 

As I worked my way through the syllabus and thought about how the exam may go, I got more and more excited about the trip. The test was easy and the drive was something I felt like I needed. The only obstacle, if any, would be the COVID restrictions. But what can you do about that? 

During this time, it felt like “things” were always changing and the situation seems to be consistently “fluid”. Of course there were doubts I had to whether I would even make it to Charlotte, but that was out of my control. All I could do is prepare for it all and then hope for the best.