The Adult Complex Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery Focused Practice Designation, developed jointly by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, is examined as a single written paper of roughly 150 questions across two 120-minute sessions. Thyroid disease and surgical concepts together account for around two-thirds of the blueprint. Practise with thyroid and parathyroid vignettes referenced to the American Thyroid Association and AAES guidelines.
Start practising freeIt is a single written examination of approximately 150 multiple-choice questions lasting about four and a half hours, delivered as two 120-minute sessions with an optional break between them. It is offered once a year in the spring, with a maximum of three attempts within five years.
The published blueprint weights thyroid diseases at 34 per cent, surgical concepts including primary and reoperative thyroidectomy, parathyroidectomy and neck dissection at 31 per cent, parathyroid diseases at 27 per cent, and anatomy and physiology at 8 per cent.
The non-fellowship pathway requires at least 120 thyroid or parathyroid cases over three consecutive years, including at least 24 complex cases. Surgeons who completed an AAES, ACGME or AHNS accredited fellowship may qualify with 80 cases including 16 complex within their first two years of practice. Both pathways require demonstrated participation in multidisciplinary care.
SurgBoardsQ&A provides 494 thyroid and parathyroid practice questions covering nodule evaluation, differentiated and medullary carcinoma, hyperparathyroidism and reoperative neck surgery, each with a guideline-referenced explanation.
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50 questions free, no credit card required. Filter by board, topic, or difficulty. Explanations cite current ESMO and NCCN guidelines.
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