The Yellow Brick Road
Christopher J. Gallagher
(This chapter is included as a kind of time-capsule of how we thought 9 years ago. I make reference to “buying tapes” which is laughably ancient.)
1. Go ye to the “Comprehensive Review of Intraoperative Echocardiography” meeting. It’s held each year in February. For the next 5 years or so it will be held in San Diego. There are other echo meetings, including a quite similar review held in Atlanta in September every year. (The talks and speakers are similar at the meetings.) Both meetings are a little pricey but they are worth it! If you are considering taking the PTEeXAM, it’s worth remembering that the same people who make up the exam give the lectures at the meeting. So figure it out, Sherlock. Need info? Go to the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiology website (www.scahq.org).
2. Do as much hands-on echo as you can at your hospital. Go to the echo lab. Ask if you can see some old tapes and go over them with a cardiologist. The more you DO, the more you LEARN. This has not changed in 9 years.
3. Look at the content outline of the PTEeXAM and see if you know the subjects listed. That list is waiting for you at www.echoboards.org/pte/pfoutline.html.
