Critical care trainees begin preparing for board examinations from the moment they start their training program. The Multidisciplinary Critical Care Knowledge Assessment Program (MCCKAP) offers a unique opportunity for adult and pediatric fellows to practice their critical care knowledge on a board-type examination that helps assess their critical care knowledge acquired during training.
Critical care trainees begin preparing for board examinations from the moment they start their training program. The significance of board examinations cannot be overstated. The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) offers a unique opportunity for fellows to practice their critical care knowledge on a board-type examination. The
Multidisciplinary Critical Care Knowledge Assessment Program (MCCKAP) is an online in-training examination that helps both adult and pediatric fellows assess their critical care knowledge acquired during training.
“MCCKAP is crucial because it serves as a benchmarking tool for critical care trainees and fellowship programs, helping assess readiness for board certification examinations,” said Abdallah Dalabih, MD, MBA, CPE, SSBB, FCCM, chief medical officer at Driscoll Children’s Health System in Corpus Christi, Texas, and chair of the Pediatric MCCKAP Committee.
There are separate MCCKAP examinations for adult and pediatric fellows. “Adult and pediatric critical care differ significantly in pathophysiology, disease presentation, and treatment approaches,” said Dr. Dalabih. “Training pathways are designed to equip clinicians with the specific skills and knowledge required for these distinct patient populations. Having separate programs for adult and pediatric clinicians ensures that the examination content reflects the unique challenges of each discipline, ultimately enhancing clinical competency and patient care.”
Examination Question Development
The MCCKAP examination consists of 200 evidence-based, multiple-choice questions designed to test critical care knowledge and patient management. Content is based on national standards and closely reflects actual board examination questions. Each question writing committee comprises between 15 and 25 multiprofessional subject matter experts who are experienced in examination development and scoring analysis. Committee members write questions each year to populate the question bank in preparation for developing the next examination. Each question undergoes rigorous review by the committee and SCCM staff during virtual and in-person meetings.
Each examination contains a combination of newly written questions and questions that have been validated on prior MCCKAP examinations. “This meticulous process ensures the development of valid, reliable questions written by field experts and consistently achieves high-quality metrics,” said Dr. Dalabih. “It ensures that the examination maintains a balance of innovation and reliability.”
Immediate Examination Results
One of the most valuable aspects of MCCKAP is that examinees receive their results immediately so they need not wait to find out which questions they answered correctly and which ones they missed. They also receive rationales for each answer to deepen their understanding. This feedback-rich approach heightens the value of MCCKAP.
“Immediate access to results maximizes the learning experience,” Dr. Dalabih said. “When trainees complete the examination, the questions and their thought processes are still fresh in their minds. Instant feedback enhances information retention and helps fellows quickly identify areas that need improvement. Delayed results prevent this critical learning opportunity.” A lag in results could also prevent examinees from applying learned lessons during the rest of their fellowship.
“Critical care fellowships are generally short, often spanning less than two years,” said Marilyn Bulloch, PharmD, BCPS, SPP, FCCM, associate clinical professor and director of strategic operations at the Harrison College of Pharmacy at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, and former chair of the Adult MCCKAP Committee. “The sooner participants are aware of their results, the sooner those results can be integrated into an education plan for the remainder of the training program. If too much time passes before the examination results are known, it may be too late to do anything about any knowledge gaps identified.”
MCCKAP: Surgical Supplement
In 2021, a surgical supplement was added to the MCCKAP program. “Surgical critical care trainees have very few high-quality resources to help them prepare for their board examination and practice,” said Nicole Siparsky, MD, FACS, FCCM, chief of acute care surgery and surgical critical care services, surgical director of the adult intensive care unit, and vice chair of academic affairs for the Department of Surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. “They also require a wide scope of knowledge that may not be covered in their daily activities as trainees. As a group of academic leaders, we recognized this need and came together as a group to address it.”
Dr. Siparksy collaborated with SCCM staff and Natasha Keric, MD, FCCM, vice chair of SCCM’s Surgery Section Education Committee, to create the MCCKAP: Surgical Supplement. SCCM staff searched the question bank for questions relevant to surgical critical care. Dr. Siparsky and Dr. Keric then reviewed the questions to identify 100 to be used on a trial surgical supplement.
“The MCCKAP examination is a multidisciplinary tool,” Dr. Siparsky said. “It captures a wide scope of practice, including surgical critical care. Our supplement is laser focused on surgical critical care case scenarios and content.” The trial supplement received positive feedback, so a second supplement was developed the following year, featuring new questions written by SCCM Education Committee members, including Drs. Siparsky and Keric.
Feedback on the supplement continues to be positive. “There is a palpable need for surgical critical care content across specialties and disciplines to ensure a full training and continuing medical education experience,” Dr. Siparsky said. “Our supplement author group has expanded to reflect this need. We now have dietitians, pharmacists, and nurse practitioners who participate in question development.”
Fellow and Program Director Focuses
In addition to the benefits of learning from MCCKAP examination question, the experience of taking a practice examination is, in itself, an educational opportunity, said Dr. Bulloch. “Though MCCKAP is not meant to fully simulate the critical care board examination, the process of taking a formal, timed, educational test is a useful academic exercise,” she said. In preparing for MCCKAP, examinees can address smart study habits and test-taking strategies.
Critical care fellows are the primary audience for the MCCKAP examination, but fellowship program directors can also find great value from the examination, Dr. Bulloch said. “Results of the examination provide a lot of information, both to the examinee and to training programs,” she said. “One big benefit is that it shows areas of knowledge strength and knowledge gaps. These may be specific to the examinee and could be used to apply a proactive plan for the remainder of training to ensure those knowledge gaps are addressed. Training programs can also use the information to identify gaps in their curriculum that may need to be addressed.”
If a number of fellows from one program do not perform well on questions that address a particular topic, it could be a sign that program faculty are not providing enough explanation on that topic. “The program may decide to adjust the curriculum to ensure more exposure for their trainees,” said Dr. Bulloch. “In this way, the examination is a great individual and program quality improvement activity but with objective data.”
MCCKAP helps prepare fellows for life as critical care professionals, and it helps training programs keep their curricula up to date and effective. “SCCM is the largest society of critical care practitioners and has the greatest need for high-quality educational tools,” Dr. Siparsky said. “To ensure that our members are practicing the highest-quality critical care, we must provide them with ways to stay current in their practice.”
“SCCM plays a central role in supporting the professional growth of critical care physicians,” Dr. Dalabih added. “As the first SCCM product many fellows interact with, MCCKAP sets the foundation for their engagement with this incredible community. Beyond networking and collaboration opportunities, SCCM’s commitment to educational tools like MCCKAP reflects its dedication to improving critical care training and clinical excellence.”
