Preparing for the OMS board exam
Preparing for the Ostomy Management Specialist board certification exam is no easy task. I know how stressful and nerve-racking it can be not knowing if you are going to pass. The truth is that even really skilled clinicians can have difficulties and not test well. I’ve had many nurses reach out to me that had 20+ years of experience working with ostomy patients. But, when it came time to take the test, they didn’t pass. Now this doesn’t mean that they are not good at what they do. There are a lot of factors that come in to play on how we actually perform on game day. Lets talk about a few.
Factors for testing
- Did you get enough sleep?
- Did you eat well?
- Are you hydrated?
- Are you stressed or anxious?
- Did you prepare and study?
- Did you take enough breaks?
- Did you take a practice test and time yourself?
These are not the only factors for testing well. But, what no one tells you is that if you are preparing by yourself, no amount of studying will give you feedback on whether you are truly ready to sit for the exam. To really test yourself and get that feedback, you need to take a practice test of the same length and under similar conditions and see how you do.
Developing the Practice Test
I remember when I was preparing for the board exam, I searched endlessly for a practice test. Unfortunately there was nothing available. I didn’t want anyone else to have to go into the exam like me, doubting and wondering whether they were ready. Before making the practice test, I spent thousands of hours reading multiple books on ostomy management, cover to cover. I spent countless hours reading the research and of course collaborating with my nurse planner who is an RN and lives with an ileostomy! This, combined with my 15 years of clinical experience as an occupational therapist, I made the first and only ostomy management specialist practice test in the country.
Practice Test
The test is comprised of 100 questions and covers all the key areas that you need to know in order to be successful in passing your exam. After you finish, you will immediately receive your score along with an explanation of the answers. While we can not guarantee that a passing score on this practice test will translate to a passing score on the board certification exam, we are confident that the questions will help you identify your strengths and potential weaknesses so you can focus your studies and better prepare. Good luck and we wish you the best!
Jeffrey Despommier, OTR, OMS, CUA, ATP