The practice OSLE were designed for each of the subspecialties and therefore are best suited to be marked by someone also trained in the subspecialty being examined. However, it is recognized that a Fellow with certification in each of the subspecialties may not be available at all sites to administer the practice OSLE. If there isn’t a suitable subspecialist at a center to administer the exam, then other medical or lab colleagues may also be helpful for administration.
The biochemical genetics practice OSLE is suitable for trainees in both clinical and laboratory biochemical genetics training programs. Some of the questions are split (one for lab and one for clinical BG) to allow appropriate questions based on whether training was performed in a clinical versus laboratory program.
- Practice OSCE stations have not been developed as these practice examinations are already in place within many of the accredited clinical genetics training programs. The Clinical Genetics Practice OSCE are often not available to clinical laboratory fellows as they are generally designed for examination of Clinical Genetics-specific competencies, rather than “general medical genetics knowledge”. The goal of the practice CCMG OSLE are to provide the laboratory trainees with opportunities to better understand the format of this new oral examination and to support the laboratory trainee’s successful examination.
The practice OSLEs were developed with existing CCMG training guidelines in mind and may not be suitable for other laboratory medicine specialties
The use of the latest version of the International System for Human Cytogenomic Nomenclature (ISCN), as well as the latest Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS) nomenclature for DNA, RNA, and protein sequence variants for that matter, is always recommended. For the Specialty Examination specifically, there have been multiple occurrences in the past where a new ISCN has been published in October of the year trainees began their programs (on or before July 1st) of that same year, and for which they were expected to know the current version of the ISCN for their Specialty Examination two years later. Only when an ISCN is published either in the latter half of the year prior to the CCMG examinations occurring, or in the same year just prior to the CCMG examinations, will the preceding ISCN version be acceptable for use on the Specialty Examination when there is a newer version available.
