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Thinking of specializing your practice? Learn how ABIM’s subspecialty certifications work and can benefit you and your patients.
Staying current in medical knowledge is one of the most important things you'll do throughout your career. This statement is supported by evidence in foundational science and existing data associated with patient care. Although knowledge increases exponentially over time—what we know now will be dwarfed by what we learn within just 10 years from medical literature—studies have shown that our knowledge and skills decline over time and, unfortunately, self-assessment skills are very poor.
There's something called the Dunning-Kruger effect, which is a cognitive bias that leads us to believe that we know more than we actually do. Essentially, the most competent people tend to underestimate their ability but, more importantly, unskilled people tend to overestimate their abilities.
That’s why it’s imperative to ensure that you continue to learn and test yourself, even if you believe you’re at the top of your game.