Odysseus Argy, M.D.

About Odysseus Argy, M.D.

Dr. Argy brings three decades of experience and expertise as a physician and educator. He has developed innovative, intuitive techniques in a supportive, non-stressful environment to teach effective exam preparation in two broad areas:  

• The acquisition of information in manner which is based on understanding and manipulation of content, rather than simply memorizing content.
• Using process thinking to analyze and understand questions on the exam and determine the best answer.
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The start of teaching board prep

Dr. Argy brought his passion for teaching to the Osler Institute's written and oral board prep courses for four years. In order to teach more effectively, he reviewed thousands of exam scenarios dating back to the early 1980's. He learned what content was covered, how the content was shifting over time, and the various methods used by the examiners to ask questions and challenge candidates. He also discovered the common assumptions and approaches that candidates typically had, as well as the usual pitfalls that caused candidates to have difficulties. He learned to identify the strengths and weaknesses of candidate preparation and exam-taking skills, and developed his own teaching techniques to allow candidates to overcome their difficulties.    Dr. Argy quickly found that his own techniques were diametrically opposite to what other faculty were recommending. Personal feedback from hundreds of candidates praising his methods confirmed that Dr. Argy's techniques worked, and that the Osler faculty's approaches did not. Those students (and half the Osler faculty) urged him to start his own courses. In addition, the enormous course sizes of 200 candidates and the timing of the courses close to the time of the exam were clearly not appropriate for effective teaching.

‍The shift to Odyssey

Dr. Argy began teaching with his own company, Odyssey, in 1999. Through Odyssey, Dr. Argy has been able to dedicate himself to teaching small groups of candidates, giving each individual surgeon the attention she/he deserves, and using his original, innovative techniques which are truly effective in preparing candidates for their board exams.

‍Designed for success

‍Dr. Argy shared his understanding of the nuances of written board preparation with his students and further honed his creative and innovative approaches to teaching board preparation, with the active integration of neuroscientifically based principles of learning and behavior. He is able to coach each and every candidate how to optimize his or her particular performance.

‍Adapting to a changing exam

‍As the written exam has evolved over the last two decades, with the ABS's abandonment of the basic science component of the exam and an emphasis on clinical questions with a "best" answer, Dr. Argy has adjusted his teaching methods accordingly.