Relationship between pathology curricular approaches and performance in the United States medical licensing examination (USMLE), step 1: a national cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT The Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA) and the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) are recognized by all state medical licensing boards in the United States, and the Federation of State Medical Boards has supported the validity of both examinations for medical licensure. Many osteopathic medical students take both examinations.Background The purpose of this study was to investigate performance on COMLEX-USA Level 1 and USMLE Step 1 of students from colleges of osteopathic medicine where the majority of students took both examinations.Objective Data were collected on the entering classes of 2010 and 2011. Relationships between the COMLEX-USA Level 1 and the USMLE Step 1 were quantified using Pearson correlations. The correlation between outcomes on the 2 examinations was evaluated using the phi coefficient. A contingency table was constructed to look at first-attempt outcomes (pass/fail).Methods Data for 2010 and 2011 were collected from 3 osteopathic medical schools, with 795 of 914 students (87%) taking both examinations. The correlation between first-attempt COMLEX-USA Level 1 and USMLE Step 1 scores was statistically significant across and within all 3 schools. The overall correlation was r(795) = 0.84 (P < .001). Pass/fail status on the 2 examinations was moderately correlated (ϕ = 0.39, P < .01).Results Our study found a strong association between COMLEX Level 1 and USMLE Step 1 performance. Additional studies to accurately compare scores on these examinations are warranted.Conclusions

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The United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Is Changing—US Medical Curricula Should Too

JMIR Medical Education ◽

10.2196/20182 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. e20182

Author(s):

Benjamin Liu

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Clinical Decision Making ◽

Clinical Decision ◽

The United States ◽

Medical Decision ◽

Medical Licensing ◽

Traditional Lectures ◽

Usmle Step 1 ◽

Licensing Examination ◽

Usmle Step

In recent years, US medical students have been increasingly absent from medical school classrooms. They do so to maximize their competitiveness for a good residency program, by achieving high scores on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1. As a US medical student, I know that most of these class-skipping students are utilizing external learning resources, which are perceived to be more efficient than traditional lectures. Now that the USMLE Step 1 is adopting a pass/fail grading system, it may be tempting to expect students to return to traditional basic science lectures. Unfortunately, my experiences tell me this will not happen. Instead, US medical schools must adapt their curricula. These new curricula should focus on clinical decision making, team-based learning, and new medical decision technologies, while leveraging the validated ability of these external resources to teach the basic sciences. In doing so, faculty will not only increase student engagement but also modernize the curricula to meet new standards on effective medical learning.

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The United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Is Changing—US Medical Curricula Should Too (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.20182 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Benjamin Liu

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Clinical Decision Making ◽

Clinical Decision ◽

The United States ◽

Medical Decision ◽

Medical Licensing ◽

Traditional Lectures ◽

Usmle Step 1 ◽

Licensing Examination ◽

Usmle Step

UNSTRUCTURED In recent years, US medical students have been increasingly absent from medical school classrooms. They do so to maximize their competitiveness for a good residency program, by achieving high scores on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1. As a US medical student, I know that most of these class-skipping students are utilizing external learning resources, which are perceived to be more efficient than traditional lectures. Now that the USMLE Step 1 is adopting a pass/fail grading system, it may be tempting to expect students to return to traditional basic science lectures. Unfortunately, my experiences tell me this will not happen. Instead, US medical schools must adapt their curricula. These new curricula should focus on clinical decision making, team-based learning, and new medical decision technologies, while leveraging the validated ability of these external resources to teach the basic sciences. In doing so, faculty will not only increase student engagement but also modernize the curricula to meet new standards on effective medical learning.

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Reliability and Validity of Conversion Formulas Between Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States Level 1 and United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1

Journal of Graduate Medical Education ◽

10.4300/jgme-d-13-00302.1 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 280-283 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Albert S. Lee ◽

Lynn Chang ◽

Eric Feng ◽

Scott Helf

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Selection Process ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

The United States ◽

Medical Licensing ◽

Usmle Step 1 ◽

Licensing Examination ◽

Usmle Step ◽

Level 1 ◽

College Of Osteopathic Medicine

Abstract Background The Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA) Level 1 and United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores are important factors in the selection process of medical students into US residency programs. Objectives The goals of this study were to investigate the correlation between the COMLEX-USA Level 1 and the USMLE Step 1 and to assess the accuracy of the existing formulas in predicting USMLE scores from COMLEX-USA scores. Methods A retrospective study of 1016 paired COMLEX-USA Level 1 and USMLE Step 1 scores was conducted. Formulas by Sarko et al and by Slocum and Louder were used to estimate USMLE Step 1 scores from COMLEX-USA Level 1 scores, and a paired t test between calculated USMLE Step 1 scores and actual USMLE Step 1 scores was performed. Results During 2006–2012, 1016 of 1440 students (71%) took both the USMLE Step 1 and the COMLEX-USA Level 1 tests in the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. The USMLE Step 1 scores were higher than those predicted by Slocum and Louder and by Sarko et al by an average of 14.16 ± 11.69 (P < .001) and 7.80 ± 12.48 (P < .001), respectively. A Pearson coefficient of 0.83 was observed. Regression analysis yielded the following formula: USMLE Step 1 = 0.2392 × COMLEX-USA Level 1 + 82.563 (R2 = 0.69577). Conclusions The USMLE Step 1 scores, on average, were higher than those predicted by the formulas derived by Slocum and Louder and by Sarko et al. Residency program directors should use caution when using formulas to derive USMLE Step 1 scores from COMLEX-USA Level 1 scores.

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Implications of the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Examination Transition to Pass/Fail on Medical Students Education and Future Career Opportunities

The American Surgeon ◽

10.1177/0003134820973382 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 000313482097338

Author(s):

Haley Ehrlich ◽

Mason Sutherland ◽

Mark McKenney ◽

Adel Elkbuli

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Medical Students ◽

The United States ◽

Residency Programs ◽

Future Career ◽

Career Opportunities ◽

Medical Licensing ◽

Usmle Step 1 ◽

Licensing Examination ◽

Usmle Step

Background United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 will transition to pass/fail score by 2022. We aim to investigate US medical students’ perspectives on the potential implications this transition would have on their education and career opportunities. Methods A cross-sectional study investigating US medical students’ perspectives on the implications of transition of the USMLE Step 1 exam to pass/fail. Students were asked their preferences regarding various aspects of the USMLE Step 1 examination, including activities, educational opportunities, expenses regarding preparation for the examination, and future career opportunities. Results 215 medical students responded to the survey, 59.1% were women, 80.9% were allopathic vs. 19.1% osteopathic students. 34.0% preferred the USMLE Step 1 to be graded on a pass/fail score, whereas 53.5% preferred a numeric scale. Osteopathic vs. allopathic students were more likely to report that the pass/fail transition will negatively impact their residency match (aOR = 1.454, 95% CI: 0.515, 4.106) and specialty of choice (aOR = 3.187, 95% CI: 0.980, 10.359). 57.7% of respondents reported that the transition to a pass/fail grading system will change their study habits. Conclusions The transition of the USMLE Step 1 to a pass/fail system has massive implications on medical students and residency programs alike. Though the majority of medical students did not prefer the USMLE Step 1 to have a pass/fail score, they must adapt their strategies to remain competitive for residency applications. Residency programs should create a composite score based off all aspects of medical students’ applications in order to create a holistic and fair evaluation and ranking system.

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Challenges Associated With Moving the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 to After the Core Clerkships and How to Approach Them

Academic Medicine ◽

10.1097/acm.0000000000002651 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 94 (6) ◽

pp. 775-780 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Arnyce Pock ◽

Michelle Daniel ◽

Sally A. Santen ◽

Aubrie Swan-Sein ◽

Amy Fleming ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

The Core ◽

Medical Licensing ◽

Usmle Step 1 ◽

Licensing Examination ◽

Usmle Step

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Ophthalmology Program Directors' Perspectives on the Impact of the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Change to Pass-Fail Scoring

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1718569 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (02) ◽

pp. e277-e283

Author(s):

David Cui ◽

Ingrid U. Scott ◽

Heidi Luise Wingert

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

The United States ◽

Basic Science Knowledge ◽

Medical Licensing ◽

Usmle Step 1 ◽

Licensing Examination ◽

Usmle Step ◽

The Impact

Abstract Purpose This article investigates the perspectives of ophthalmology residency program directors (PDs) regarding the impact of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 change from graded to pass-fail scoring on ophthalmology resident selection and medical education. Methods The PDs of all United States ophthalmology residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education were identified using a public, online database. An anonymous web-based survey constructed using REDCap was emailed to each PD in February 2020. Results Surveys were completed by 64 (54.2%) PDs, with the majority (81.2%) disagreeing with the change to pass-fail scoring. The majority of PDs believe this change will negatively impact the ability to evaluate residency applicants (92.1%) and achieve a fair and meritocratic match process (76.6%), and will decrease medical students' basic science knowledge (75.0%). The factors identified most frequently by PDs as becoming more important in evaluating residency applicants as a result of the Step 1 scoring change include clerkship grades (90.6%), USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge score (84.4%), and a rotation in the PD's department (79.7%). The majority of PDs believe the Step 1 grading change to pass-fail will benefit applicants from elite medical schools (60.9%), and disadvantage applicants from nonelite allopathic schools (82.8%), international medical graduate applicants (76.6%), and osteopathic applicants (54.7%). Conclusion The majority of ophthalmology PDs disagree with the change in USMLE Step 1 scoring from graded to pass-fail and believe this change will negatively impact the ability to evaluate residency applicants and achieve a fair and meritocratic match process, and will decrease medical students' basic science knowledge.

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