scholarly journals The Special Purpose Examination: An Evaluation of Physicians Taking SPEX and their Pass Rates

2014 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-14
Author(s):  
Frances E. Cain ◽  
Phil Davignon ◽  
Thomas R. Henzel ◽  
Andrea Ciccone ◽  
Aaron Young
Keyword(s):  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pass Rates ◽  
National Board ◽  
Disciplinary Process ◽  
Basic Medical Knowledge ◽  
State Medical Boards ◽  
Medical Examiners ◽  
Basic Medical

ABSTRACT State medical boards have long recognized the importance of evaluating the ongoing knowledge and competence of licensed physicians under a variety of circumstances. Before granting or renewing a license, it may be necessary for state boards to evaluate physicians as part of a disciplinary process or following a period of inactivity for either disciplinary or non-disciplinary reasons. The Post-Licensure Assessment System (PLAS), a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), has played a role in assisting state boards with evaluating physicians' basic medical knowledge in all of these circumstances by providing the Special Purpose Examination (SPEX). While SPEX has been administered since 1988, there has not been a nationally published study summarizing the characteristics of physicians taking the exam and their examination pass rates. To address this, we examined physicians who took SPEX between 2003 and 2011, and the outcomes of their exams. Our research demonstrates that the majority of examinees take SPEX for non-disciplinary reasons, with those who take SPEX for disciplinary reasons having lower pass rates. Future research should focus on evaluating the ultimate outcomes for physicians taking SPEX, including the ability to attain and retain a license to practice medicine.

Pass/Fail Scoring of USMLE Step 1 and the Need for Residency Selection Reform

2020 ◽  
pp. 019459982095116
Author(s):  
Parsa P. Salehi ◽  
Babak Azizzadeh ◽  
Yan Ho Lee
Keyword(s):  
Neck Surgery ◽  
The United States ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Application Process ◽  
National Board ◽  
Student Stress ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
Residency Selection ◽  
State Medical Boards ◽  
Medical Examiners

The Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners recently announced a change in the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 scoring convention to take effect, at the earliest, on January 1, 2022. There are many reasons for this change, including decreasing medical student stress and incentivizing students to learn freely without solely focusing on Step 1 performance. The question remains how this will affect the future of the otolaryngology–head and neck surgery match. By eradicating Step 1 grades, other factors, such as research, may garner increased importance in the application process. Such a shift may discriminate against students from less well-known medical schools, international medical graduates, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, who have fewer academic resources and access to research. Residency programs should try to anticipate such unintended consequences of the change and work on solutions heading into 2022.

scholarly journals Miért mennek/mentek külföldre a debreceni orvosok? Egy felmérés eredményei

2017 ◽  
Vol 158 (37) ◽  
pp. 1458-1468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltán Szekanecz ◽  
Zoltán Tóth ◽  
Attila Hamar ◽  
Levente Lánczi
Keyword(s):  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
The United States ◽  
University Education ◽  
Family Issues ◽  
The Us ◽  
Basic Medical Knowledge ◽  
The University ◽  
Financial Issues ◽  
Basic Medical

Abstract: Introduction: Numerous beliefs have arisen in relation to the emigration of doctors. First of all, in most cases emigration has been attributed to, almost exclusively, low salaries. There are a number of non-financial issues that could possibly be more easily addressed. Method: In order to get closer to these issues, we sent out a 37-item questionnaire to doctors, who originally graduated from the University of Debrecen. Altogether 82 of them sent back the questionnaire. Results: The mean age at the time of emigration was 32 years. The most popular destination was the United States, however, many colleagues left for the US to do research, as well as clinical practice. Among the European countries, the most popular ones were Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway. The five most popular clinical specialties were general practice, internal medicine, anesthesiology/intensive care, laboratory/pathology and surgery. With respect to the planned duration of working abroad, at the time of emigration one-fourth of our colleagues planned very short (<2 years) stay. When we asked them now, 38% plans much longer, even indefinite stay. The most common reasons of emigration were also assessed. The most common one was the lack of career track, followed by low salary, quality of life, family issues and adventurousness. Interestingly, burnout and “gratuities” were at the end of the list. A mean 1.3 million HUF per month would make our colleagues satisfied but they think that a mean 486.000 HUF would be realistic and would keep most doctors within the country. As far as university education is concerned, our colleagues agreed that the basic medical knowledge of Hungarian doctors is excellent, but their practical skills are much worse. Conclusions: Although returning to Hungary would be unrealistic by most colleagues, low salaries are definitely not the most important or exclusive reason for leaving the country. These issues are rather complex, there are numerous non-financial issues, which could be addressed much easier by expressing a positive attitude. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(37): 1458–1468.

scholarly journals A Hybrid Approach to Clinical Guideline and to Basic Medical Knowledge Conformance

2009 ◽  
pp. 91-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessio Bottrighi ◽  
Federico Chesani ◽  
Paola Mello ◽  
Gianpaolo Molino ◽  
Marco Montali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Guideline ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Basic Medical Knowledge ◽  
Basic Medical

scholarly journals Competency requirements for the assessment of patients with mental illness in somatic emergency care: A modified Delphi study from the nurses’ perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-170
Author(s):  
Henrik Andersson ◽  
Jonas Carlsson ◽  
Lene Karlsson ◽  
Mats Holmberg
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Delphi Method ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Modified Delphi ◽  
Basic Medical Knowledge ◽  
And Training ◽  
Basic Medical

Patients suffering from mental illness are vulnerable, and they do not always have access to proper emergency care. The aim of this study was to identify competency requirements for the assessment of patients with mental illness by soliciting the views of emergency care nurses. A modified Delphi method comprising four rounds was used. Data were collected in Sweden between October 2018 and March 2019. The data were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics. The panel of experts reached the highest level of consensus regarding basic medical knowledge: the capability to listen and show respect to the patient are essential competency requirements when assessing patients with mental illness in emergency care. Awareness of these competency requirements will enhance teaching and training of emergency care nurses.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Third-year Medical Student Clinical and Examination Performances in a Traditional Psychiatry Clerkship to a Novel Pilot, LSI Curriculum

2016 ◽  
pp. 7-10
Author(s):  
Niedermier Julie ◽  
Julie Teater ◽  
David Kasick ◽  
Maryam Jahdi
Keyword(s):  
Internal Medicine ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Pilot Program ◽  
Traditional Curriculum ◽  
National Board ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Subject Examination ◽  
Medical Examiners ◽  
Clinical Measures

Objective: The goal of this study was to compare educational outcomes of medical students who participated in a longitudinal pilot curriculum to those who participated in the existing, traditional curriculum during their third-year of medical school. Method: The authors reviewed clinical evaluations and examination performances of 15 students enrolled in a pilot curriculum to 60 students who participated in the traditional curriculum. The nove Lead.Serve.Inspire. (LSI) curriculum consisted of a longitudinal integrated hybrid of internal medicine, neurology, and psychiatry rotations and didactic instruction spanning nearly four months. Results: The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) subject examination class averages of students enrolled in the combined internal medicine, neurology, and psychiatry pilot program were not significantly different compared to students completing these examinations and enrolled in the traditional block rotations during the same time period. On clinical performance measures in psychiatry, students performed above average on clinical measures of medical knowledge, communication skills, and diagnostic assessment and critical analysis skills. Conclusion: Preliminary data from the pilot program is promising, suggesting that the Lead.Serve.Inspire. (LSI) curriculum may offer an equitable alternative to the traditional discipline-specific block rotations.

Wilderness First Aid Training as a Tool for Improving Basic Medical Knowledge in South Sudan

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 574-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay B. Katona ◽  
William S. Douglas ◽  
Sean R. Lena ◽  
Kyle G. Ratner ◽  
Daniel Crothers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
Training Course ◽  
Institutional Review ◽  
First Aid Training ◽  
Basic Medical Knowledge ◽  
Basic Medical

AbstractIntroductionThe challenges presented by traumatic injuries in low-resource communities are especially relevant in South Sudan. This study was conducted to assess whether a 3-day wilderness first aid (WFA) training course taught in South Sudan improved first aid knowledge. Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO) Schools designed the course to teach people with limited medical knowledge to use materials from their environment to provide life-saving care in the event of an emergency.MethodsA pre-test/post-test study design was used to assess first aid knowledge of 46 community members in Kit, South Sudan, according to a protocol approved by the University of New England Institutional Review Board. The course and assessments were administered in English and translated in real-time to Acholi and Arabic, the two primary languages spoken in the Kit region. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and correlation analyses were conducted.ResultsResults included a statistically significant improvement in first aid knowledge after the 3-day training course: t(38)=3.94; P<.001. Although men started with more health care knowledge: (t(37)=2.79; P=.008), men and women demonstrated equal levels of knowledge upon course completion: t(37)=1.56; P=.88.ConclusionsThis research, which may be the first of its kind in South Sudan, provides evidence that a WFA training course in South Sudan is efficacious. These findings suggest that similar training opportunities could be used in other parts of the world to improve basic medical knowledge in communities with limited access to medical resources and varying levels of education and professional experiences.KatonaLB, DouglasWS, LenaSR, RatnerKG, CrothersD, ZondervanRL, RadisCD. Wilderness first aid training as a tool for improving basic medical knowledge in South Sudan. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(6):574–578.

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