Comprehensive Review of the USMLE

Peter · Site Admin Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 32

The NBME has begun a comprehensive review of the USMLE. These include revising its relationship to ACGME competencies and its role as a licensing exam, not an aptitude test. In about 3-4 years changes will begin to be implemented, and we should expect to see the impact in 5-6 years.

This includes a substantial debate on how to alter/whether to eliminate Step 1, and how to evaluate competencies besides knowledge, for which assessment tools are underdeveloped and less well validated. Many other questions are open to debate.

This is very REAL and is happening NOW.

Latest News: http://www.usmle.org/General_Information/review.html

VOICE YOUR THOUGHTS: http://comprev.usmle.org/

Peter · Site Admin Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 32

A reason for discussion at UVA is the following:

The proposed revisions to USMLE entail the creation of a new kind of test question, one which integrates basic medical science, clinical knowledge and skills, and what they called "hard translational science."

This necessitates an appropriate discussion and revision on the part of the faculty and curriculum planners at this institution. The answer is not simply changing test questions, but to restructure courses and learning methods to prepare students to tackle these new patterns of reasoning.

What do you suggest?