Presentation Description
Christian Gray1
1 Academy for Medical Education, The University of Queensland Medical School
1 Academy for Medical Education, The University of Queensland Medical School
Background
As more countries move towards the need for standardised medical licencing exams, students are finding it difficult to simultaneously navigate learning for their own medical school’s curriculum and prepare for licencing exams. In partnership with the University of Queensland, MD students from the Ochsner Health System (New Orleans, LA) complete their first two years in Australia, before completing two additional years of medical training in the USA. Students must attempt the first of three National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step exams (Step 1) prior to starting year 3 (1). A dedicated USMLE preparation course was established to support students’ preparation for Step 1.
Summary of Work
The purpose of this study was to evaluate discipline areas within clinical sciences that predict success in Step 1. Longitudinal performances in clinical science multiple choice questions in years 1 and 2 of the MD program were correlated with NBME Comprehensive Based Science Exam (CBSE) performance.
Results
The CBSE significantly correlates with performances in Step 1 and is used to assess students’ readiness to take the Step 1 exam (1). within the program. Students who perform above average in the cohort within clinical sciences, were significantly more likely to pass the CBSE, with higher correlation shown in performances in anatomy and pathology.
Discussion and Conclusions
Students report feeling overwhelmed and begin to not trust their medical education, which is often the best learning resource (2). There is compelling evidence that performances in clinical science strongly corelates with success in Step 1. Anatomy in year 1, followed by strong performances in Pathology provides a foundation of knowledge that are key to success in Step 1.
Take-home messages
A foundation in Anatomy learning followed by strong performance in Pathology provides the bases for success in medical licensing exams.
References (maximum three)
1. Johnson TR, Khalil MK, Peppler RD, Davey DD, Kibble JD. Use of the NBME Comprehensive Basic Science Examination as a progress test in the preclerkship curriculum of a new medical school. Adv Physiol Educ. 2014 Dec;38(4):315-20.
2. Khalil MK, Wright WS, Spearman KA, Gaspard AC. Relationship between students' perceptions of the adequacy of M1 and M2 curricula and their performance on USMLE step 1 examination. BMC Med Educ. 2019 Sep 14;19(1):358