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Annual Report on USMLE to Medical Licensing Authorities in the U.S. | 2017
Important announcement regarding Fifth Pathway certificates and USMLE Step 3 (posted March 2016)
As previously announced, the USMLE will cease acceptance of Fifth Pathway certificates for the
purpose of meeting Step 3 eligibility requirements, effective January 1, 2017. Individuals who hold
valid Fifth Pathway certificates, and are otherwise eligible, may use their Fifth Pathway certificates to
meet Step 3 eligibility requirements, and may apply for Step 3 through December 31, 2016.
Individuals holding Fifth Pathway certificates that are not accepted by the USMLE program for
purposes of meeting Step 3 eligibility will be required to obtain ECFMG certification in order to be
eligible for Step 3.
USMLE Security Video (posted January 2016)
Remember, the stakes on a medical licensing exam are high! Don’t do something that might
jeopardize your future as a licensed physician. Be sure you understand all the USMLE policies on
security and irregular behavior by viewing our new security video,
http://www.usmle.org/security
.
Change in minimum passing requirements for Step 3 (posted December 2015)
At its December 2015 meeting, the USMLE Management Committee conducted a review of the
Step 3 examination minimum passing score and decided to raise the recommended Step 3 minimum
passing score from 190 to 196.
Expanded Version of USMLE Content Outline (posted April 2015)
An expanded version of the USMLE Content Outline, which provides a common organization of
content across all USMLE exams, is available at
www.usmle.org/pdfs/usmlecontentoutline.pdf
.
The expanded version provides additional detail about subcategories of the 18 sections of the
content outline. It is important to note that the USMLE Content Outline
is not intended as a
curriculum development or study guide. It provides a flexible organization of content for test
construction that can readily accommodate new topics, emerging content domains, and shifts in
emphasis. While the USMLE Content Outline
is common to all exams, each exam continues to have
its own test specifications. Each exam emphasizes certain parts of the outline, and no single
examination will include questions on all topics in the outline.
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Annual Report on USMLE to Medical Licensing Authorities in the U.S. | 2017
USMLE Strategic Communication Outreach
In 2016, the USMLE program received its heaviest criticism since the period preceding the launch of
the Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) component in 2004 – specifically, national pushback against the USMLE
Step 2 CS from U.S. medical students. While the USMLE program has worked over the past year to
address the students’ concerns, the criticism has served as a valuable prompt to revisit fundamental
elements of how the USMLE program communicates with the primary stakeholders in the exam –
that is, directly to examinees, medical educators and medical regulators and, indirectly, to the public.
Consideration and evaluation of the program’s current communication with stakeholders highlight the
need for a more proactive approach to communicating about the USMLE, as well as the need for
improved
listening to stakeholder concerns. Below are the main elements and initiatives comprising a
new strategic communication outreach for the USMLE.
Key messaging:
Work is ongoing to refine key messages and themes that USMLE seeks to highlight. These key
messages constitute the philosophical foundation for communication platforms (USMLE website,
Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and are critical to ensuring that postings are consistent with an overall
messaging strategy. Continued work is also underway to identify a specific overarching set of core
messages regarding USMLE as well as messages tailored to specific audiences (examinees, medical
regulators, the public, etc).
Examinee input:
The ‘national faculty’ of volunteers working on the USMLE provide the program with direct input
from medical educators and regulators. The latter’s perspective is also formally captured through the
ten-member State Board Advisory Panel to USMLE that meets annually with staff. While these are
effective in their own right, the current USMLE committee structure does not offer a platform for
more direct input and feedback from those most directly impacted by the exam – examinees.
The USMLE is establishing a Medical Student & Resident Advisory Panel to serve in an advisory
capacity to the program. The 15-member panel will be composed of five U.S. allopathic students, two
osteopathic medical students, two students from international medical schools, five residents and one
public member. All students and residents will have passed at least one USMLE Step exam. The
panel’s charge will be three-fold: 1) to assist USMLE staff in working through operational issues
directly impacting the examinee experience of the exam, 2) to serve as an additional voice and resource
to inform more substantive policy questions from or before the USMLE Management and Composite
Committees and (3) to serve as informal ambassadors of the USMLE program.
The Medical Student & Resident Advisory Panel to USMLE will allow FSMB and NBME staff
working on USMLE program to:
•
collect feedback from students and residents on issues and
topics specific to the USMLE,
especially ongoing and/or planned strategic enhancements or similar processes;
•
test assumptions about the USMLE with a medical student and resident audience; and
•
gain insight into the perspective of medical students and residents on USMLE policy issues.