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Annual Report on USMLE to Medical Licensing Authorities in the U.S. | 2017
Social Media:
To date, the USMLE has made limited use of the social media. For example, the program has a
Facebook account and has secured, but not yet started utilizing, a Twitter account (“@USMLE”). The
goal in moving toward greater use of social media is to supplement and strengthen USMLE
communication and outreach efforts via the USMLE website (
www.usmle.org
).
The primary audience for social media outreach is the 100,000+ individual examinees taking the
USMLE each year. Important secondary audiences include medical educators at both the
undergraduate and graduate levels and members of the state medical board community.
Video:
Targeted use of short videos is another tool for proactive communication to stakeholders. The goal
of any USMLE video will be to:
•
inform or explain practical issues or topics important to the experience of examinees in registering
or testing; or
•
communicate the integrity and value of USMLE as a critical piece of the US medical regulatory
landscape
; or
•
humanize the USMLE by showcasing the people and/or groups involved in its construction
and governance, e.g., our ‘national faculty.’
Other elements of a strategic communication currently under evaluation:
•
Routine (often automated) email communications with applicants and
examinees are being
reviewed to ensure consistency in messaging among the three USMLE registration entities
(i.e., FSMB, NBME and ECFMG).
•
Targeted use of focus groups as a means of garnering feedback on USMLE initiatives. For
instance, this approach was utilized in early 2017 when local Philadelphia-area medical students
participated in focus group exercises to provide feedback on draft models for updating and
improving the USMLE score report.
•
Major revisions to the USMLE website. This would represent a longer-term project.
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Annual Report on USMLE to Medical Licensing Authorities in the U.S. | 2017
USMLE Enhancements
Design Review of Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge Examinations
Similar to the review of the USMLE Step 3 examination that prompted recent changes to the
examination, USMLE governance is conducting a review of the Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical
Knowledge examinations to determine if these examinations should be redesigned. The USMLE
Management Committee is investigating a potential expansion of the competencies important to
supervised practice, including but not limited to further development of content related to
communication, patient safety, and professionalism. Planned changes will be announced on the
USMLE website well in advance of implementation.
Investigating Improvements to Reporting of USMLE Results to Examinees and Medical Schools
The USMLE program continues to investigate ways to improve the reporting of USMLE results to
examinees and medical schools. The investigation includes a review of the current reports; surveys
to both examinees and schools to determine how examinees and medical schools use and interpret
score reports; a review of the informational materials provided to examinees and medical schools;
and input from USMLE governance. In 2017, several examinee score report prototypes were
reviewed by the USMLE Management Committee and evaluated by examinee focus groups. A
subset of those score report prototypes are being shared with examinees through a Cognitive
Interview pilot in order to determine whether the new format is easier for examinees to understand
and interpret.
New features in Step 2 CS patient note program
Two user-adjustable display features, text magnification and color inversion, are now available in the
patient note program used by Step 2 CS examinees after each patient encounter. The color inversion
feature changes the color of the text and background from black-on-white to white-on-black. The
ability to invert color improves readability for some users. The text magnification feature will
magnify the entire screen.
In September 2017, typed patient notes will automatically submit at the end of the 25 minutes
allotted for each patient encounter in the Step 2 CS examination. As a part of this enhancement, a
countdown clock will be visible in the upper right hand corner of the patient note program screen,
showing how much time remains. An announcement will be made when two minutes remain for
writing the note. The countdown clock will change to red when 30 seconds remain. At the end of 25
minutes, the note will automatically submit and examinees will not be able to continue writing.
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Annual Report on USMLE to Medical Licensing Authorities in the U.S. | 2017
Medical Licensing Authorities and the USMLE
USMLE Services to State Medical Boards
In 2016, the FSMB registered approximately 34,000 applicants for the USMLE Step 3. Step 1 and
Step 2 registration services are provided by NBME for students and graduates in US medical and
osteopathic schools and by ECFMG for students and graduates of international medical schools under
eligibility requirements established by the USMLE Composite Committee.
The FSMB also produced and delivered approximately 76,000 USMLE transcripts, including
approximately 37,000 transcripts produced as part of the Federation Credentials Verification System
profile sent to state medical boards for physicians seeking licensure.
The USMLE makes a wide range of informational materials on the program available to medical
licensing authorities. A series of informational articles on USMLE have appeared in the FSMB’s
Journal
of Medical Regulation, and the FSMB regularly hosts web seminars on USMLE-related topics. Subjects
covered in past webinars include USMLE attempt, time limit, and retake policies; update on content
changes to Step 3, including the discontinuance of state board sponsorship for Step 3; challenges to
the Step 2 CS; and annotations on the USMLE transcript. Copies of these presentations are available
upon request from the FSMB.
State Medical Boards’ Participation in USMLE
The FSMB and NBME also hosts an annual USMLE Orientation workshop for members of state
medical boards. This free workshop is open to current and former members of state medical boards
with an interest in participating in the program. The 12
th
workshop took place in late September 2017
at NBME’s offices in Philadelphia. Thirteen members of the following state boards participated:
District of Columbia, Guam, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah-Medical, Virginia,
Vermont-Medical and Washington-Medical. To date, 114 individuals from 50 medical and osteopathic
boards have participated. Forty-five (45) past workshop participants have served subsequently with
the USMLE program. This includes participation on standard-setting and advisory panels, as well as
serving on the USMLE Management Committee and item-writing committees for the program.
Physician and public members of state medical and osteopathic boards interested in attending this
workshop should contact the FSMB for more information.
In 2011, the USMLE established an advisory panel composed of members and senior staff from state
medical boards. The State Board Advisory Panel to the USMLE convened again in October 2017.
The panel provides the USMLE with firsthand feedback on timely issues and major initiatives from
the primary intended user of USMLE scores – state medical boards. Topics addressed by the panel in
2017 included forthcoming updates to USMLE score reports, the Step 2 CS exam, USMLE strategic
communication work, requests for exceptions to USMLE policies, and other updates or issues of
interest to state boards and the panel members. The current members of the panel include staff and
board members from the California-Medical, Illinois, Montana, Nevada-Medical, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania-Medical, Tennessee-Medical & Tennessee-Osteopathic, Virginia, Wisconsin and
Wyoming boards.
Groups such as the State Board Advisory Panel to USMLE and outreach efforts such as the annual
orientation workshop for medical board members continue the long history of the USMLE program
involving the state medical board community directly in the operations of the program. Since its
implementation in 1992, 202 members and staff from state medical boards have participated in the