Four years ago, we learned that the USMLE Step 1 exam would become graded on a Pass/Fail basis, rather than each student receiving a 3-digit score. We covered this change in episode 54 of The OSA Insider, featuring an interview with national expert Dr. J. Bryan Carmody. This change went live in January 2022, and we can't help but wonder: where do things stand today? Why did this switch to P/F happen in the first place? Are things better? How are med students feeling about Step 1, anxiety-wise? And how is the UMSOM responding to the current moment? Dr. Nirav Shah and Dr. Devang Patel answer all of these questions and more in their conversation with host Dr. Neda Frayha.
Resources:
UMSOM OME page on USMLE Prep
References:
Change to Pass/Fail Score Reporting for Step 1. United States Medical Licensing Examination. https://www.usmle.org/inCus/ (Accessed 15 Feb 2020)
Carmody JB. #USMLEPassFail: A Brave New Day. The Sheriff of Sodium. https://thesheriffofsodium.com. (Accessed 19 Feb 2020)
Carmody JB. Step 1 Mania: The Case for #USMLEPassFail. 28 April 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-V6dOWxNz0&feature=youtu.be (Accessed 19 Feb 2020)
Carmody JB, Rajasekaran SK. More on the Role of Step 1 of USMLE Step 1 in Resident Selection. Acad Med 2019; 94(7):921. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002744
Carmody JB. On Residency Selection and the Quantitative Fallacy. J Grad Med Educ 2019; 11(4):420-421. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-19-00453.
Carmody JB, Sarkany D, Heitkamp DE. The USMLE Step 1 Pass/Fail Reporting Proposal: Another View. Acad Radiol 2019; 26(10):1403-1406.
Carmody JB, Rajasekaran SK. On Step 1 Mania, USMLE Score Reporting, and Financial Conflict of Interest at the National Board of Medical Examiners. Acad Med 2019 Dec 17. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003126. [Epub ahead of print]
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