BACKGROUND High stakes medical licensing programs are planning to augment and adapt current examinations to be relevant for a two-decision point model for licensure: entry into supervised practice and entry into unsupervised practice. Therefore, identifying which skills should be assessed at each decision point is critical for informing examination development, and gathering input from residenc...

BACKGROUND To investigate the attitudes of premarital couples towards the premarital screening program after the abolition of compulsory screening in China and to study the factors influencing participation. METHODS Between July 1st 2010 to August 31st 2010, 650 people who registered for marriage at the civil affairs bureau of Wuhan, Suizhou, Zaoyang in Hubei province were studied using quest...

PURPOSE The first resident enrolled in the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard MD Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (MD/OMFS) program graduated from Harvard Medical School (HMS) in 1972. The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of the first 30 years of the program and to outline plans for its future. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study and the sample was comp...

PURPOSE To identify expert recommendations and examples of programs that could be incorporated into curricular renewal of the fourth year of medical school. METHOD In 2009, the authors searched the relevant literature published from 1974 to 2009 using PubMed; they then searched bibliographies and related articles. They consulted clerkship and residency program directors at their institution a...

Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination has now replaced the National Board of Medical Examiners part 1 examination as the initial step in medical licensure. The new examination format places an increased emphasis on clinical vignettes to test basic physiological concepts. Suggestions from a question-writing workshop were incorporated into cardiovascular items in a midcourse p...

The aim of this review is to highlight recent and potential future enhancements to the United States Licensing Examination (USMLE) program. The USMLE program is co-owned by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the Federation of State Medical Boards. The USMLE includes four examinations: Step 1, Step 2 Clinical Knowledge, Step 2 Clinical Skills, and Step 3; every graduate of Liaiso...

OBJECTIVE To determine if performance differences exist between male and female students on a 6-week obstetrics and gynecology (Ob/Gyn) clerkship and to evaluate potential variables that might underlie any observed variations. STUDY DESIGN Final clerkship grades and component scores (clinical evaluations, objective structured clinical examination [OSCE], oral examination, and National Board o...

BACKGROUND Demonstrating the equivalency between the traditional metro-based clerkships within close proximity to the academic health center and the nontraditional rural preceptorships is important. The University of Minnesota has had a 9-month longitudinal rural elective for third-year medical students for 40 years, the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP). In the metro area, traditional s...

UNLABELLED The National Board Dental Hygiene Examination program is a part of the process for licensing dental hygienists. The examination assesses theoretical and applied knowledge in the basic biomedical, dental, and dental hygiene sciences, as well as community health. Standards for licensure examinations recommend that test publishers demonstrate a relationship between examination content a...