| 10/2004:
Please refer to the NBME website for more information. For students who
have taken the exam in Philaelphia and Atlanta, scores will be released in
mid-November. For students who have taken the examination at other sites, it
is anticpated that scores will be released shortly thereafter (perhaps
several weeks). The issue is that there has to be enough volume of examinees
at one site to insure adequate reliability. Rembember that for students who
take the exam after January 1, 2005, it is unlikely that scores will be
available prior to the deadline for submission of Match Lists.
May 2004
Dear Residency Program Director:
A test of clinical skills is now part of the United States Medical
Licensing Examination(tm) Step 2 (USMLE(tm) Step 2 CS), with test
administration beginning on June 14, 2004. The purpose of this test is
to assure that examinees have the information gathering and
communication skills necessary to enter supervised postgraduate
education and for subsequent licensure.
We are writing to you to let you know that we cannot guarantee that
results of the clinical skills test will be available in time for
decision making regarding applicants for residency positions in the 2005
National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). As a result, program
directors are encouraged not to require reporting of Step 2 CS results
as a condition of application for a residency position or for ranking in
this year's NRMP. As a condition of participation in the NRMP 2005
Match, international medical graduates (IMGs) will continue to be
required to have passed either the Educational Commission of Foreign
Medical Graduates (ECFMG(r)) Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA(r)) or
USMLE Step 2 CS. The NBME and ECFMG have assigned high priority to
providing reports for IMGs participating in the 2005 NRMP who test
before January 1, 2005.
For all candidates, initial release of results will be delayed until an
adequate number of examinees completes testing at each of the five
testing locations to permit equating of examination data within and
across test sites. Because of the uncertainty surrounding test center
scheduling and the potential challenges of implementing the test with
new systems, a specific reporting date cannot be guaranteed, regardless
of the date on which Step 2 CS is taken. While we hope to begin
reporting Step 2 CS performance late in the fall, delays may be
encountered during the first year. These delays could extend beyond
deadlines for the 2005 NRMP Match.
Further information regarding the Step 2 CS examination is provided in
a fact sheet posted at:
http://www.usmle.org/step2/step2cs/step2csrps.htm
Additional information can also be found at the home page of the USMLE
website:
http://www.usmle.org
The Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical
Examiners, the USMLE sponsors, and the Educational Commission for
Foreign Medical Graduates believe this new examination component
represents a major enhancement to the US medical licensure system. We
would like to thank you for your patience and cooperation as the program
is implemented.
James Thompson, MD, President
Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States
Donald E. Melnick, MD, President
National Board of Medical Examiners
James A. Hallock, MD, President
Educational Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates
| |
