Passing the Caduceus: A Medical Student Perspective on USMLE Step 1 Reform
- PMID: 40144089
- PMCID: PMC11933619
- DOI: 10.1007/s40670-024-02187-6
Passing the Caduceus: A Medical Student Perspective on USMLE Step 1 Reform
Abstract
The USMLE Step 1 exam provides a standardized metric by which medical schools and residency programs can assess a medical student's preclinical medical education. In 2021, the grading of Step 1 changed to pass/fail, in an effort to improve student wellbeing and reduce the exam's undue influence on the residency match process. This commentary provides a medical student's perspective on the new grading system, highlighting recent studies on Step 1 student wellbeing, financial stress, and residency influence.
Keywords: Preclinical education; Residency match; Step 1; Student wellbeing; USMLE.
© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Association of Medical Science Educators 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
Conflict of interest statement
Conflict of InterestThe author declares no competing interests.
References
-
- Chen DR, et al. Student perspectives on the “Step 1 climate” in preclinical medical education. Acad Med. 2019;94:302. - PubMed
-
- Chaudhry HJ, Katsufrakis PJ, Tallia AF. The USMLE Step 1 Decision: an opportunity for medical education and training. JAMA. 2020;323:2017–8. - PubMed
-
- USMLE. Early Release of USMLE Step 1 2022 Summary Performance. 2023. https://www.usmle.org/early-release-usmle-step-1-2022-summary-performance.
-
- USMLE. Performance Data. 2024. https://www.usmle.org/performance-data.