Newswise — Preliminary recommendations from the convening organizations of the Invitational Conference on USMLE Scoring (InCUS) are now available online. From today until July 26, 2019 individuals and organizations interested in this United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) topic can review the recommendations, hear podcasts about InCUS, sign up for a webinar, and submit comments about the recommendations.  

The report details score reporting perspectives and suggestions with proposed actions to address the complex issues related to USMLE score reporting and the transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education. Final recommendations will follow the timeline which will be updated as the process moves forward.

The USMLE parent organizations (the Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners), along with the American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates convened the conference in mid-March 2019 to discuss the primary and secondary uses of USMLE scores within undergraduate and graduate medical education. InCUS explored possible changes to or recommendations (short and/or long-term) for USMLE scoring.

About United States Medical Licensing Examination ® (USMLE®)

USMLE® is a three-step examination for medical licensure in the United States and is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners® (NBME®).

USMLE provides licensing authorities meaningful information from assessments of physician characteristics – including medical knowledge, communication, and skills – that are important to the provision of safe and effective patient care. The program follows professional testing standards to provide fairness and equity to physicians, while providing important information to score users.

The USMLE program engages medical educators and their institutions, licensing authority members, and practicing clinicians in the design, development, and continuous improvement of these assessments.

USMLE’s parent organizations, the NBME and the FSMB, along with the American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates make up the InCUS planning group.

About the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)  The FSMB is a national non-profit organization representing all medical boards within the United States and its territories that license and discipline allopathic and osteopathic physicians and, in some jurisdictions, other health care professionals. The FSMB serves as the voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, research, and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care, and regulatory best practices. To learn more about the FSMB, visit www.fsmb.org. You can also follow FSMB on Twitter (@theFSMB).

About the National Board of Medical Examiners® (NBME®) The NBME is an independent, mission-driven organization that provides high-quality assessments for the health professions. We serve the health of the public through state-of-the-art assessment of health professionals, and we are committed to research and development in evaluation and measurement. 

The NBME delivers valid information about health care knowledge and skills to score recipients to support important inferences and decisions. We develop the three-step United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®), which provides a common evaluation system and established minimum standards for all doctors of medicine seeking an initial license to practice medicine in the United States. USMLE is a joint program of the NBME and the FSMB. Results of USMLE are reported to all licensing authorities in the United States and its territories for use in granting the initial license to practice medicine.

With over 100 years of expertise in assessment for medical licensing, the NBME continues its pursuit of new and reliable approaches to advance the standard of care. Our global offerings encompass the spectrum of health professionals along the continuum of education, training, certification, and practice. Learn more at www.NBME.org and follow @NBMEnow on Twitter.