Abstract
PurposeUnited States (US) and Canadian citizens attending medical school abroad often desire to return to the US for residency, and therefore must pass US licensing exams. We describe a 2-day United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step 2 clinical skills (CS) preparation course for students in the Technion American Medical School program (Haifa, Israel) between 2012 and 2016.MethodsStudents completed pre- and post-course questionnaires. The paired t-test was used to measure students’ perceptions of knowledge, preparation, confidence, and competence in CS pre- and post-course. To test for differences by gender or country of birth, analysis of variance was used. We compared USMLE step 2 CS pass rates between the 5 years prior to the course and the 5 years during which the course was offered.ResultsNinety students took the course between 2012 and 2016. Course evaluations began in 2013. Seventy-three students agreed to participate in the evaluation, and 64 completed the pre- and post-course surveys. Of the 64 students, 58% were US-born and 53% were male. Students reported statistically significant improvements in confidence and competence in all areas. No differences were found by gender or country of origin. The average pass rate for the 5 years prior to the course was 82%, and the average pass rate for the 5 years of the course was 89%.ConclusionA CS course delivered at an international medical school may help to close the gap between the pass rates of US and international medical graduates on a high-stakes licensing exam. More experience is needed to determine if this model is replicable.
Highlights
International medical graduates (IMGs) make up approximately 25% of current trainees in United States (US) residency programs
We describe the development and evalu ation of a United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step 2 clinical skills (CS) preparation course provided at the Tech nion Israel Institute of Technology School of Medicine for US and Canadian medical students in the Technion American Medical School (TEAMS) program between 2012 and 2016
Interactive, experiential teaching meth ods received the highest ratings. This is the first study to describe a successful USMLE step 2 CS preparation course conducted within the local learning environment of an international medical school
Summary
International medical graduates (IMGs) make up approximately 25% of current trainees in United States (US) residency programs. A substantial subset (about 38%) of IMGs are US and Canadian citi zens (US IMGs) who attend medical school abroad [1]. Most of these students desire to return to the US or Canada to complete resi dency training and practice medicine. US IMGs represent about 14% of all US residency applicants [1]. To enter graduate training in the US, IMGs must be certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. In 2015, US citizens made up 26% of all IMGs seeking certification in the US [2].
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have