Changing United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 to Pass/Fail: Anticipated Ramifications for Plastic Surgery Residency Applicants and Programs

Changing United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 to Pass/Fail: Anticipated Ramifications for Plastic Surgery Residency Applicants and Programs

“…We thank Dr. Boyd and his co-authors for their interest in our recent article entitled "Changing United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 to Pass/Fail: Anticipated Ramifications for Plastic Surgery Residency Applicants and Programs." 1 In their Letter,…”

“…W inocour and associates thoroughly discuss the recent decision to transition the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 examination from a numerical score to pass/fail. 1 The authors cite that the examination causes unnecessary stress to medical students and contributes to high levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout. Furthermore, they suggest that the transition to pass/fail will alleviate this pressure and its sequalae.…”

Reply: Changing United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 to Pass/Fail: Anticipated Ramifications for Plastic Surgery Residency Applicants and Programs

“…We thank Dr. Boyd and his co-authors for their interest in our recent article entitled “Changing United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 to Pass/Fail: Anticipated Ramifications for Plastic Surgery Residency Applicants and Programs.” 1 In their Letter, they state that this scoring transition will not decrease the stress of medical school, particularly because the stress of Step 1 will simply be transferred to Step 2 Clinical Knowledge. We agree that the Step 2 Clinical Knowledge examination will likely take on added significance and likely become the main source of pressure for students in terms of standardized examinations.…”