Educational and Personal Opportunity Costs of Medical Student Preparation for the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Exam: A Single-Center Study

Cortés-Penfield, Nicolás W; Khazanchi, Rohan; Talmon, Geoffery

doi:10.7759/cureus.10938

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(32 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The most stressful aspects of medical training include preparing for exams and acquiring medical skills, which can lead to high levels of anxiety among medical students [ 24 , 25 ]. Confirming the previous data, most medical students at a United States (US) medical school attributed poor wellness to the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) preparation process [ 26 ]. Thus, medical students who prepare for exams for postgraduate medical education are at stake regarding the consequences of poor mental wellness: depression, anxiety, burnout, low attention, medical errors, and negligence [ 14 , 27 , 28 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Final-year medical student mental wellness during preparation for the examination for specialty in Turkey: a cross-sectional survey study

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background In Turkey, most final-year medical students prepare for the Examination for Specialty in Medicine in a high-stress environment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on final-year medical student general psychological distress during preparation for the Examination for Specialty in Turkey. We aim to evaluate psychological distress and understand the variables associated with depression, anxiety, and stress levels among final-year medical students preparing for the Examination for Specialty. Methods A self-reporting, anonymous, cross-sectional survey with 21 items consisting of demographic variables, custom variables directed for this study, and the DASS-21 was utilized. Survey results were expounded based on univariate analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis. Results Our study revealed four variables associated with impaired mental wellness among final-year medical students during preparation for the examination for Specialty: attendance to preparatory courses, duration of preparation, consideration of quitting studying, and psychiatric drug usage/ongoing psychotherapy. Discussion Considering that physician mental wellness is one of the most crucial determinants of healthcare quality, impaired mental wellness among future physicians is an obstacle to a well-functioning healthcare system. Our study targets researchers and authorities, who should focus on medical student mental wellness, and medical students themselves.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Final-year medical student mental wellness during preparation for the examination for specialty in Turkey: a cross-sectional survey study

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The 3 studies that explored when students should begin studying for an NLE found that starting farther in advance of Step 1 or COMLEX 1 was associated with higher scores. 48,61,74 However, among medical students, more time overall spent in dedicated exam preparation was not associated with higher Step 1 scores when overall time was estimated to include time before dedicated preparation, 52,67 hours per day studying during the dedicated preparation period, 48,51,71 or length of the dedicated preparation period. 48,51,72 Two studies found that fewer days spent in dedicated preparation was associated with higher…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Of the 29 preparation studies, 37,47–74 23 (79%) focused only on Step 1, 4 (14%) on Step 2, 1 (3%) on COMLEX 1, and 1 (3%) on both Step 1 and COMLEX 1. Of all preparation studies, 25 (86%) were done at a single institution, and 17 (59%) used surveys, 1 of which surveyed oral and maxillofacial surgery MD residency program directors about their residents’ preparation habits over a 10-year period.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Leading to Successful Performance on U.S. National Licensure Exams for Medical Students: A Scoping Review

Jeyaraju

Linford²,

Mendes

et al. 2022

Academic Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose To synthesize the evidence of the factors leading to successful performance on knowledge-based national licensure exams (NLEs) for medical students. Method The authors conducted a scoping review to summarize the peer-reviewed empiric literature that used United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 or Step 2 Clinical Knowledge or Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) Level 1 or Level 2 Cognitive Evaluation scores as outcomes. The authors searched PubMed and Scopus without date restrictions through April 30, 2021. Two reviewers independently screened and selected studies for inclusion. Data were summarized narratively and with descriptive statistics. Results The authors screened 1,185 unique citations and included 233 full-text studies in their review. Of these, 201 (86%) were studies of USMLE exams, 31 (13%) were studies of COMLEX exams, and 1 (0.4%) reported on both. The authors classified 29 studies (12%) as informing NLE preparation, 163 (70%) as attempting to identify predictive variables, and 76 (33%) as using NLE scores for program evaluation. Preparation studies found that the number of practice test items, practice exam scores, and less time in dedicated preparation correlated with higher NLE scores. Use of other commercial resources or study strategies was not consistently associated with higher scores. Predictive studies found the strongest relationships between individuals’ performance on past assessments and their NLE scores. Conclusions The factors leading to successful performance on knowledge-based NLEs align with well-known principles from the cognitive sciences. Learners build on existing foundations of knowledge (reflected in their prior academic performance) and are likely to learn more efficiently with testing and spaced learning over time. While commercial test preparation resources are ubiquitous, there is no evidence that a single resource gives students a competitive advantage on NLEs. Developing habits of regular and continuous learning is necessary for clinical practice and successful NLE performance.

show abstract

“…5, 6). UCISOM students used similar physiologyrelated study materials reported by other pre-clerkship programs [28]. More MS2 students reported using third-party resources as their primary tool for learning compared to the MS1 class (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Medical student exam performance and perceptions of a COVID-19 pandemic-appropriate pre-clerkship medical physiology and pathophysiology curriculum

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Medical schools were compelled to abruptly transition pre-clerkship curricula to remote learning formats due to the emergence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated student perceptions of remote learning, exam performance, and utilization of third-party learning resources to assess the implementation of a newly developed pandemic-appropriate physiology curriculum. Methods This was an observational study based on a survey conducted in the Spring of 2021 at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine (UCISOM). This study aimed to assess first (MS1) and second year (MS2) medical students’ perceptions of satisfaction, support, academic performance, and connectedness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The MS1 class began medical school during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas the MS2 class did so prior to the start of the pandemic. A survey instrument was developed and validated to identify the impact remote learning had on student self-perceptions of the Medical Physiology and Pathophysiology course. Surveys were distributed to all students and responses were collected on a voluntary basis. Exam scores on a customized National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) physiology shelf exam were also compared to objectively identify how the remote curriculum during the pandemic impacted academic performance. Results Of 204 students enrolled, 74 responses were analyzed, with 42 MS1 (40% of MS1s) and 32 MS2 (31% of MS2s) responses. Overall, MS1s and MS2s were satisfied with the curriculum they received (95 and 97% respectively) and the school’s support of their concerns (86 and 100% respectively). Notably, only 50% of MS1s felt connected to their peers, compared to 94% of MS2s. Lecture attendance and self-perception of their academic performance were similar between both classes. Interestingly, the intra-pandemic class’s NBME exam average in 2020 (60.2% ± 8.9, n = 104) was significantly higher than the pre-pandemic class average in 2019 (56.8% ± 11.3, n = 100). Both classes primarily used course materials over third-party learning resources. An additional set of survey questions distributed only to the MS1 class found that the majority of MS1s reported minimal barriers with regards to accessibility, including internet connectivity, study-conducive environments, and balancing family commitments. Overall, pre-clerkship medical students had positive perceptions of the newly developed pandemic-appropriate physiology curriculum. Conclusions Changes to the pre-clerkship physiology curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic were met with overall satisfaction from the students and an increase in NBME scores. More attention to student connectedness is needed to improve how remote learning can be best optimized into future curricula development.

show abstract

Educational and Personal Opportunity Costs of Medical Student Preparation for the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Exam: A Single-Center Study

Abstract: Cortes-Penfield et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

Final-year medical student mental wellness during preparation for the examination for specialty in Turkey: a cross-sectional survey study

Final-year medical student mental wellness during preparation for the examination for specialty in Turkey: a cross-sectional survey study

Factors Leading to Successful Performance on U.S. National Licensure Exams for Medical Students: A Scoping Review

Medical student exam performance and perceptions of a COVID-19 pandemic-appropriate pre-clerkship medical physiology and pathophysiology curriculum

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About