TY - JOUR
T1 - Academic and professional career outcomes of medical school graduates who failed USMLE Step 1 on the first attempt
AU - McDougle, Leon
AU - Mavis, Brian E.
AU - Jeffe, Donna B.
AU - Roberts, Nicole K.
AU - Ephgrave, Kimberly
AU - Hageman, Heather L.
AU - Lypson, Monica L.
AU - Thomas, Lauree
AU - Andriole, Dorothy A.
N1 - Funding Information:
Collaborating investigators from six Midwestern medical schools (1 private, 5 public) were funded by a research grant from the Central Group on Educational Affairs of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and developed a database of individualized records for their 1997–2002 graduates (Andriole et al. 2010). Follow-up data were obtained through the 2007–2008 academic year. Each school received project approval from the local institutional review board. The database included linked records for medical school graduates from 1997–2002 who had completed both the AAMC Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ) and the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) with identifiers. Medical Marketing Services, Inc., a licensed American Medical Association (AMA) Physician Masterfile vendor, provided data from the AMA Physician Masterfile regarding practice characteristics; and each school provided first-attempt Step 1 3-digit scores and pass/fail results, first-attempt Step 2CK (clinical knowledge) 3-digit scores and Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honor society election. AAMC Faculty Roster records for
Funding Information:
medical schools. Preliminary results of this study were presented in abstract form at the annual meeting of Research in Medical Education conference at the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington DC, November 10, 2010. Funding: This study was supported by a Collaborative Projects Grant from the Association of American Medical Colleges Central Group on Educational Affairs.
PY - 2013/5
Y1 - 2013/5
N2 - This study sought to determine the academic and professional outcomes of medical school graduates who failed the United States Licensing Examination Step 1 on the first attempt. This retrospective cohort study was based on pooled data from 2,003 graduates of six Midwestern medical schools in the classes of 1997-2002. Demographic, academic, and career characteristics of graduates who failed Step 1 on the first attempt were compared to graduates who initially passed. Fifty medical school graduates (2. 5 %) initially failed Step 1. Compared to graduates who initially passed Step 1, a higher proportion of graduates who initially failed Step 1 became primary care physicians (26/49 [53 %] vs. 766/1,870 [40. 9 %]), were more likely at graduation to report intent to practice in underserved areas (28/50 [56 %] vs. 419/1,939 [ 21. 6 %]), and more likely to take 5 or more years to graduate (11/50 [22. 0 %] vs. 79/1,953 [4. 0 %]). The relative risk of first attempt Step 1 failure for medical school graduates was 13. 4 for African Americans, 7. 4 for Latinos, 3. 6 for matriculants >22 years of age, 3. 2 for women, and 2. 3 for first generation college graduates. The relative risk of not being specialty board certified for those graduates who initially failed Step 1 was 2. 2. Our observations regarding characteristics of graduates in our study cohort who initially failed Step 1 can inform efforts by medical schools to identify and assist students who are at particular risk of failing Step 1.
AB - This study sought to determine the academic and professional outcomes of medical school graduates who failed the United States Licensing Examination Step 1 on the first attempt. This retrospective cohort study was based on pooled data from 2,003 graduates of six Midwestern medical schools in the classes of 1997-2002. Demographic, academic, and career characteristics of graduates who failed Step 1 on the first attempt were compared to graduates who initially passed. Fifty medical school graduates (2. 5 %) initially failed Step 1. Compared to graduates who initially passed Step 1, a higher proportion of graduates who initially failed Step 1 became primary care physicians (26/49 [53 %] vs. 766/1,870 [40. 9 %]), were more likely at graduation to report intent to practice in underserved areas (28/50 [56 %] vs. 419/1,939 [ 21. 6 %]), and more likely to take 5 or more years to graduate (11/50 [22. 0 %] vs. 79/1,953 [4. 0 %]). The relative risk of first attempt Step 1 failure for medical school graduates was 13. 4 for African Americans, 7. 4 for Latinos, 3. 6 for matriculants >22 years of age, 3. 2 for women, and 2. 3 for first generation college graduates. The relative risk of not being specialty board certified for those graduates who initially failed Step 1 was 2. 2. Our observations regarding characteristics of graduates in our study cohort who initially failed Step 1 can inform efforts by medical schools to identify and assist students who are at particular risk of failing Step 1.
KW - Health professional career outcomes
KW - Relative risk
KW - Underrepresented in medicine
KW - Underserved areas
KW - United States Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 failure
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84876090628&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10459-012-9371-2
DO - 10.1007/s10459-012-9371-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 22484965
AN - SCOPUS:84876090628
VL - 18
SP - 279
EP - 289
JO - Advances in Health Sciences Education
JF - Advances in Health Sciences Education
SN - 1382-4996
IS - 2
ER -