Last updated: January 18th, 2023 at 11:28 am

NARRATIVE ASSESSMENTS

In the majority of WAUSM courses and clerkships, a narrative description of student performance will be completed by faculty. Narrative comments will be provided to students for their review in a timely manner and will be a part of the student’s permanent file. Clerkship grading narratives are included verbatim in the MSPE/Dean’s Letter.

EXAMINATIONS

Most written examinations are conducted as web-based objective examinations, using secure questions; examination questions will not be available for study before or after exams. Examinations are timed and proctored, and students take them using either software from Canvas for local formative and internal summative exams or on laptops/PCs with wired connections linked only to servers at the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) for Customized Assessment Service (CAS) final exams (and other exams).

Students have opportunities to raise concerns about exams or ask specific questions by contacting the course, unit, or clerkship director. The grade manager will notify students of exam results within 24-48 hours of score retrieval.

Course, unit, and clerkship directors are expected to use a variety of performance measures in addition to the secure, web-administered, objective exams. The performance measures and percentage contribution to the final grade in each unit, course, or clerkship is described in the syllabus.

To the degree possible, exams for concurrent courses will be scheduled so that exams do not compete with other learning activities.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

Throughout the courses, and clerkships in all 10 semesters of medical school, students are provided with regular, formative feedback on their performance. This feedback takes the form of narrative feedback by faculty and peers and a range of other assessments, such as practice tests on course content. Course, and clerkship directors are expected to ensure structured formative feedback to students early enough to allow sufficient time for remediation.

The NBME Comprehensive Basic Science is administered during the end of the pre-clerkship curriculum (end of semester 5). It is a required exam and will be part of students’ 5th semester. Aside from formulating the semester 5 grade, the purpose of this exam is for students to self-assess their preparation and guide their study for the USMLE Step 1 exam.

LICENSING EXAMINATION POLICY

To become fully licensed to practice medicine in the United States, individuals must pass all three USMLE Step examinations. This section describes the required components of the USMLE licensing examinations during medical school and the implications for the residency match and graduation.

All students must take the USMLE Step 1 exam before beginning clinical clerkships and must receive a passing score for promotion to the next semester. Students must take and pass the USMLE Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge) and the appropriate ECFMG Pathway Program, including the Occupational English Test (OET). Students are expected to take and pass each examination by the deadlines.

Students must be enrolled in WAUSM to be able to register for and take the USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 CK examinations. Students are required to complete applications for the USMLE examinations in sufficient time to request test dates on or before the deadlines.

Students with circumstances that prevent them from taking or retaking the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK examinations by the required dates, must submit a petition in writing to SADSA as soon as possible. The SADSA will review the request and make a determination.

USMLE Step 1 Examination

Students are required to take the USMLE Step 1 examination no later than 16 weeks after completion of semester 5. Students who delay taking Step 1 until after this time are subject to action by the SPC.

Students who fail USMLE Step 1 on their initial attempt are required to take a leave of absence to prepare for and retake Step 1. Students must retake Step 1 within 16 weeks of their 1st attempt. Students who fail their second attempt are subject to being placed on a leave of absence. Students must pass their third attempt at Step 1 within 16 weeks of their 2nd attempt.

Failure to pass Step 1 on the third attempt will result in automatic dismissal from WAUSM.

USMLE Step 2 CK Examination

Passage of Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) is required for graduation. Initial attempts to pass Step 2 CK must be completed by Dec 31 in the year preceding graduation. Step 2 CK should be taken no later than July-August for the results to be released in time for review by the residency programs when the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) opens.

To ensure that a student who matches to a residency program is ready to start the PGY-1 year on time, any student who will not be able to obtain a passing score on USMLE Step 2 CK before the final date for submission of the NRMP rank order list will be withdrawn from the residency match by the Office of Student Affairs.

Failure to pass Step 2 CK on the third attempt will result in automatic dismissal from WAUSM.

ECFMG Pathway Programs

In response to the suspension and subsequent discontinuation of Step 2 CS by the USMLE, the ECFMG|FAIMER offers pathways to allow international medical graduates (IMGs) to meet the clinical and communication skills requirements for ECFMG Certification.

The Pathways allow ECFMG Certification to continue to perform its critical function of providing assurance to the public and U.S. graduate medical education (GME) programs that IMGs are ready to enter supervised training. They also allow qualified IMGs to continue to pursue ECFMG Certification and to compete for positions in U.S. GME.

Applicants who pursue one of the Pathways are required to attain a satisfactory score on the Occupational English Test (OET) Medicine to satisfy the communication skills requirement for ECFMG Certification. All Pathway applicants, regardless of citizenship or native language, must satisfy this requirement.

OET Medicine is only one of the requirements for completing a Pathway. Applicants also must submit an on- line application for the appropriate Pathway.

For a description of the pathways, eligibility information and application procedures, please visit: Requirements for ECFMG Certification for 2023 Match.