Read on Twitter
And *now* it’s official: Step 2 CS is suspended for 12-18 months.
https://www.usmle.org/announcements/
Know what that means?
Yup, it’s time to break it down, WINNERS and LOSERS style...
(thread)
https://www.usmle.org/announcements/
Know what that means?
Yup, it’s time to break it down, WINNERS and LOSERS style...
(thread)
WINNER: The Class of 2021.
Yes, that’s right - the medical school class that’s been getting their teeth knocked in by COVID-19 finally wins a round.
(Take that $1300 refund and do something nice for yourselves, won’t you?)
Yes, that’s right - the medical school class that’s been getting their teeth knocked in by COVID-19 finally wins a round.
(Take that $1300 refund and do something nice for yourselves, won’t you?)
LOSER: Program directors.
Not because Step 2 CS provides valuable information for most PDs - but because 12-18 months from now, they’ll have a scheduling nightmare on their hands as their whole intern class requests time off to finally take their CS exam.
Not because Step 2 CS provides valuable information for most PDs - but because 12-18 months from now, they’ll have a scheduling nightmare on their hands as their whole intern class requests time off to finally take their CS exam.
WINNER: Researchers.
The absence of USMLE Step 2 CS will set in motion a natural experiment. Can anyone tell the difference between residents who took Step 2 CS and those who didn’t?
(My guess is no.)
The absence of USMLE Step 2 CS will set in motion a natural experiment. Can anyone tell the difference between residents who took Step 2 CS and those who didn’t?
(My guess is no.)
LOSERS: Medical boards.
If medical boards allow physicians to become licensed without taking USMLE Step 2 CS - which remains a big “if” - it’s gonna be really hard to articulate a reason why future physicians should be required to take the exam.
If medical boards allow physicians to become licensed without taking USMLE Step 2 CS - which remains a big “if” - it’s gonna be really hard to articulate a reason why future physicians should be required to take the exam.
LOSERS: Any U.S. medical student who took CS before COVID-19.
Admit it - until now, you might have been a little smug about getting your test finished before the pandemic as you watched your classmates panic. Now, you’re just wishing you could get that $1300 back.
Admit it - until now, you might have been a little smug about getting your test finished before the pandemic as you watched your classmates panic. Now, you’re just wishing you could get that $1300 back.
DOUBLE LOSERS: Anyone who *failed* CS before COVID-19.
It’s one thing to graduate, rank, or license someone who never took CS - but what about someone who failed it? For the 5% of US MDs who fail CS, it’s a career-altering event - now without any light at the end of the tunnel.
It’s one thing to graduate, rank, or license someone who never took CS - but what about someone who failed it? For the 5% of US MDs who fail CS, it’s a career-altering event - now without any light at the end of the tunnel.
WINNER: The NBME.
Sure, they’ll have to do without CS revenue this year. Trust me, they’ll be okay.
Their previous plan of using a half-baked “telehealth” exam to replace the old CS would have been a greater threat to their long-term ability to mandate a clinical skills exam. https://twitter.com/jbcarmody/status/1260306264632025091
Sure, they’ll have to do without CS revenue this year. Trust me, they’ll be okay.
Their previous plan of using a half-baked “telehealth” exam to replace the old CS would have been a greater threat to their long-term ability to mandate a clinical skills exam. https://twitter.com/jbcarmody/status/1260306264632025091
LOSER: The NBOME.
Thus far, in spite of the COVID19 pandemic, the NBME’s CS announcement, and old-fashioned common sense, the osteopathic board is maintaining that it will resume testing for its Step 2 CS doppelganger - the COMLEX Part 2 PE.
(Folks, prepare to take heavy fire.)
Thus far, in spite of the COVID19 pandemic, the NBME’s CS announcement, and old-fashioned common sense, the osteopathic board is maintaining that it will resume testing for its Step 2 CS doppelganger - the COMLEX Part 2 PE.
(Folks, prepare to take heavy fire.)
WINNERS: The medical students who started the #EndStep2CS movement.
Sure, CS is just suspended, not cancelled.
But after making a petition that gathered >20K signatures - and *still* getting stiff-armed by the NBME - tonight’s gotta feel good, right? https://thesheriffofsodium.com/2020/01/14/step-2-cs-part-two-the-resistance/
Sure, CS is just suspended, not cancelled.
But after making a petition that gathered >20K signatures - and *still* getting stiff-armed by the NBME - tonight’s gotta feel good, right? https://thesheriffofsodium.com/2020/01/14/step-2-cs-part-two-the-resistance/
LOSERS: IMGs.
Will IMGs still be able to get ECFMG certified without taking Step 2 CS? It’s unclear.
However, PDs and medical boards have long valued a clinical skills exam for IMGs - and there may be significant resistance to certification without it. https://thesheriffofsodium.com/2019/12/24/step-2-cs-part-one-how-did-we-get-here/
Will IMGs still be able to get ECFMG certified without taking Step 2 CS? It’s unclear.
However, PDs and medical boards have long valued a clinical skills exam for IMGs - and there may be significant resistance to certification without it. https://thesheriffofsodium.com/2019/12/24/step-2-cs-part-one-how-did-we-get-here/
(potential) WINNER: The unmatched.
If new IMGs are unable to get ECFMG certified without Step 2 CS, residency programs will need to look more closely at previously unmatched applicants this application cycle.
If new IMGs are unable to get ECFMG certified without Step 2 CS, residency programs will need to look more closely at previously unmatched applicants this application cycle.
UNDECIDED: The fate of CS.
Will the CS suspension become permanent, or at least lead to significant improvements in the test’s nature, cost, and format? Or is Step 2 CS just gonna hibernate for 12-18 months, then re-emerge?
(Ultimately, this one is up to us.)
Will the CS suspension become permanent, or at least lead to significant improvements in the test’s nature, cost, and format? Or is Step 2 CS just gonna hibernate for 12-18 months, then re-emerge?
(Ultimately, this one is up to us.)
