Internal medicine resident perspectives on scoring USMLE as pass/fail

Authors

Sara L. Wallach, Department of Medicine, St. Francis Medical Center, Trenton, NJ, USA.
Christopher Williams, Department of Behavioral and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Robert T. Chow, Department of Medicine, The University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Nagesh Jadhav, Rochester Regional HealthFollow
Sapna Kuehl, Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Jaya M. Raj, Department of Medicine, Creighton University School of Medicine-Phoenix, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Richard Alweis, Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.

Department

Internal Medicine

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Abstract

Background: The scoring rubric on the USMLE Step 1 examination will be changing to pass/fail in January 2022. This study elicits internal medicine resident perspectives on USMLE pass/fail scoring at the national level. Objective: To assess internal medicine resident opinions regarding USMLE pass/fail scoring and examine how variables such as gender, scores on USMLE 1 and 2, PGY status and type of medical school are associated with these results. Methods: In the fall of 2019, the authors surveyed current internal medicine residents via an on-line tool distributed through their program directors. Respondents indicated their Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge scores from five categorical ranges. Questions on medical school type, year of training year, and gender were included. The results were analyzed utilizing Pearson Chi-square testing and multivariable logistic regression. Results: 4012 residents responded, reflecting 13% of internal medicine residents currently training in the USA. Fifty-five percent of respondents disagreed/strongly disagreed with pass/fail scoring and 34% agreed/strongly agreed. Group-based differences were significant for gender, PGY level, Step 1 score, and medical school type; a higher percentage of males, those training at the PGY1 level, and graduates of international medical schools (IMGs) disagreed with pass/fail reporting. In addition, high scorers on Step 1 were more likely to disagree with pass/fail reporting than low scoring residents. Conclusion: Our results suggest that a majority of internal medicine residents, currently training in the USA prefer that USMLE numerical scoring is retained and not changed to pass/fail.

First Page

381

Last Page

385

DOI

10.1080/20009666.2020.1796366

Volume

10

Issue

5

Publication Date

9-3-2020

PubMed ID

33235666

Recommended Citation

Wallach, S. L., Williams, C., Chow, R. T., Jadhav, N., Kuehl, S., Raj, J. M., & Alweis, R. (2020). Internal medicine resident perspectives on scoring USMLE as pass/fail. Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives, 10 (5), 381-385. https://doi.org/10.1080/20009666.2020.1796366