Zeng Steven L, Harris Raiven, Tian William M, Emovon Emmanuel O, Phillips Brett T
From the Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C.
Division of Plastic, Reconstructive, Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2024 Feb 19;12(2):e5621. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005621. eCollection 2024 Feb.
Given the recent change in Step 1 grading, medical students are faced with decisions surrounding the optimal Step examination order and timing. There is a current lack of guidance outside commonly used United States Medical Licensing Examination study blogs. The aim of this study was to characterize current practices in Step examination order and understand the factors influencing student examination preference. To gather data, we used a 24-item survey and electronically distributed it through three separate email requests to medical students. Participants included medical students (MS1-4) attending a single institution, interested in a surgical residency. In total, 56 students responded to the survey (response rate of 20%). Most students (63.6%) opted to take Step 2 before Step 1. Justifications included the perceived importance of Step 2 for residency applications (33.3%), the change to pass/fail grading (27.0%), the relevance of Step 2 after rotations (27.0%), and a desire to obtain a Step 2 score earlier (7.9%). Step examination order did not lead to differences in Step 2 score ( = 0.459), time used to prepare for Step 1 ( = 0.396), or time used to prepare for Step 2 ( = 0.078). Due to the perceived importance of Step 2, most medical students at our institution who are interested in pursuing a surgical residency are reversing the traditional Step examination order. As this may represent a national trend, additional work needs to be done to provide guidance to medical students and identify the optimal step examination testing strategy.
鉴于最近美国医师执照考试第一步（Step 1）评分方式的变化，医学生面临着关于最佳考试顺序和时间安排的决策。目前，除了常用的美国医师执照考试学习博客外，缺乏相关指导。本研究的目的是描述当前考试顺序的做法，并了解影响学生考试偏好的因素。为了收集数据，我们使用了一份包含24个条目的调查问卷，并通过三次单独的电子邮件请求将其电子分发给医学生。参与者包括就读于同一机构、对外科住院医师培训感兴趣的医学生（MS1 - 4）。共有56名学生回复了调查问卷（回复率为20%）。大多数学生（63.6%）选择在第一步考试之前参加第二步考试。理由包括认为第二步考试对住院医师申请很重要（33.3%）、改为通过/失败评分（27.0%）、轮转后第二步考试的相关性（27.0%）以及希望更早获得第二步考试成绩（7.9%）。考试顺序在第二步考试成绩（P = 0.459）、准备第一步考试所用时间（P = 0.396）或准备第二步考试所用时间（P = 0.078）方面没有导致差异。由于认为第二步考试很重要，我们机构中大多数对追求外科住院医师培训感兴趣的医学生正在颠倒传统的考试顺序。由于这可能代表一种全国性趋势，需要开展更多工作为医学生提供指导，并确定最佳的考试策略。
