Assessment Services plays a critical role in evaluating physicians' medical knowledge and skills to ensure their competence in medical practice.
Through a rigorous evaluation process, our Assessment Services team utilizes the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), co-sponsored by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), to assess physicians' medical knowledge and skills, granting them the vital license to practice medicine independently in the United States. FSMB holds responsibility for registering candidates for Step 3, the final examination in the USMLE sequence, and is also responsible for producing and distributing official USMLE transcripts to state medical licensing authorities.
USMLE Achieves Multiple Milestones
In 2022, the USMLE reached a significant milestone: three decades of service to the nation's healthcare system. The year began with a successful transition in the reporting of USMLE Step 1 scores. Instead of providing a numeric score, the reporting format was modified to indicate only a pass or fail outcome. This change marks an important initial step towards encouraging broader, system-wide improvements to enhance the transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education.
In April 2022, FSMB introduced an updated online application system for USMLE Step 3, streamlining the registration process and providing an enhanced user experience for examinees. Through close collaboration with FSMB's Information Services, our Assessment Services team developed an application that pre-fills examinee data on the Step 3 application. Moreover, the transition to digital delivery of documents such as Certificates of Identity, significantly reduced the registration process time from an average of 8.7 days to just 3.3 days. These improvements have reduced USMLE customer service call volumes and improved efficiency.
In April 2023, FSMB and NBME introduced an updated brand platform for the USMLE program. This involved refreshing the program's messaging and completely redesigning its visuals and logo. The primary objective of this rebranding initiative was to improve the understanding of examinees and other stakeholders regarding the value of USMLE assessments. We’ve aimed to effectively communicate the extensive efforts invested in creating the exam, thereby enhancing its credibility. As part of the rollout, FSMB and NBME will collaborate over the next year to improve the customer experience and establish better communication channels tailored to the specific needs of our target audiences.
Strengthening USMLE Collaboration: Empowering Medical Boards and Examinees
FSMB continues to actively explore ways to enhance medical board participation in the USMLE program. To facilitate this, we have jointly organized an annual USMLE orientation for current and former members of state medical boards in collaboration with NBME. The purpose is to identify individuals interested in collaborating with the USMLE program. To date, FSMB has welcomed several hundred participants from nearly 60 medical boards to these workshops, with many of them subsequently serving on a USMLE committee, workgroup, or standard-setting panel.
In Fall 2022, FSMB organized a meeting of the USMLE State Board Advisory Panel, which consisted of primary end-users of exam results—state medical board members and staff. Their valuable insights on proposed programmatic and policy changes have played a pivotal role in informing state licensing requirements and board operations. To incorporate the examinee perspective, FSMB held three meetings of the USMLE Medical Student and Resident Advisory Panel during the summer and fall of 2022. This panel provided a platform for examinees to express their concerns and perspectives on the USMLE program. FSMB shared early data on examinee performance following the transition of Step 1 to pass/fail, actively seeking feedback from participants regarding the impact of this change.
Commitment to Continuous Improvement
FSMB's Assessment Services remains dedicated to ensuring the competence of physicians through the USMLE program and other assessment tools. We continue to invest efforts in strengthening medical board participation, enhancing our services, and engaging stakeholders. With these ongoing endeavors, FSMB is committed to fostering continuous improvements in medical education and licensure.
